Hugh Freeze addresses boos from Auburn fans

After Auburn‘s 17-7 loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday, Tigers fans booed their team as they walked off the field. Following the loss, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze addressed the boos.

“I didn’t hear any. I don’t hear that,” Freeze said. “We’re just not consistent enough, obviously in critical downs offensively. I think our defense is playing really at a high level.

“Offensively, when we’re not able to create explosive runs, it seems that we really struggle to protect the passer and to throw and catch some. But you know, we’re not playing very well in special teams, so that’s a bad combination.”

Auburn has lost five of its last six games, and Saturday was perhaps its most painful fall yet. Following a promising 24-10 win over Kentucky in Week 9, Auburn fans had high hopes for the Tigers against the Commodores.

They accordingly packed Jordan-Hare Stadium to capacity. Nonetheless, the Tigers failed to deliver in front of the roaring crowd. Despite outgaining Vanderbilt by 100 total yards on offense, Auburn scored 10 fewer points.

It was a frustrating day for the Tigers, who repeatedly moved the ball into enemy territory only to fail to score. In the loss, Auburn missed two field goals and turned the ball over on downs once.

The Tigers’ ground game was particularly lackluster. Auburn only amassed 88 rushing yards on 29 carries. With a bye this week, Hugh Freeze and Co. are hoping to resolve their reappearing issues.

“We’ll have a good week to try to get a little healthier and obviously figure out what we think we can do with the three remaining games, particularly offensively,” Freeze said. “Our defense is playing well enough to keep us in games. 

“We have to figure out a way to finish drives and score points, but we’re just not. We’re not playing well on third down and we’re not finishing the drives that we do have.”

Next Saturday, Auburn will have a chance to bounce back as it squares off against UL Monroe at 12:45 p.m. ET. The game will air live on the SEC Network.