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Auburn

Booger McFarland 'not a believer, yet, in Hugh Freeze and Auburn'

On3 imageby: Dan Morrison09/04/25dan_morrison96
hugh freeze auburn
Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers are looking to bounce back from several years of hovering around .500 this year. They’d get off on the right foot, with new quarterback Jackson Arnold playing well for head coach Hugh Freeze in an opening road win against the Baylor Bears.

Understandably, there is some excitement around Auburn following the win. However, one analyst, Booger McFarland, isn’t sold on Freeze and the Tigers yet. He’d appear on Pardon My Take following Week 1. There, he shared some thoughts on Auburn.

“He [Arnold] looked good,” McFarland said. “I need to see a little more. I’m not a believer yet in Hugh Freeze and Auburn. I need to see a little bit more.”

The hosts of Pardon My Take, Big Cat and PFT Commenter, kept McFarland moving quickly through teams around the country. That meant that he didn’t expand on what he needed to see from Freeze and Auburn to be a believer. For the time being, however, the answer is a bit more.

Through two seasons at Auburn, Freeze went 11-14. That included missing a bowl entirely in 2024. So, over the offseason, Freeze went to revamp the offense. That included bringing in Arnold as the team’s next quarterback. In a difficult opener, on the road against Baylor, the Tigers’ offense then looked excellent. A lot of that came down to Arnold taking what the Bears gave him, which was often rushing the football. That’s something Freeze is willing to lean on again.

“It totally depends on what’s needed to win,” Freeze said on Monday. “That’s always been my philosophy of offensive football. What is it for this game that is going to help us win the football game, and if that’s needed and that’s what the game calls for.”

Arnold finished the game rushing 16 times for a career-high 137 yards and two touchdowns. He also completed 11-of-17 passes for 108 yards. In the process, Auburn scored 38 points and the offense looked excellent during the opening win over Baylor. So, it’s understandable to be confident even if analysts like McFarland haven’t seen enough yet.

Freeze and Auburn have a chance to tune up a bit more in the next couple of weeks. Ball State and South Alabama are coming in the next two weeks. After that, the Tigers begin SEC play on the road against Oklahoma.