Hugh Freeze lauds 'great atmosphere,' says Auburn will 'play for 60 minutes'

In front of a packed house, Hugh Freeze and Auburn got off to a terrific start to the game against Georgia, a fierce rivalry game.

The Tigers took an early 10-0 lead on the Bulldogs, thanks to some strong early work from quarterback Payton Thorne and an interception by Jaylin Simpson.

“Well I knew we were going to play hard,” Freeze told CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell. “It’s hard not to when you’re in front of a packed Jordan-Hare Stadium. This is a great atmosphere to play in. Our kids love this rivalry, and they’ll play for 60 minutes.”

Auburn will certainly need to play a full four quarters.

After surrendering the 10-0 lead, Georgia put together a nice 11-play, 56-yard scoring drive that ended in a 2-yard touchdown run by tailback Daijun Edwards, cutting the lead to 10-7.

That happened just after Hugh Freeze spoke to Dell at the end of the first quarter.

“We’ve had a good first quarter,” Freeze said. “We’ve got three more of them.”

Auburn opened the scoring in the first quarter after the offense had some real success thanks to Thorne’s running ability. Thorne broke a 61-yard run off the right side to get the ball into the red zone, and the Tigers converted with a field goal moments later to make it 3-0.

The scoring drive totaled eight plays and 84 yards.

Hugh Freeze and the Tigers extended the lead to 10-0 on their next drive following the Simpson interception. The team marched 48 yards in seven plays, capping the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run by tailback Jarquez Hunter.

After Georgia cut into the lead with the aforementioned Edwards score, the Bulldogs pulled level on their next drive.

The Bulldogs drove 61 yards in 10 plays before being forced to settle for a 37-yard field goal that made it 10-10. Both teams traded drives that came up empty before halftime, with the score knotted at 10-10 going into the break.