Hugh Freeze hopes his Auburn football team, especially the receiving corps, took away valuable lessons from their dominant 48-14 victory over ULM on November 16. The challenge intensifies in Week 13 as the Tigers prepare to host Texas A&M in their final home game of the season.
“You hope that a day like today, with those young guys, gives them and Payton confidence that, ‘Hey man, Coach, we don’t really need to add a ton of other routes,’” Freeze said after the Week 12 win. “‘Let’s just keep doing what we’re doing, and we believe we can win on these routes.’ That’s the hope. Of course, we’ll be up against a higher caliber of athletes next Saturday night. But it’s exciting to provide proof—you can see the results of your work in practice translating to a game.”
As Adam Cole of *The Montgomery Advertiser* points out, the level of competition Auburn will face against Texas A&M and Alabama is a significant step up from ULM. Even though ULM’s secondary has performed admirably, it doesn’t compare to the elite defenses of the SEC.
“The challenges only grow for Thorne and the Tigers,” Cole wrote. “Both the Aggies and the Tide field defenses loaded with SEC talent. They rank in the national top 20 for interceptions and hold opponents to sub-60% completion rates, with Texas A&M ranking sixth nationally in that category.”
Auburn football could get emotional boost ahead for Texas A&M game
Even with the season nearing its end, Tiger fans packed Jordan-Hare Stadium for a matchup against a mediocre Sun Belt opponent. The SEC might mean more, but at Auburn, it always means even more than that.
The challenges in Auburn’s final two games of the season—against top-15 teams in the College Football Playoff race—are distinct. However, their Week 13 and 14 matchups are anything but equal.
Facing Alabama in Tuscaloosa is a daunting task Auburn hasn’t conquered since the famous “Camback.” It’s reasonable to expect the Tigers will face significant struggles in this game. While they have a chance to play spoiler for Alabama’s SEC Championship and playoff aspirations, that feels nearly impossible given the Crimson Tide’s current form.
On the other hand, Texas A&M visits Jordan-Hare for Auburn’s last home game, a farewell for beloved seniors like Jarquez Hunter and Eugene Asante. Emotions will run high, and when they do, strange things tend to happen at Jordan-Hare. Auburn will be the underdog, but the Aggies are far from an unbeatable opponent under these circumstances.
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