Charles Kelly didn't try to tell Jacksonville State fans that the Gamecocks were "close" after a 33-7 loss to North Dakota State on Saturday night. Kelly took complete responsibility for the blowout letdown in Fargo during the Bison's first-ever FBS matchup.
Kelly showed humility in defeat in an endearing way after Week 0. Auburn fans can definitely appreciate how the former Tigers defensive coordinator viewed the loss and his own role in it.
"You know what? That's a good, old-fashioned butt whipping," Kelly said. "They were very detailed in what they did and we were not. I take full responsibility for that and I own that.
"We have to recognize what we have to do to get better. There's still a lot of football left to play and we'll get back to work for next week."
There's a reason Kelly is so popular with players. He's a straight shooter who cares about his players and doesn't throw them under the bus when times get tough. And certainly, things got tough during the 2016 FCS Championship rematch on Saturday night.
Kelly didn't deal with the loss like a certain fellow former Auburn coach used to handle things.
Hugh Freeze, take notes on Charles Kelly's attitude
It's not the Tigers' problem anymore. Hugh Freeze has been fired and replaced. Still, it's hard to look back at the past three seasons on the Plains and not feel regret about the man who was put in charge.
Freeze never once took responsibility for Auburn not playing up to its potential as a gaudy NIL spender. If you ask his former Rebels quarterback, Bo Wallace, Freeze didn't take responsibility during his time at Ole Miss either.
Kelly just provided a masterclass on how to respond when your team doesn't live up to its potential. Even when it's not always a head coach's fault, being a leader and collecting the heftiest checks means you man up and shield your team from criticism.
Freeze used his players as human shields from media criticism. Man up he did not.
Week 0 was not a good weekend for Hugh Freeze
Combine Kelly showing his former boss how it's done at the press conference with the attention Freeze got during Jackson Arnold's UNLV debut, and you have quite the bad week for the man who went 6-16 against SEC competition over the past three years with the Tigers.
Now, disclaimer: Arnold was not as impressive as many would have you believe during the Rebels' 27-21 loss to Memphis. He threw several passes beyond 20 yards in the first half and used his legs to find the end zone, but he fell apart in the second half in familiar fashion. Arnold took several sacks on the game-deciding drive and saw his completion percentage drop to 50% in the second half after a 17/21 first half.
Still, it's telling that the whole college football world immediately thought about how bad Freeze's offense was when Arnold was thriving.
Very soon, Alex Golesh will coach his first game for AU and Freeze will fade even further into the past. For now, though, it's hard not to still be hurt by Freeze's failed run at Auburn.
There's reminders everywhere of how inept he truly was.
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