What did Auburn learn during its "much-needed" off week?

The Tigers enter the second half of the season needing a turnaround. Here's what we learned from Hugh Freeze to open Mizzou week.

RB Jarquez Hunter (Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers)

AUBURN — When a team is playing well, sometimes the last thing it wants is a break.

So, when a team is not playing well — like, for example, having lost three straight and all four games against quality opponents — a pause can bring some sweet relief.

That latter example fits the 2024 Auburn football team. The Tigers went 2-4 in the first half of the season, going 0-4 against power-conference teams. Now they have to make two of the longest trips in the SEC in back-to-back weeks: Missouri and Kentucky.

After yet another multi-score loss at rival Georgia two weeks ago, Auburn took the first of its two off weeks this season. The other one will split the second half of the campaign in half: Three games, an off week, then three more games.

“I don't know if we could draw up, for a year that you have two open weeks, them falling at better times,” Hugh Freeze said Monday. “It split the season pretty well for us, it looks like. … Everybody was a little sore and beat-up. We've had some physical games. Then, the mental side of handling not being exactly where you'd hope to be, I think, was good timing for that, also.”

Auburn entered the season looking to take a step forward on the field and end a streak of losing records for the program. After only winning twice in six tries, the Tigers will have to reverse that record in the second half to become bowl-eligible and have any shot of finishing above .500.

“We had a much-needed off week last week, which was good for our physical bodies and our mental side,” Freeze said. “Obviously disappointing to be sitting where we are record-wise, and (we) determined that we must play more consistent football in all three phases. We've got to coach that better.

“We spent a lot of time last week looking at what we think needs to be done in order for us to do that, because we've got obviously a very difficult schedule ahead.”

Auburn lifted weights and conditioned last Monday, then had two “energetic” practices Tuesday and Wednesday. Then the Tigers got Thursday and Friday off for the university’s fall break, which Freeze said was a good thing at this time of year.

“The emphasis was on us,” Freeze said. “Man, here are the things we've got to get better on, these short distances and critical downs on both sides and red zone. And, really, what is our bread and butter? Let's try to make it look different ways. But we probably don't need more. Let's do less and keep doing it better.

“We had two really good days for an open week. I think having fall break really helped it. I think everybody needed a little break — the coaches, the players.”

While Auburn should be fresh from its off week, Missouri will be coming off an interesting pair of games.

Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers suffered their first loss of the season two weeks ago in a 41-10 road beatdown at the hands of Texas A&M. Then, Missouri made the unusual trip to lowly UMass, which it defeated last Saturday by a score of 45-3.

It’s a weird stretch of the schedule for Missouri, which will play at Alabama one week after hosting Auburn. While the blowout loss at Texas A&M may have swayed national opinions on Missouri, Freeze remains adamant that Drinkwitz — one of his closest friends in coaching — has a great squad on his hands.

“Missouri had a chance to really stay in the (Texas A&M) game early,” Freeze said. “They had three penalties and calls that went horribly against them. It kind of just snowballed — which, you see that happen from time to time.

“I don't make too much of that. I know what I see on film, and I know the consistency they've been about almost every single game for the last, what, 15 or so? … This is a top-20 team, for sure, if not higher. They haven't lost at home in a long time. They're a really quality football team.”

As of Monday afternoon, Auburn is a 5-point underdog at Missouri. If Auburn is able to pull off the upset away from home, it could give Freeze’s Tigers a real chance to turn their season around.

But that’s much easier said than done, considering how missed opportunities and self-inflicted wounds defined the first half of the season.

“If we have a critical down, it will be very, very, very, very disheartening and infuriating if another situation happens on a fourth-and-1 or a third-and-1 where our kids don't have a clear understanding of what should happen,” Freeze said. “That would be quite infuriating.”

Here’s more of what we heard from Freeze on Monday as Auburn opened Missouri week, including a major matchup to watch, an area of great emphasis for the offense and several stats that could define the showdown in Columbia.