Analyst downplays Auburn’s Week 1 win, questions if Hugh Freeze was the wrong hire

Auburn football fans can’t have nice things the way the local media covers the team it seems.

After Hugh Freeze’s Tigers covered any available spread and showed out on both sides of the ball after some initial early struggles on the defense’s first drive, AL.com’s Joseph Goodman immediately started questioning whether or not AU made a mistake not hiring Deion Sanders — who was always a long-shot to be hired on the Plains despite former Colorado quarterback Joel Klatt claiming he’d be AU’s next coach.

“It was a perfect day on The Plains,” Goodman prefaced before saying, “But it wasn’t the kind of day that Colorado enjoyed was it? Nope. Not even close to being the same thing. Auburn is 1-0 after its first game with a new coach. Colorado is a national brand after its first game with Sanders and instantly the most revolutionary thing in American sports. Welp, it could have happened for Auburn.”

Hugh Freeze proving to be the perfect fit for the Auburn football program

It was almost preferable for the Auburn football defense to look so out of sorts on their very first drive on the field, letting UMass quarterback Taisun Phommachanh and running back Kay’Ron Adam move the chains seamlessly before the former forced his way into the end zone from the 1-yard line. In many ways, it proved that this team could bounce back when facing adversity.

It may take a bit for the offense to truly be tested, but there’s now confidence that this team can take a lick and hit back harder. That sentiment is quite literally the opposite mantra of the past two seasons under Bryan Harsin, when AU would fold early without a fight or late after building up a lead of their own.

Freeze proved to be the perfect man for the job on Saturday, and that statement will stand until proven otherwise. His genuine excitement approaching the student section after the game was palpable from the nose-bleeds and his participation in rolling the trees at Toomer’s shows he respects the Auburn tradition.

Don’t daydream about Deion when there’s finally someone proud to be in the position of Auburn football head coach.

Because if you run Freeze away, you could end up with another Harsin.