Hugh Freeze, Auburn not worried about outside pressure

Pressure is building for third-year head coach Hugh Freeze.

The Auburn Tigers are 0-2 in SEC play heading into Week 7 of the 2025 college football season. After road losses against Oklahoma and Texas A&M—and a much-needed bye week—Auburn is set to face Georgia in a make-or-break matchup on Saturday.

Unfortunately, with hot seat rumors already buzzing around Freeze and talk of a potential quarterback switch in the air, Auburn approaches its game against the Bulldogs with more questions than answers.

Jackson Arnold, who showed promise as a dual-action quarterback in Week 1 against Baylor, continues to hold onto the ball for too long post snap. He went 0/12 on third down conversions in College Station and has been sacked a whopping 20 times so far this season.

For Auburn, in order to keep their season goals in play, beating Kirby Smart and his Georgia Bulldogs is necessary.

“In our team meeting when we got back yesterday—they got Friday and Saturday without practice—we talked about season two, because that’s where we are,” Freeze said. “I break the season down into those bye weeks, season one, season two and season three. Everything is still in front of us, and it starts with an incredible rivalry game that you ought to just relish the opportunity to play in.”

Freeze knows that a win on Saturday would answer many questions surrounding him and his program.

“Yes, there’s always a sense of urgency because it’s the next SEC game, but you can’t run from the fact that this rivalry game means something to a lot of people," he said.

Georgia will mark Auburn’s third straight top-15 opponent. When questioned about the pressure to perform well against one of the SEC’s best teams, Freeze emphasized that he and his team don’t feel strained.

“I can only talk about what the staff and I (feel), and I don’t sense it from the players," he said." You know, it’s the next game up, and you look around, everything is still right in front of you. You’ve got to forget the last one and move on to the next one, and that’s what we’re doing. You get up the next morning, and you go to work, and you improve. I know that this team is closer than we’ve ever been in the two-and-a-half years that I've been here or so. I’m ready to get us over the hump. I don’t worry about the pressure or any of that.”

Kickoff is set for 6:30 CT on Saturday. The Tigers have yet to host an SEC opponent in 2025, and history tells that fortunes could change forFreeze and his battle-tested program under the stadium lights of Jordan-Hare.

If Auburn falls to Georgia, the situation could flip from desperate to a lost cause. With an SEC Championship still in the Tigers’ sights and playoff contention aspirations up in the air, victory on Saturday is a must.