Same story in Missouri loss might be the end of Hugh Freeze at Auburn

Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze walks the field during warm ups before Auburn Tigers take on Missouri Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025.
Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze walks the field during warm ups before Auburn Tigers take on Missouri Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It was a fitting end to a fitting loss that will likely prompt John Cohen and the powers that be at Auburn to consider whether moving forward with Hugh Freeze as head football coach is the right move.

Once again, the Tigers had every chance to win the game, even after missing two field goals that, when healthy, Alex McPherson makes with ease, and even after Missouri tied the game with 5:07 left. And even when Eli Drinkwitz's team combusted on the final drive of regulation, with Jay Crawford ending any threat that the visiting Tigers would win it in regulation.

Despite those chances, Auburn still walked off the field 0-4 in SEC play for the third straight season. Read that sentence again and tell me, you, an Auburn fan, don't want to poke your eyes out. And it was the final drive, the four plays when Freeze had a chance to savor a win against a ranked team in Jordan-Hare Stadium, that he came up short.

An inside toss to Eric Singleton Jr. trying to catch Missouri by surprise? Sure. That wasn't a bad call on first down, but it was the call two plays later —a draw to the running back on third down —that set off the alarms. It reeked of desperation, and as Jackson Arnold got sacked on fourth down and Eli Drinkwitz and his Tigers stormed the field to celebrate, everything felt familiar.

A lost chance. A lost opportunity. A lost season. And you can't blame all of the Tigers. You definitely can't blame Auburn's defense. Staring across at one of the best rushing attacks in the nation, DJ Durkin's players stood up mighty and strong, just like they did in the previous three SEC games when the offense had no response but, "Hey, great. Thanks for the stop." When McPherson made the short field goal to make it a seven-point game, and let's not blame him for anything other than being the only kicker that Auburn's coaching staff can trust, it seemed the plot twist would be different when the clock hit all zeros.

Not this time, and not for this team. Every opportunity that Auburn has had over the past two-plus seasons has been squandered except for a precious few, and those fans who made Jordan-Hare a haunted place to play for Mizzou deserve better. When the Tigers are up against the wall, the fans have their back, but Freeze, his staff and the team can never pay them in full.

It's difficult to watch. As I always disclose, Freeze is a good friend of mine. It is hard for me to watch someone that I care about go through this. However, at the same time, I am paid to write about Auburn football, and I always ask myself: What would you say if he weren't your friend?

That's what I am writing now. Is it time for new leadership for Auburn football? Possibly. All signs point toward this season going down the drain with no game besides Mercer being a for-sure win. Otherwise, we could be looking at many more losses with no answers given.

When Freeze was hired, he said to judge him once he reached Year 3. That year is now, and all he has to show for it is a 3-4 record, including 0-4 in the SEC, and a fan base that is close to done. That's not the results or mood you want around what should be a program competing for SEC titles, not just a mediocre bowl game.

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