Hot Football Take: Same Script, Different Saturday — Auburn Chokes Away Another One Under Freeze
What a gut punch. Auburn had Missouri beat — at home, in double overtime, with the defense doing everything short of scoring the points themselves — and still found a way to lose 23–17. It was the same movie Auburn fans have been forced to watch for two seasons under Hugh Freeze: a championship-level defense dragging a dead-weight offense, and a head coach who has no answers when the game gets tight.
The Story: Auburn Beats Auburn
Missouri didn’t out-talent Auburn. They didn’t even outplay them. Auburn beat itself, again — with missed kicks, poor play-calling, and zero offensive rhythm after halftime. Freeze’s offense managed 17 points in six quarters of football. The defense held Missouri — a top-10 scoring team averaging over 41 points per game — to 17 in regulation. And yet, the Tigers walk away 3–4 overall and 0–4 in SEC play. At some point, you stop calling it bad luck. It’s just bad coaching.
The Good: DJ Durkin’s Defense Is Championship Caliber
Credit where it’s due — DJ Durkin has built a unit that can play with anybody in the country. Auburn’s defense shut down Missouri’s Heisman-hopeful running back Ahmad Hardy, holding him to just 58 yards. They pressured Beau Pribula all night, and when the team desperately needed a play, linebacker Jay Crawford delivered with a clutch interception that forced overtime.The defense gave Auburn every chance to win. They played like a team that believed. Unfortunately, the other side of the ball didn’t.
The Bad: Freeze’s Offense Is a Dumpster Fire
Auburn’s offense under Freeze is stuck in quicksand. It starts hot, sputters by halftime, and flatlines when the game matters most. Jeremiah Cobb was the only consistent weapon, breaking 100 yards for the first time in SEC play. Cam Coleman finally looked like the five-star wideout Auburn fans were promised, posting 108 yards on six catches. And yet, none of it mattered. Because every time Auburn crossed midfield, the drive died in confusion.Three missed field goals. Zero second-half adjustments. Overtime play-calling that looked like it came from a scared coach trying not to lose — instead of one trying to win.
The 2OT Meltdown
Missouri scored first in the second overtime, putting all the pressure on Freeze’s offense. Auburn needed six yards for a first down to extend the game. Third-and-six: a conservative run up the middle that lost two yards.
Fourth-and-eight: incomplete pass, game over. That third-down call will haunt the fanbase all week — not because it failed, but because it symbolized the Freeze era perfectly: scared football, predictable football, losing football. As one analyst put it bluntly after the game, “That was coaching malpractice.”
The Missed Kicks and Missed Chances
You can’t talk about this loss without mentioning the kicking game. Alex McPherson — normally automatic — missed three field goals, including one that would have won the game in the first overtime. Auburn left nine points on the field and lost by six.But even that doesn’t tell the whole story. Auburn’s offense gave McPherson too many long attempts, too many stalled drives, and too little help. Every field goal was a sign of offensive failure.
The Freeze Factor: The Real Problem
Freeze’s postgame comments were as familiar as the scoreline:
“We’re still not finding ways to win games.”
He’s right — but that’s the problem. After 19 games, the “we’ll learn from it” and “we’re close” excuses have expired. The team reflects its coach: emotional early, unfocused late, and unable to close.He’s now 0–4 in SEC play this season for the 3rd year in a row. Moreover, he is 9–10 overall at Auburn. Against ranked teams? 1–19. The numbers speak louder than his sermons about culture and belief.
The Players Deserve Better
Auburn’s defense is too good to waste like this. They held Missouri to its lowest scoring total of the season. They got the crowd back into it. They played for pride.But until Auburn gets a head coach who can manage emotion, adjust at halftime, and trust his players in the biggest moments, it won’t matter. The defense can’t keep playing 40 minutes a night while the offense chases its tail.
The Final Word: Freeze Is Out of Excuses
Missouri didn’t win this game — Auburn gave it away. Three missed field goals, conservative calls in overtime, and another second-half offensive collapse define yet another chapter in the Freeze era.The sad part? The talent is there. The defense is elite. The home crowd showed up. Everything but the offensive coaching did its job.
Missouri 23, Auburn 17 (2OT).
Same Story Different Day.