Charles Barkley on Auburn football: 'It's going to be a rough year..we have to stick together'
AUBURN — Charles Barkley opined on the current status of the Auburn football program on Monday, when taking part in the Bruce, Barkley and Basketball Golf Classic.
Hugh Freeze and Co. are off to a 2-3 start after falling to Cal, Arkansas and Oklahoma in close home losses.
“Football season, I feel so bad for the kids and the fan base. It’s going to be a rough year, a long year. We have to stick together because there will be a lot of noise before basketball starts, a lot of noise,” Barkley said.
“We as a fan base, as a family, have to stick together because it’s going to be loud.”
Barkley gave his opinion to reporters on the scene. He also voiced the same opinions with a microphone in hand to the Auburn supporters taking part in the golf tournament.
Auburn is fresh off losing a 21-10 fourth-quarter lead, as Oklahoma scored 17 points in the final 10 minutes to pull off the improbable comeback. Freeze accepted responsibility for the way the game ended, saying he needed to find a way to make decisions that helped his team win down the stretch.
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The up-and-down season is reflected in the stats, as Auburn searches for consistency.
The Tigers rank No. 35 in 10+ yard plays (58), No. 14 in 20+ yard plays (23), No. 9 in 30+ yard plays (12), and No. 6 in 40+ yard plays (7) against FBS opponents.
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Auburn ranks No. 43 in total offense against FBS opponents (425 yards per game), but only ranks No. 77 in scoring offense (23.5 points per game).
The defense ranks No. 50 in total yards per game allowed against FBS opponents (351) and No. 48 in scoring defense (23 points per game). Auburn ranks No. 19 in red zone scoring defense (71 percent conversions) against FBS opponents.
But, the Tigers have given up 25 first downs against FBS opponents, which ranks No. 112.
And then of course, there are the turnovers. Auburn ranks No. 132 in turnover margin (-2.20) and No. 133 in total turnovers (15) in five games.
“We’re going to have to deal with it for the next couple of months and hopefully the basketball program can resurrect us and get it going again,” Barkley said.
Next up for Auburn is a road trip to No. 5 Georgia, where the Tigers opened as 23.5-point underdogs.
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