Auburn’s woes continued Saturday with another SEC loss. Their third of the season. Now falling at home to Georgia, Hugh Freeze and co. are at 3-3. Although initially the Tigers came out hot, but they sputtered after halftime. Failed to put a single point on the board in the 2nd half. Now, while questions swirl around the offense, the refball controversy didn’t help. It is true that the officials’ decisions or indecisions played a big role. As a result, a potential TD went uncalled, echoing the SEC’s earlier admission of mistakes in the game against Oklahoma. Now, with frustration mounting, Freeze made his stance clear.

In the first half, Auburn led 10-0. They were on the verge of a three-score lead with just 1:32 left. Moreover, Jackson Arnold’s goal-line sneak looked like a TD. But the officials ruled it a fumble. The Bulldogs rode that wave, outscoring Auburn 20-10. And that’s why in the postgame conference, when asked if the fumble call before halftime hurt him, Freeze was honest.

“I didn’t feel it at half,” admitted Freeze. “I was more pissed off, and everyone was ticked off. The second half didn’t feel like it had the same energy.” Although Freeze and Auburn’s AD were visibly frustrated at halftime. But after the game, Freeze stayed measured, stating, “It sure feels like we’re not getting many breaks… I felt like we broke the plane. All you have to do is, the nose of the ball has to break the plane. I thought we had a pretty good shot of that. There’s a lot of times that I make bad calls, and officials do the same.” Freeze also gave his take on the hit to tight end Preston Howard.

“It cost me a timeout. They said there wasn’t enough contact to the head area,” said Freeze regarding the non-targeting call on Howard. However, the chaos didn’t stop there. Because a “phantom” timeout left Auburn reeling, as per the Auburn HC. Although Georgia faced third-and-9 with 13:06 left, Smart appeared to call a timeout. But the officials granted a redo with no penalty. “Kirby told him he was clapping, not calling timeout,” remarked Freeze. Despite all of that, Auburn had chances.

But the 2nd half was a nightmare, and the offense fell short. They just managed 40 yards. And penalties also piled up, with 11 flags costing 103 yards. Now, while Auburn’s 20-10 loss to Georgia left Freeze frustrated, the HC’s future with the Tigers seems uncertain.

Hugh Freeze’s Auburn future

Hugh Freeze is feeling the heat on The Plains. He holds a 14-16 record. Tiger fans are running low on patience. And the buzz about a possible firing has already started.

Back in 2022, Auburn bet big on Freeze with a 6-year, $39M contract. But now the number everyone’s talking about isn’t his salary. It’s his buyout, $15.4 M. According to USA Today, that’s a “manageable” figure by SEC standards. It means that if Auburn decides to pull the plug, it won’t take a financial miracle to do it. But On3’s Pete Nakos showed some hope.

According to him, Freeze’s next few games could decide his fate. “With Georgia coming to town, all eyes will be on how the Tigers look following the bye week,” wrote Nakos. “At only $15.4 million, it’s manageable, something Auburn can pay if the Tigers don’t show improvement.” So if Freeze can clean up his mistakes in the remaining games, there’s still a chance he keeps his job at Auburn.