When Auburn reached the red zone last season on offense, it was always a nervy time, and for good reason. The Tigers finished 109th in red zone offense, converting drives into points just 78.05 percent of the time, and scoring a touchdown in only 48.7 percent of the situations.
Hugh Freeze's offense has been much better through two games so far this season, completing four of five trips to the opposing red zone with touchdowns. So, what's the difference? The Auburn coach knows that is the difference between winning and losing games.
"It’s early, but I think I’m on record saying that there were games we could have won in the past couple of years that we have to own," Freeze said. "The reasons were pretty clear to me. If you look at the stats, our rushing average was really good per yard and yards per game, but what was not good was the turnovers and our red zone scoring. Whether it was field goals or whether it was the lack of touchdown production."
In the season opener at Baylor, the Tigers scored touchdowns on two of three trips to the red zone, while hitting a field goal on another trip. Against Ball State, both trips were capped with Auburn hitting paydirt.
For Freeze, it was about looking in the mirror while also continuing to get the players who can make the plays when called upon.
"The first thing you have to look at is our schemes and our calls, and see if we are putting our kids in the best possible scenarios for those, and then the second piece to that is continue to recruit players that when you do have the right call, they have a good chance of winning on whatever given call it is," he said. "I think it’s a combination of us examining our plan and also recruiting to make some of those that were on tape."
The Auburn coach also made it clear that acquiring better talent on the offensive side of the ball was crucial to improvement.
"Ultimately, when you’re down there, someone is going to have to make a play," he said. "There’s usually going to be an extra guy unblocked, and someone’s going to have to run through or around, or you’re going to have someone have to win a one-on-one on the outside."