Hugh Freeze embarrasses Paul Finebaum to his face on SEC Nation
Hugh Freeze woke up and chose violence the morning of Auburn's pivotal Week 5 clash against Oklahoma. With the SEC Nation crew setting up shop down the block from Jordan-Hare Stadium, Freeze embarrassed Paul Finebaum to his face after the infamous radio host asked the Tigers coach how he blocks noise from the haters.
Freeze was cold in his response.
"I don't watch The Paul Finebaum Show anymore," Freeze said.
Finebaum was a firm believer in Freeze over the offseason but has sharply pivoted to criticizing him and how the program is being run from the top down. It looks like Freeze is aware of Finebaum's criticisms.
Paul Finebaum caught stray after praising Hugh Freeze, Auburn on SEC Nation
Poor Finebaum. The man was actually giving Freeze and Auburn some love, but evidently, the hurt is already there.
“I came down here this week expecting doom and gloom, but what I have found here interestingly enough is optimism," Finebaum prefaced before saying, "I talked to John Cohen yesterday, the athletic director, and instead of saying they are at their wit’s end, he talked about the progress that this program has made, when you juxtapose it against what has previously happened here. So, I’m actually feeling better in spite of a lot of negativity and doubting from pundits. But the one thing that I’ve always learned — and I’ve covered Auburn off and on for more than 40 years — Auburn fans never lose faith. They still believe in Hugh Freeze. So now it’s up to Hugh Freeze to deliver today.”
Tiger fans have a toxic trait of thinking their team can win any game the week leading up to it. Auburn has become the betting favorites against Oklahoma after a slew of Sooners injuries but there is still uncertainty under center.
Payton Thorne is QB1 again, but for how long? Hank Brown didn't impress in his SEC debut enough to convince fans he's ready to step in if Thorne is failing. Holden Geriner has a strong arm but is immobile in the pocket and may not be able to handle OU's pass-rush.
Come game-week, though, those issues are buried. The Kick-Six and Prayer at Jordan-Hare have permanently scarred Tiger fans into thinking AU has a chance in every home game.