Paul Finebaum puts Hugh Freeze on blast for dismal Auburn offense performance vs. Texas A&M

Early in his career, Hugh Freeze developed a reputation as an offensive guru. That’s still the side of the ball that he hangs his hat on. The problem is that things haven’t gone the way anyone expected them to go during his time with the Auburn Tigers.

Auburn is coming off a game where they scored just 10 points in a loss to the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday. The only touchdown Auburn scored in that game came on a short field, going just two yards for that score, after a big interception return. All of that came in a losing effort on the road.

In the wake of that performance, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum ripped Auburn and Hugh Freeze. During his weekly appearance on The Matt Barrie Show, Finebaum went as far as to call out Freeze’s reputation, arguing he no longer deserves credit for his offensive prowess.

“They’re [Texas A&M] not a perfect team,” Paul Finebaum said. “But their defense is really amazing. I say that every time I watch Auburn play, they make another defense look elite. Hugh Freeze once had a reputation as an offensive genius. I think we can eliminate that from his bio now.”

Auburn finished the game with just 177 total yards. That came on 125 passing yards and 52 rushing yards, and it was just 3.1 yards per play for the Tigers. Worse, Freeze saw his offense go 0 for 13 on third down and 0 for 2 on fourth down conversion attempts. If there was any saving grace, it was that Auburn didn’t turn the ball over at all. At the same time, a week after giving up 10 sacks, it’s hard not to see where Finebaum’s frustration is stemming from.

“That was one of the worst offensive performances I have ever seen. I understand the frustration from Auburn fans from the week before,” Finebaum said. “About the [officiating in the] Oklahoma game, but this one’s on Hugh Freeze. You’re the offensive wizard. Can you not call a better game than that?”

Auburn is currently 136th out of 136 teams nationally in sacks allowed, giving up 4.2 per game. The Oklahoma loss is a major factor in that, but it’s not the only place Freeze’s offense is struggling. Auburn is also just 110th in third down conversions, only converting on 33.87 percent of the time. That’s amounted to a total offense that’s 107th nationally, averaging 342.2 yards per game, and a scoring offense that’s 79th, averaging 27.6 points per game. That number drops to 13.5 points on average against SEC opponents.

This isn’t the first season Auburn has struggled on offense under Hugh Freeze, either. That, likely, is contributing to Finebaum’s concerns. After all, since Freeze got to Auburn in 2023, the quarterback position has been a point of major concern.

Regardless of how, Auburn needs to bounce back quickly after falling to 3-2 overall and 0-2 in SEC play. The Tigers have a bye to regroup. After that, they’ll play host to the Georgia Bulldogs.