The Monday morning mailbag runeth over. Auburn is spiraling into the depths of the unknown, but we have answers. Let’s get to it …
Jim in Scottsboro writes…
When I was a junior at Auburn, Pink Floyd came out with the “Dark Side of the Moon.” Then during my prime working years, the movie “Wall Street” came out with Hal Holbrook making that famous speech of staring into the abyss. So the question: Has Auburn fallen into the abyss where there is no coming back, or are they merely just on the dark side of the moon where there is a chance of coming around to the light?
P.S.: The talk of Lane Kiffin going to Florida and Billy Napier coming to Auburn is absurd. Why would Napier succeed at Auburn if he can’t at Florida? Lane Kiffin has been around the SEC more times than a rented mule.
ANSWER: Rented mules don’t get enough credit. I’ve known a lot of rented mules over the years. They’re certainly made of tougher stuff than Kiffin. Take for example the mules at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Every day, they wake up in the morning and walk up and down an enormous hole in the earth with someone else’s problems strapped to their backs.
There is a path out of every great chasm, but it takes persistent work one step at a time. Hugh Freeze at Auburn and Kiffin at Ole Miss both find themselves in abysmal shape after Week 5 losses. Auburn gave away an 11-point lead to Oklahoma and Ole Miss, ranked No.6 in the country, fell into a deep blue sea of despair against Kentucky.
Consider this: At the height of its powers, Ole Miss can’t even beat Kentucky at home. Yes, Kiffin would definitely leave for Florida if given a chance. As for Napier to Auburn, that’s not happening unless it’s to be an assistant next season for Freeze.
I’m no science nerd, but stuff at the bottom of the abyss might have a better chance of rising to the surface than any of us ever seeing the dark side of the moon. The mailbag appreciates any and all Rock & Roll references, so we’ll try to answer the question with some of our own. While Auburn is “Learning to Fly,” it’s important to note that “Money” will be required to repair every “Brick in the Wall.”
I continue to have faith in Auburn’s Freeze despite all evidence to the contrary on the scoreboard at the end of games. Auburn isn’t as far away as it seems. There was a point early in the fourth quarter against Oklahoma when I thought I would be writing a column about Auburn playing its best football in years. Then OU scored 17-straight points. Welp. What happened?
First of all, Auburn needs to finish its scoring chances. The Tigers left a lot of points on the field in the first half, and it came back to hurt the Tigers in the end. There’s no easy or overnight fix at Auburn, but Freeze is making progress. Considering his ability as a recruiter, Auburn is still moving in the right direction despite the string of consecutive losses to Power 4 teams. We’re up to five in a row dating back to last season, but who’s really counting at this point?
Maybe Auburn would be better off had it hired Kiffin. Auburn fans have been critical of this opinion in the past, but I continue to believe that Coach Prime would have been the best hire. That doesn’t mean Freeze is a bad coach, though. I’ve been doing some work behind the scenes at Auburn, and I’ll have a column on Wednesday explaining why Freeze is on a path to redemption on the Plains.
Matt in Dothan writes …
Hugh goes out and recruits a stud in Walker White and refuses to play him? I’d understand if this was 10 or 20 years ago, but with the transfer portal, the Freeze Five are likely to not be there next year after these performances, and saving a quarterback as a redshirt doesn’t seem to have any upside. Why wouldn’t you try to right the ship by playing the freshman?
ANSWER: We love Monday morning quarterbacking, and Matt makes a strong point. There were plenty of people who thought Freeze should have gone with quarterback White from the beginning of the season and just used this season as a teaching moment for 2025. Let me just say this, though. If Freeze is going to hit the reset button with White, then it doesn’t need to be the week of the Georgia game.
Auburn opened up as a 24-point underdog in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. The last thing Auburn needs is White getting injured against the Bulldogs. At that point, all of those young receivers might actually consider leaving.
Freeze has a plan for White, who prepped at a small school in Arkansas as a high schooler. If Freeze doesn’t think White is ready, then we’re going to have to trust that Auburn’s coach still knows a thing or two about football. Freeze already tried to use backup Hank Brown, and Brown tossed three interceptions in the first half against Arkansas.
Thorne did enough to keep the job against OU, and I can’t see Freeze making any more changes at the position until later in the season. If Auburn makes a bowl game — and that’s a long shot at this point — then perhaps White will make his debut in that game. Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava played in the Vols’ bowl game last season, and that experience helped prepare him for his redshirt freshman breakout. White seems to be on a similar timetable.
Rasta in L.A. writes … (Note: Rasta is a dog from the curious geographical vortex known as “Lower Alabama”)
Apparently, the Sooners were waiting for the interception that would win the game (didn’t want to get Thorne benched too early in the game, I reckon). My human is going to start a new drinking game during Auburn games … Everyone has to take a shot when they hear “miscommunication” after a bad pass from Thorne. Bad clock management at the end of the first half, missed field goals and goofy quarterback changes on the goal line left 13 points on the field. But with the game in hand, and all you need to do is run the rock down their throat, you throw three bad passes?
As we head to Dawg Town next week, we will see if the UGA quarterback looks more like Thorne or an owner of a Lamborghini. If he loses to us next week, then he’ll be trading it in for a Prius.
One of my favorite poets, Mr. James T. Buffett (RIP), cut an Album (“A1A”) that has a tune that is very pertinent: ”Trying to Reason With Hurricane Season.” My doghouse dodged this latest one, but our thoughts are with those who didn’t. Keep the faith, fellow Tigers!!! WDE!!!
ANSWER: Most importantly, we’re glad that Rasta is safe and sound after Hurricane Helene. Our thoughts are with everyone who was in the path of the storm as it moved up to North Carolina and Virginia.
It’s a dangerous game matching shots of brown water with Auburn turnovers. Auburn is ranked second to last nationally in that category after five weeks of the season. Thorne’s moment of truth ended in a pick-six against Oklahoma, and it’s like the Sooners knew what was coming. There’s plenty of blame to go around.
Jeff west of Montgomery writes …
On Auburn, your constant negativity towards my school is obnoxious. How in the world is Auburn supposed to rebuild with media types’ constant “growing darkness“ type articles that damage recruiting. AU always has the higher hill to climb in this state. Always will.
ANSWER: I’ve been more than fair with Freeze over the past two years. I’ve been critical, sure, but continue to write that things aren’t as bad as they appear. Maybe try reading past the headlines. As for hills, I’d say that Auburn is about halfway up the slope at this point in the journey. I think we can both agree that firing Freeze would do more harm than good. He’ll still be held accountable after games, though.
Rusty in Rankin County, Miss., writes …
Coach Saban had it right a few years ago when he said there is a difference in winning a game and defeating an opponent. If Auburn had won the last three games, they would have simply won some games, but not really defeated their opponents even though they would be 5-0 and probably have a lock on a bowl game.
If Auburn wants to have years of significant winning football and be a playoff contender, it’s going to take some time and fans need to stop the incessant insulting of players and coaches. It drains energy and focus.
ANSWER: Wise words from Rankin County, Mississippi. Maybe I’m crazy, but I think Freeze is making progress at Auburn despite being 0-2 to begin SEC play here in his second season. Ultimately, it’s about positioning the team for 2025. Freeze could have used the microwave to cook the chicken, but he’s got the bird on the smoker.
A strong showing against Georgia will tell us a lot about Freeze’s ability to keep this team focused and motivated. The Tigers don’t have to win, but Georgia needs to know that Auburn is rising from the depths.
MAILBAG
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Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”
