Hugh Freeze chastised Payton Thorne for a failed fourth-down play in Auburn’s defeat against Georgia on Saturday. The quarterback responded sharply to his head coach’s account of what happened.
Things aren’t going well on the plains!
First and foremost, the Tigers are 2-4 in their first six games of the 2024 college football season. They concluded with a losing record last year. Freeze does not live up to expectations. He isn’t winning.
To make matters worse, Freeze refuses to accept responsibility and frequently throws his own players under the bus. Nothing that goes wrong has ever been his fault, dating back to his tenure at Ole Miss and earlier.
Freeze recently attempted to defend his criticism of Auburn’s players. In doing so, the 55-year-old abandoned his backup tight end to the wolves. It was an excellent summary of how he works as a head coach.
It was last week. This week’s debate is much more tense because the players are fighting back. More particular, starting quarterback Payton Thorne is battling back.
During the fourth quarter against the Bulldogs, the Tigers failed to convert a fourth-and-one.
After the game, Freeze was asked about the unusual play call. He once again blamed the failure on someone else. Thorne apparently checked out of the original call.
"He absolutely didn't go with what we had called…we've got to coach better to where that's really not an option in that moment in time." – Hugh Freeze on Payton Thorne's decision to keep the ball on 4th and 1. https://t.co/QBJTwOTaFS pic.twitter.com/1VM9tOJK95
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) October 6, 2024
Although Freeze pointed fingers at his signal-caller, the latter isn’t having any of it. Thorne attempted to defend his name during an interview with The Next Round on Tuesday, flipping the script.
He blames the head coach for the failed fourth down. Thorne said that he “did not check any play,” which clearly contradicts Freeze.
Freeze blames. Thorne. Thorne disputed the blame.
We may never know the whole truth, because opposing viewpoints usually find common ground somewhere in the middle. However, Hugh Freeze has some explaining to do.
