Freeze Press Conference - Post Iron Bowl

[Paladin 3,305]

 

Quick Quotes: Freeze's final thoughts on Iron Bowl loss, looking to bowl season

Auburn ends the regular season with six wins for the third time in the past four years

NATHAN KING 53 mins

After three straight wins, Auburn's first regular season under Hugh Freeze ended with a pair of heartbreaking losses.

More painful was a 27-24 defeat at the hands of rival Alabama on Saturday, as the Crimson Tide made its own Iron Bowl miracle by winning the game with a touchdown pass on fourth-and-31 with 32 seconds left. Auburn ends the regular season with six wins for the third time in the past four years.

Follow along here for live updates from Freeze's weekly press conference, as he recaps Auburn's brutal loss in the Iron Bowl and looks to bowl season. 

* Freeze thanks Auburn fans for Saturday: "It was, in my opinion, the best college football atmosphere I've ever experienced."

* Freeze: "It will forever be a regret that we didn't get to celebrate after it."

* Freeze on the team's mood Monday: "The sting is not getting any better right now."

* Freeze talks a lot about the prospects that were on campus: "A lot of the recruits saw what it can be."

* Auburn's recruitment of its own roster — plus NFL draft and other departure decisions — "starts today," Freeze said.

* Freeze said he didn't sleep at all Saturday night, just went straight into Sunday.

* Freeze says as upsetting as the loss was, "If you're made of the right stuff, it makes you really determined."

* Freeze says he sat with D.J. James and Koy Moore at their lockers for "a while" after the game.

* On James defending the last play, "There should have been someone else there with him."

* Freeze says Keionte Scott "dinged his shoulder" on the third down before Koy Moore's muffed punt and went briefly into the training room. That's why Moore was out there.

* Freeze on the fourth-and-31, says Auburn was "in perfect position" leading up to the touchdown: "We didn't coach it well enough, and we didn't execute it well enough."

* In terms of a recruiting pitch Saturday, Freeze says Auburn got "everything but the win."

* "Every situation is a little different," Freeze says of players who may want to opt out of the bowl game.

* Freeze: "I have no idea" what Auburn's roster makeup will look like for 2024 in terms of transfers vs. high-school newcomers. Says the coaching staff will have to continue to adapt depending on how many players transfer out within the next couple weeks.

* Freeze: "It is absolutely ridiculous that this portal window coming up is as long as it is."

* Freeze is "totally convinced" Auburn can be a program that wins championships after Year 1. Says the team should "be in every game."

* Freeze on his upcoming conversations with Auburn's prospective outgoing transfers: "The only way I know to be is totally transparent."

* Freeze says, with the exception of the New Mexico State week, Auburn made "great strides" in terms of its culture and buy-in.

* Freeze: "It's hard for me to sit here and say I'm proud of delivering six wins when it could have been more."

* Freeze on bowl practices: "I'm not one that grinds them during the bowl. I want them to enjoy the journey and the process." Says he wants to see the young defensive backs in particular get into the bowl game. Freeze says he'll make a hypothetical practice schedule for the bowl week later today.

* Freeze takes some time at the end of his press conference to talk more about the muffed punt and the fourth-and-31: "It's not just those two plays or coaching decisions. We had other chances, too, in that game."

Edited November 27, 2023 by Paladin

[RunInRed 16,438]

1 hour ago, Paladin said:

* Freeze says he sat with D.J. James and Koy Moore at their lockers for "a while" after the game.

I think we sometimes forget these are kids and real people when all is said and done.  Glad to hear this.

[Sizzle 3,917]

1 hour ago, Paladin said:

 

Quick Quotes: Freeze's final thoughts on Iron Bowl loss, looking to bowl season

*

* Freeze takes some time at the end of his press conference to talk more about the muffed punt and the fourth-and-31: "It's not just those two plays or coaching decisions. We had other chances, too, in that game."

He’s probably referring to that drive that ended up in a FG instead of a TD. Javarrius should’ve had another TD, it hit him right in the face mask. If he caught that ball Auburn would’ve went up 8 instead of 4

[AUpreacherman22 3,888]

1 hour ago, RunInRed said:

I think we sometimes forget these are kids and real people when all is said and done.  Glad to hear this.

Man, I have talked to several people and prayed for those 2 kids especially!!!   I felt really bad for them after the game.   Koy just slipped at the worst possible moment.   And DJ was put in a terrible situation by his DC.  

[Grumps 3,704]

19 minutes ago, AUpreacherman22 said:

Man, I have talked to several people and prayed for those 2 kids especially!!!   I felt really bad for them after the game.   Koy just slipped at the worst possible moment.   And DJ was put in a terrible situation by his DC.  

