Hugh Freeze's career-defining gamble pays off, but DJ Durkin's Auburn football defense is a problem

Hugh Freeze replacing Payton Thorne with Hank Brown under center turned out to be the right move for the Auburn football program in every conceivable way. Brown completed 17 of his 25 pass attempts and had four touchdowns with no interceptions against New Mexico. Auburn won 45-19. All problems solved. Right?

Wrong. DJ Durkin's defense had the Tigers looking like an upset candidate in the first half. In particular, the secondary was vulnerable to Lobos QB Devon Dampier, who came up nine yards short of 300, and his downfield looks. Dampier was elusive in the backfield and improvised to easily find receivers. He took to the air 44 times and completed 22 of those passes.

Freeze saved face in a major way by having a competent pocket passer go through his reads, avoid contact, and revive hope that the Tigers can win games this season. But it was one step forward, two steps back given how bad the defense looked; egregiously giving up 448 total yards to New Mexico.

Hugh Freeze has an SEC QB, but DJ Durkin's Auburn football defense is vulnerable

SEC play begins in Week 4 with Arkansas coming to town. The Tigers mostly had their fun in non-conference play but took a momentum-halting 21-14 loss to Cal. In the eyes of most, having a new QB makes Auburn a new team, and they had a renewed momentum against New Mexico. That early-season loss can be forgiven if the Tigers can win a game they weren't supposed to: Oklahoma, Georgia, Missouri, or Alabama. OU and Mizzou are the most likely, but stranger things have happened.

As much as any Tiger fan wants to think that Arkansas will be a breeze and the rest of SEC play within reach, that defense is worrisome. Expectations may have to be tempered with the quality of QBs Auburn's supposed "gimme win" opponents, like Vanderbilt and Kentucky, have. Diego Pavia was the AU slayer in 2023 with New Mexico State and Brock Vandagriff was a legitimate Stetson Bennett successor in Georgia's QB room competing with Carson Beck.

You can like, and hate, what you saw on September 14 under the lights at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Tiger fans. But the bad doesn't undo the good.