AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn’s second half comeback at Arkansas did wonders for the Tigers’ mindset.
“I don’t know that I could really express in words how rewarding, fulfilling, good to see it was,” said Auburn coach Hugh Freeze, whose team outscored Arkansas 17-0 in the fourth quarter of the Tigers’ 33-24 victory. “At halftime I thought the staff was remarkable. I thought Keldric Faulk and Champ (Anthony) and Jeremiah (Wright) and Jeremiah Cobb and all those guys were. They were saying, 'They haven’t stopped us yet. We’re going to find a way to win this football game.'
Find a way, they did. Auburn forced takeaways on all four of the Razorbacks’ fourth quarter possessions.
“It was incredibly rewarding to see them fighting back to do that,” Freeze said. “(Winning) on the road in this league is never easy, and that offense put up a lot of numbers on some really good teams recently. I'm really proud of our defensive adjustments and offense controlling the time of possession where they didn’t have to defend for 60, 70 plays."
Now the challenge is to build on that momentum and earn a second straight SEC victory. The Kentucky Wildcats arrive without a conference win but not without weapons on both sides.
“I have great respect for (Mark) Stoops,” said Freeze, describing the Wildcats as “very dangerous.” “Defensively, I think they are talented. You look at the Georgia and Ole Miss games, two top-10 teams, they’re right there in them.
“I know we’ve got another tough challenge ahead of us Saturday night. Their freshman quarterback is playing at a high level, has an incredible arm. Those two receivers are dynamic. Their tight ends are good, too. Their defensive front seven is pretty dang special.”
Entering the ninth game of his third season on the Plains, Freeze ended Monday’s press conference with a state-of-the-program-perspective in response to a question, noting his winning track record and Auburn’s roster fortification since his hiring.
“I believe with all of my heart that we’re going to win big here,” he said. “My focus needs to be not on anything other than, ‘How do I help these young men grow this week as players and as young men, and how do I help our staff become even more united than they are?, and they’re pretty dang united. That’s where my focus lies.”
Auburn (4-4, 1-4) hosts Kentucky (2-5, 0-5) Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network with Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic. On the Auburn Sports Network, Andy Burcahm, Jason Campbell and Ronnie Brown will bring the action to listeners.