DJ was asked to guard a guy. It what he has been asked to do all year.

[e808 3,028]

5 minutes ago, Grumps said:

DJ was asked to guard a guy. It what he has been asked to do all year.

No secondary player can be expected to cover that long . That doesn’t even happen in the pros. More often than not some penalty gets called. Haven’t there been multiple complaints on this forum all year about giving the qb all day to throw. What was normally the outcome.

Edited November 27, 2023 by e808

[JerryAU 1,679]

Asking your DBs to cover for 10 seconds while the opponent's QB is given enough time call for dinner reservations is asking a little too much IMO.  

[AUnCullman 601]

The thing about a prevent style defense is that you aren't "supposed" to be covering anyone for 10 seconds, you're supposed to be covering a zone area. Watching receivers, looking for the ball and/or a QB run. Its not brain surgery. But in that moment I can understand why you want to win so bad you get out of position. Just not very disciplined execution by the players. DJ seen his help out of position and that's why he turned his back and tried to make a play. 

9 out of 10 times that catch is not going to be made. All it takes is one guy not on the same page though, which is even more surprising after the timeout

[Dan-0 479]

15 minutes ago, e808 said:

No secondary player can be expected to cover that long . That doesn’t even happen in the pros. More often than not some penalty gets called. Haven’t there been multiple complaints on this forum all year about giving the qb all day to throw. What was normally the outcome.

THIS! Even with 8 defenders covering 5 receivers, eventually one of those receivers is going to break free and it only takes a second for the QB to hit a receiver at 30 yards. This is basic backyard football!

I know we have the benefit of hindsight and we are Monday morning quarterbacks. But it would be nice to hear Freeze say it was a mistake not to rush Milroe AT ALL on fourth and 31.

[e808 3,028]

7 minutes ago, Dan-0 said:

THIS! Even with 8 defenders covering 5 receivers, eventually one of those receivers is going to break free and it only takes a second for the QB to hit a receiver at 30 yards. This is basic backyard football!

I know we have the benefit of hindsight and we are Monday morning quarterbacks. But it would be nice to hear Freeze say it was a mistake not to rush Milroe AT ALL on fourth and 31.

I’m some instances there have been QBs that throw the receiver open when it looks like they are covered 

[JerryAU 1,679]

Milroe chunked that ball over 40 yards to a spot in the corner and his guy made a play on the ball and hung on to it for the win.

Sucks, but maybe it was a lesson learned by our coaching staff and players. 

[AUpreacherman22 3,888]

13 minutes ago, JerryAU said:

Sucks, but maybe it was a lesson learned by our coaching staff

I certainly hope so.   That was the defensive equivalent of the Coxcat!!!!!   That was probably the single most stupid defensive play call I’ve ever seen!!!   Rushing 2 in that situation was insane!   Furthermore, having a spy in a 4th and goal from the 31 was a waste of a player!!!!  And we called a timeout before that play to come up with that brainless debacle!!!!

Roberts’ big idea was “Hey, let’s only use 10 defenders, and give their QB 2 1/2 weeks to throw the ball to his superior athletes in a 50/50 type situation if none of them are able to get open(ish).    Other than having all 11 of our players lie down on the field and hope the ball carrier trips over one of them, that was the worst possible play call in that situation.   I just can’t get over how stupid that was!!!!!    So yes, DJ’s coach put him in a really bad situation!!!!

[e808 3,028]

4 minutes ago, AUpreacherman22 said:

I certainly hope so.   That was the defensive equivalent of the Coxcat!!!!!   That was probably the single most stupid defensive play call I’ve ever seen!!!   Rushing 2 in that situation was insane!   Furthermore, having a spy in a 4th and goal from the 31 was a waste of a player!!!!  And we called a timeout before that play to come up with that brainless debacle!!!!

Roberts’ big idea was “Hey, let’s only use 10 defenders, and give their QB 2 1/2 weeks to throw the ball to his superior athletes in a 50/50 type situation if none of them are able to get open(ish).    Other than having all 11 of our players lie down on the field and hope the ball carrier trips over one of them, that was the worst possible play call in that situation.   I just can’t get over how stupid that was!!!!!    So yes, DJ’s coach put him in a really bad situation!!!!

If it looked like an eternity on tv imagine how the guys probably felt trying to watch receivers scrambling to get open. 

[Dan-0 479]

7 minutes ago, AUpreacherman22 said:

I certainly hope so.   That was the defensive equivalent of the Coxcat!!!!!   That was probably the single most stupid defensive play call I’ve ever seen!!!   Rushing 2 in that situation was insane!   Furthermore, having a spy in a 4th and goal from the 31 was a waste of a player!!!!  And we called a timeout before that play to come up with that brainless debacle!!!!

