Auburn’s Hugh Freeze Says Blowing Lead vs. Alabama ‘Gonna Stick With Us For a While’

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze isn’t going to forget his team’s 27-24 loss to Alabama on Saturday that gave the Crimson Tide their 50th Iron Bowl victory.

The Tigers took a 24-20 lead over the Crimson Tide into the fourth quarter but failed to score a touchdown in the final frame as they fell to Alabama.

“This is gonna stick with us for a while,” Freeze told reporters after the game.

Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide won Saturday’s game in dramatic fashion as quarterback Jalen Milroe found wide receiver Isaiah Bond for a 31-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal at the Auburn 31 with just 32 seconds remaining in the game.

“Believe it or not, we work on that,” Saban told reporters after the game. “It was just a great throw by Jalen, and a great catch by Isaiah. We work on it, but you’re throwing it up for grabs really. We came down with it.”

Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne was then picked off by Alabama defensive back Terrion Arnold, sealing the victory for the Crimson Tide.

Alabama hasn’t lost the Iron Bowl since 2019 and has won eight of the last 10 matchups.

With Saturday’s loss, Auburn finishes the 2023 season with a 6-6 record. It was the program’s first year with Freeze at the helm.

Prior to joining the Tigers, Freeze spent four years at Liberty and also coached Ole Miss and Arkansas State.

The 2023 season was only a slight improvement from 2022 for Auburn as the Tigers went 5-7 under Bryan Harsin. The team hasn’t had a winning season since 2020 under Gus Malzahn.

Alabama will now prepare for a huge SEC championship game matchup against Georgia on Dec. 2. The Crimson Tide last won the conference title during the 2021 season with a win over the Bulldogs.