What exactly does Hugh Freeze think can be fixed at this point?
The head coach continues to say Auburn doesn't need drastic changes — and that he knows what needs to be fixed. So, what is that?
AUBURN — Despite a fourth straight loss in which it scored less than 20 points, there’s only one thing that’s guaranteed to change about Auburn’s offense this week.
And that’s the starting center spot, because Connor Lew tore his ACL.
Two days after Auburn’s 23-17 double overtime loss to Missouri and five days before the Tigers are set to play a high-scoring Arkansas on the road, Hugh Freeze’s Monday afternoon press conference didn’t produce much of anything new.
Freeze opened his remarks, as he did Saturday night, by saying that he still believes that the Tigers will get that breakthrough win soon — and also by noting that this four-game losing streak has all been close defeats at the hands of top-15 teams.
“We know our past four opponents have a combined record of 25-3 and are really, really good football teams,” Freeze said. “Which when you look at how close we are to winning each of those games, it gives me great hope, and I think that’s what you hold onto in times like these — the fact that you know you’re really, really close.”
Perhaps the biggest piece of information from what Freeze said on Monday is that he also hasn’t heard anything different from Auburn athletic director John Cohen.
But that’s not necessarily a good thing for him, given that Freeze was being asked about how Florida State and Wisconsin both made statements on Monday showing their support for their own currently embattled head coaches.
“Well, it would be huge,” Freeze said with a small laugh. “That would make everyone feel a lot better, for sure. I haven’t talked to John. I’m going to say John has been so supportive ever since my hire. … They have a job to do, and certainly he has people he has to answer to.
“I know how close we are, and I know how I can get this fixed. We’re too dang close, and we’ve got to get a little bit better play and a little bit better coaching at a few spots. I want a chance to fix this.”
So, what exactly can get fixed? Here’s what Freeze had to say about that — along with the starting quarterback situation and the offensive line without Lew — in six more takeaways in the wake of Auburn’s 6-point loss to Missouri.
1: Freeze believes Auburn’s issues, specifically on offense, can be fixed.