Roberts’ big idea was “Hey, let’s only use 10 defenders, and give their QB 2 1/2 weeks to throw the ball to his superior athletes in a 50/50 type situation if none of them are able to get open(ish).    Other than having all 11 of our players lie down on the field and hope the ball carrier trips over one of them, that was the worst possible play call in that situation.   I just can’t get over how stupid that was!!!!!    So yes, DJ’s coach put him in a really bad situation!!!!

💯

It is going to be a while before I can let this go, if ever. Milroe gets happy feet any time there is pressure from the defense and he had already been penalized for throwing a pass beyond the line. So you have to get some pressure on him in that situation to make him take off running or force a bad throw. As it played out, we gave him time to pick out a receiver and launch a perfectly placed strike to the corner of the end zone where only that receiver could catch the ball. I could let it go sooner if Freeze would admit it was a mistake that cost his team the game.

[aubaseball 2,633]

#4 and #10 gave up the long pass TD earlier in the game.    #10 was positioned in the end zone and chose to go to the center of the end zone instead of covering his third of the right corner.    # 4 should have never been “covering” his man with his back to the quarterback.   He could have stood in the end zone and watched the receiver run his route in front of him and waited for the Quarterback to throw the ball.   I don’t understand why the three guys that were lined up on the line weren’t trying harder to get to the quarterback.    They didn’t even try 

[cbo 7,865]

29 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

#4 and #10 gave up the long pass TD earlier in the game.    #10 was positioned in the end zone and chose to go to the center of the end zone instead of covering his third of the right corner.    # 4 should have never been “covering” his man with his back to the quarterback.   He could have stood in the end zone and watched the receiver run his route in front of him and waited for the Quarterback to throw the ball.   I don’t understand why the three guys that were lined up on the line weren’t trying harder to get to the quarterback.    They didn’t even try 

#4 also had a perfect PBU in the endzone in the second half.

And didn't he make that great hit to keep Milroe from getting the first down after his long run (on 3rd and 20 by the way)? They converted on 4th but he stopped Milroe in his tracks. I think it was #4, but I'm not 100%. I do remember our guy was hurt and down for a while after that. 

My only point is that no one will remember any of that. It's a tough game. 

Oh, and to your final point about the guys on the line. There was no way 2 guys were beating 5 to get to the QB. The 3rd guy was a spy who was just doing his job, although I have no clue why that was his job. 

 

[Dan-0 479]

42 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

#4 and #10 gave up the long pass TD earlier in the game.    #10 was positioned in the end zone and chose to go to the center of the end zone instead of covering his third of the right corner.    # 4 should have never been “covering” his man with his back to the quarterback.   He could have stood in the end zone and watched the receiver run his route in front of him and waited for the Quarterback to throw the ball.   I don’t understand why the three guys that were lined up on the line weren’t trying harder to get to the quarterback.    They didn’t even try 

If you watch the replay, it looks like they were instructed not to rush Milroe, just contain him. So not only did we drop eight defenders deep the three defenders on the line were only trying to contain him, even if that meant giving him all day to pass. It appears they were more concerned about him scrambling and running for a TD than the danger of him completing a pass in the end zone. A fatal miscalculation by our coaches, as it turned out. 

[RunInRed 16,438]

 

[RunInRed 16,438]

7 hours ago, RunInRed said:

I think we sometimes forget these are kids and real people when all is said and done.  Glad to hear this.

"I could show you still shots," he said. "I took pictures of every still shot from the 10-yard line in, and we are in perfect position. We have three-over-two, so either we didn’t coach it well enough or we didn’t execute it well enough. It’s probably a combination of both. It’s something we work every Thursday on. Those were our two options, and that’s the one we went with. We felt like, with their empty set, we could stay three-over-two and four-over-three and play with vision on the ball and knock the ball down, and we didn’t play with vision on the ball.”

Freeze said James felt the "weight of the world” after the loss. The coach revealed that James was the defensive back burned by Alabama's 68-yard touchdown pass from Milroe to Jermaine Burton before halftime.

"His words at his locker were, ‘Coach, I let you down. I let you down.’ And he felt that because of not only that (game-winning touchdown) play, but the one right before the half when we were up 14-10, he didn’t get the call and gave them a long TD pass there," Freeze said. "So he felt the weight of the world on him. I just told him, ‘We’ll get through it. We love you, we’ll get through it together.’ Somehow, in time, if handled right, it makes them stronger.”

