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FOOTBALL Hugh Freeze quick notes (pre-Vandy)

BrianStultz

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Jul 1, 2021
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We are set to speak with Hugh Freeze as Auburn prepares to take on Vanderbilt this Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Follow along and refresh for all updates.

*** A good day. Excited to sit here on a Monday after a SEC win. Kids did a lot of good things in the win. The plans were really solid after watching the film. We had some good answers to things they tried to do. It was a team that had been hard to rush against besides the Florida game.

*** Mentions that down 10-0 and with the interceptions, the team could have let it get away from them but they chose to fight. Thinks it is a testament to this team and the culture they are trying to build here.

*** Mentions there were six freshmen on the field for those four goal line stops.

*** Jarquez's performance is one of the best in school history. Mentions he has been named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week along with Too Tall (OL) and Keldric Faulk (DL).

*** Mentions how great the fans were. Need them on Saturday to make it difficult for Vanderbilt on Saturday.

*** On difference in running against UK: "The plan was really good. And then our kids executed it and we have really good running backs. Our O-line played one of their better games."

*** On Diego Pavia: "I'm sick of seeing that quarterback."

*** On Jay Crawford: "He's got talent. We knew that. It's a maturing process of learning how to practice and details with every call. He's getting better and better every week."

*** Mentions Clark Lea has built the culture at Vanderbilt. "They know who they are." Mentions you are basically playing Navy as far as time of possession and amount of snaps you get.

*** On penalty on opening kickoff: "You see my reaction on that? Me and Tanner had a discussion after that."

*** "We have way too many penalties on special teams this year. If it means staying in the end zone and getting the ball at the 25, it means stay in the end zone."

*** On relief after first SEC win: "Relief? Yes. I said this last week but I mean it I have never had a season where every single game where we had a legitimate chance to win (besides Georgia maybe) and I'm not saying we should have won or were better but not a single one went our way and some of the way some ended were gut punches." He told them at halftime Saturday that they had to find a way to win.

*** Keyron Crawford: "Best game he's had here by far. I don't know. Seemed relaxed. DJ used him in different ways." Mentions the reason Keldric got the two sacks was because Keyron flushed the QB toward him.

*** "No one had really gashed them in the run game. I thought we had a good plan. I did want to start the game throwing the ball on them and that didn't work out so well." - on running game after trying to throw it early

*** On Payton Thorne's performance: "The first interception we had a young man run the wrong route. Malcolm, I just love him, but he's still learning. And the guy who ran the progression should have shaved his route. Outside of that, the one right before half is the one where he can't do that. We had just talked about it on the headsets. It has to go out of the end zone." Mentions he created something on his play sheet he will introduce to Payton today where he knows and is comfortable with either throwing it out of the end zone or for a touchdown.

*** On the offensive line gelling: "You have a small sample size but from that sample size you have to say yes." - on if that is the best 5 on the o-line

*** On shaky starts on offense on first drive: "That first drive against Vandy is critical because you might not get many."

*** On motivating team based on last year's result against Pavia: "We are going to tell them the truth. They play extremely hard. Not just him. Their effort is phenomenal."

*** "I'm just glad they had fun with it. It did make me feel better. I would have felt awful if we hadn't won it. They can call the games whatever they want when we win." - on players calling it the Freeze Flu Game.

*** On Mausi and what he brings; "Maturity. He has a list of questions for the staff every single day."

*** On Vandy's challenges on defense: "I watched a good bit yesterday. Really impressed with ... you're going to look at them and you are going to say we have faced better metric sized weights and then you watch the tape and you see they are never out of position, they tackle well, they are physical. They play with an extra motor. This is a tall, tall challenge."

*** On Keionte Scott: "He tweaked his ankle last week." - didn't play on defense last week. He felt healthy enough to punt return.

*** On KLS and what stood about him in portal: "He was explosive on the film. He was quick twitched. Great ball skills. The only thing about portal recruiting is you don't know the work effort or his personality, but that has been the most pleasing thing is he is looked at as the leader of the room. You can tell he's played football for years. He's slowly teaching Cam, Malcolm and Perry."

That's it for Hugh. Have a great Monday!
 
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