Hugh Freeze rewarded Auburn football fans before program's potential lowpoint

Hugh Freeze did everything for Auburn football fans he possibly could leading into the Georgia matchup Between the Hedges on October 5: he inspired hope for the future given how Week 6 has the potential to be.

Landing Lucedale (MS) QB Deuce Knight for his 2025 recruiting class and boosting the Tigers up to the No. 3 ranking in the country staves off the inevitable low point the program and its fanbase will likely feel after facing a Georgia team coming off a loss.

At least there's next year.

The Bulldogs don't lose in the NIL era. Unless it's against the Gumps. Since 2021, only Alabama has had its number. Kirby Smart must be off his game trying to inspire and game-plan against his former team because the Crimson Tide are the only team to crack the Georgia code. Under Nick Saban and Kalen DeBoer. The Dawgs are 1-3 with a national championship win in 2021/2022 being the only narrative-breaker of the head-to-head.

Freeze at least gave UGA one of their closest near-losses in 2023. Call it beginner's luck, since that pieced-together Tigers team was much-less equipped than this year's talented but turnover-prone 2-3 outfit through Week 5. Freeze had to instantly replace most of the roster with transfer portal guys and a few standout 2023 products like Connor Lew, Keldric Faulk, and Kayin Lee. He's got a better team now.

But it probably won't matter that this year's team is better unless there's validity to Smart being a different coach against those who can crack the Georgia code.

Hugh Freeze has beaten Kirby Smart before: Ole Miss over Georgia in 2016

Freeze doesn't have much of a mental advantage over Smart, since he had the Dawgs dead to rights under Jordan-Hare Stadium's lights and couldn't finish the job, but there's doubt established from a 31-point win for Freeze's Rebels over the Dawgs in 2016.

It'd be asking a lot of Payton Thorne to look like Jalen Milroe did last week, but that's the only hope AU has of winning as a three-score underdog in Week 6. AU's receiving corps is good enough to push UGA's secondary like Ryan Williams and the rest of the Crimson Tide's receivers did. Jarquez Hunter and the rest of the RB room won't do better than Alabama's group did.

No one should be asking about that, though. In fact, having peace with how this season will turn out is the bsst course of action.

Because at least there's next year with Knight coming to the Plains and potentially bringing more talent with him.