[bigbird 60,573]

The problem I have is that fans are griping and blaming the wrong thing.

DJ isn't the one who blew the play and it wasn't the DC that called the play. As has been stated, one can't cover that long. You're right. That's why you have safeties over the top to play the ball. One on the man, and one on the ball.  Now imagine the pass again-- DJ where he was, but you had a safety drifting over and undercutting the receiver -- it's an easy pbu. 

[ellitor 33,110]

2 hours ago, bigbird said:

it wasn't the DC

Who called the play?

[EagleEye67 1,941]

13 hours ago, e808 said:

If it looked like an eternity on tv imagine how the guys probably felt trying to watch receivers scrambling to get open. 

Hmm, if only there had been some pressure on the QB....

[Auburn93 547]

21 hours ago, Paladin said:

 

Quick Quotes: Freeze's final thoughts on Iron Bowl loss, looking to bowl season

Auburn ends the regular season with six wins for the third time in the past four years

NATHAN KING 53 mins

After three straight wins, Auburn's first regular season under Hugh Freeze ended with a pair of heartbreaking losses.

More painful was a 27-24 defeat at the hands of rival Alabama on Saturday, as the Crimson Tide made its own Iron Bowl miracle by winning the game with a touchdown pass on fourth-and-31 with 32 seconds left. Auburn ends the regular season with six wins for the third time in the past four years.

Follow along here for live updates from Freeze's weekly press conference, as he recaps Auburn's brutal loss in the Iron Bowl and looks to bowl season. 

* Freeze thanks Auburn fans for Saturday: "It was, in my opinion, the best college football atmosphere I've ever experienced."

* Freeze: "It will forever be a regret that we didn't get to celebrate after it."

* Freeze on the team's mood Monday: "The sting is not getting any better right now."

* Freeze talks a lot about the prospects that were on campus: "A lot of the recruits saw what it can be."

* Auburn's recruitment of its own roster — plus NFL draft and other departure decisions — "starts today," Freeze said.

* Freeze said he didn't sleep at all Saturday night, just went straight into Sunday.

* Freeze says as upsetting as the loss was, "If you're made of the right stuff, it makes you really determined."

* Freeze says he sat with D.J. James and Koy Moore at their lockers for "a while" after the game.

* On James defending the last play, "There should have been someone else there with him."

* Freeze says Keionte Scott "dinged his shoulder" on the third down before Koy Moore's muffed punt and went briefly into the training room. That's why Moore was out there.

* Freeze on the fourth-and-31, says Auburn was "in perfect position" leading up to the touchdown: "We didn't coach it well enough, and we didn't execute it well enough."

* In terms of a recruiting pitch Saturday, Freeze says Auburn got "everything but the win."

* "Every situation is a little different," Freeze says of players who may want to opt out of the bowl game.

* Freeze: "I have no idea" what Auburn's roster makeup will look like for 2024 in terms of transfers vs. high-school newcomers. Says the coaching staff will have to continue to adapt depending on how many players transfer out within the next couple weeks.

* Freeze: "It is absolutely ridiculous that this portal window coming up is as long as it is."

* Freeze is "totally convinced" Auburn can be a program that wins championships after Year 1. Says the team should "be in every game."

* Freeze on his upcoming conversations with Auburn's prospective outgoing transfers: "The only way I know to be is totally transparent."

* Freeze says, with the exception of the New Mexico State week, Auburn made "great strides" in terms of its culture and buy-in.

* Freeze: "It's hard for me to sit here and say I'm proud of delivering six wins when it could have been more."

* Freeze on bowl practices: "I'm not one that grinds them during the bowl. I want them to enjoy the journey and the process." Says he wants to see the young defensive backs in particular get into the bowl game. Freeze says he'll make a hypothetical practice schedule for the bowl week later today.

* Freeze takes some time at the end of his press conference to talk more about the muffed punt and the fourth-and-31: "It's not just those two plays or coaching decisions. We had other chances, too, in that game."

Great leadership, Great Transparency!

[Auburn93 547]

5 hours ago, bigbird said:

The problem I have is that fans are griping and blaming the wrong thing.

DJ isn't the one who blew the play and it wasn't the DC that called the play. As has been stated, one can't cover that long. You're right. That's why you have safeties over the top to play the ball. One on the man, and one on the ball.  Now imagine the pass again-- DJ where he was, but you had a safety drifting over and undercutting the receiver -- it's an easy pbu. 

As always fans are griping about the wrong thing. We needed a player to help with DJ James. They were discussing that on the Bill Cameron show with Tex. 

[bigbird 60,573]

2 hours ago, ellitor said:

Who called the play?

The play wasn't the problem