Auburn’s offensive woes in their 10-16 defeat to Texas A&M are a story that its fans are too familiar with. The Tigers only managed to score one touchdown, which was in the fourth quarter. The loss means that Auburn sits in the 15th position, with a 0-2 SEC record. But the result wasn’t a surprise for a lot of people. After all, it is not the first time that Hugh Freeze‘s men have failed to show up against big teams.

When Auburn landed Jackson Arnold from Oklahoma earlier this year, fans and analysts alike viewed it as one of the program’s strongest transfer moves. But his performance yesterday raised eyebrows. Arnold was sacked 5 times and managed just 124 passing yards. He hung onto the ball for too long and missed opportunities to make plays. The offensive line failed to contain pressure, and there was virtually no rushing game. So, the loss puts a lot of pressure on Hugh Freeze, who now has to solve this offensive predicament. To add insult to the injury, Freeze lost the game on his birthday.

Freeze’s 56th birthday was not one that he enjoyed. And Texas made sure that he wouldn’t forget what happened. The official account of Texas A&M poked fun at Auburn’s birthday post for the head coach. While the post read “Happy Birthday, Coach”, it doesn’t take a genius to understand the sarcasm.

Well, the entire ordeal must not have been fun for Hugh Freeze and his men. Getting trolled online by their opponents after getting whooped marks a new low for Freeze. In their current form, it is clear that something is lacking in the dressing room.

The Tigers started the season on a high note. A three-win streak was a positive sign for good things to come, but it didn’t last long. When they faced SEC opponents, they got caught out. While the defense has been working overtime, the offense is lacking in intent. Against Texas, the offense went 0-for-13 on third downs and 0-for-2 on fourth downs. They were also out-gained 414 to 177 in total yards.

Hugh Freeze will be under immense pressure if these issues continue to arise. The only thing saving Freeze is the solid performances from the defense. But defense can only do so much. Hugh Freeze will have to sort out this issue before they face the Georgia Bulldogs after a bye next week. And he might do that by hiring a coach who just got fired.

A possible change for Hugh Freeze could be helpful for Auburn

Auburn’s offensive problems have been evident for a while. They’ve had the same problem for the past three seasons. Now, conversations are stirring up regarding a possible change in the offensive line coach position. A possible name that has come up is Sam Pittman, the recently fired, former head coach of Arkansas.

This comes after commentator Ben Stanfield pointed out that Auburn could work on their offense issues if it fires Jake Thornton. “I hate seeing dudes get fired, but it’s part of the business. Auburn needs to pull the trigger on OL and hire Sam Pittman tomorrow after he gets tossed by Arkansas,” said Stanfield. Now that Stanfield’s prediction has come true and Pittman has been fired, it’s worth considering the possibility.

As of now, there hasn’t been any confirmation about the move. While it is speculative, it would not hurt for Auburn’s management to try out the move. After all, the problems have existed for a while now. If Auburn wants to be a top team, something must change.