Not a bad business, in theory. If you believe that the whole game is a cesspool, then Freeze should be given a bad publicity – as long as he wins.
But in two years at Auburn, the cost-benefit analysis on Freeze has come to a screeching halt. His team doesn’t win. It doesn’t get data. It’s not fun for anyone, unless hitting and making an odd number of finishes (14 games to four) is your idea of a good time.
Auburn’s 24-14 loss to Arkansas, which dropped the Tigers to 2-2, should put Freeze on a short leash. If you’re going to be an offensive player, you have to do better than 14 points, which Auburn has done against the only power conference teams in its schedule so far in California and Arkansas.
Freeze version 2.0 does not work in SEC. And if you want to blame the quarterback position — even though Payton Thorne or Hank Brown didn’t look the part — then you have to blame Freeze, too. He has two years to improve the situation, and so far there is no promise of a better future.
Oklahoma: Jackson Arnold was one of the best linebackers in the country, and it was a huge coup in January 2022 when Brent Venables got the Denton, Texas, native to commit to the Sooners. But recruiting rankings don’t mean guaranteed success in college, and they soon went through some serious growing pains with Arnold.
Although the story of Tennessee’s 25-15 victory in Norman will focus more on Vols coach Josh Heupel, who won a national title as a player at Oklahoma in 2000 and was the coordinator of Bob Stoops’ offense in four years before he was fired, this is the true story. Arnold.
He completed 7-of-16 passes for 54 yards, threw a touchdown pass and fumbled in the first half as the Sooners neared the end zone. He was withdrawn for Michael Hawkins, who was unspectacular but looked more settled and confident in the second half. If Oklahoma had gotten good quarterback play for 60 minutes, they might have had a chance to upset the Vols. Instead, the Sooners look a step or two below where they should be in the SEC. The quarterback position will be a key point of contention for Oklahoma in the second half of the season as they assess what it takes to compete at the position.
Suffering but not suffering enough
Nebraska: Stop us if you’ve heard this before. The Huskers found a way to lose a game they had to win. It’s not as bad this time because Nebraska is clearly on the right track under Matt Rhule, and quarterback Dylan Raiola is a freshman who should finally get the Huskers in the College Football Playoff mix. However, Nebraska missed a 39-yard field goal with 3 minutes left and lost 31-24 in overtime to Illinois. That dropped the Huskers to 17-43 in one-score games since the start of the 2015 season.
Vanderbilt: No program in this country is as reliable in crunch time as the Commodores. Year after year, coach after coach, recruiting class after recruiting class, Vanderbilt’s ability to lose games won’t be the same as the sun rises. The Commodores had their chances to seal a big win at Missouri on Saturday, but quarterback Brock Taylor missed a 50-yarder with 3:06 left for the lead and a 31-yarder to extend the lead. game to a third overtime when Vanderbilt lost. of Missouri, 30-27. And it’s not like Taylor’s kick was bad: He made a 57-yarder earlier in the game but couldn’t connect when the pressure was on. This is exactly what is happening at Vanderbilt, where head coach Clark Lea is now 2-23 in the SEC.
Northern Illinois: The Huskies had two weeks to bask in the glory of upsetting Notre Dame on Sept. 7, and they took full advantage of the media appeals and social media cachet that came their way. But the party ended on Saturday when they lost at home to Buffalo, 23-20, in two overtimes. Somehow, Northern Illinois’ defense gave up just 184 yards but lost when Upton Bellenfant – perhaps the best name in college football – made his 37th field goal of the season. more for the Bulls.
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs are facing their worst season in nearly two decades. Under Sylvester Croom in 2006, Mississippi State finished 3-9 and fired him two years later. That led to a long streak of success under Dan Mullen, who raised expectations for one of the toughest programs in the SEC. Jeff Lebby will undoubtedly struggle to live up to those expectations. Mississippi State is 1-3 in Lebby’s first season after a 45-28 loss to Florida at home, which came just one week after a 24-point loss to Toledo. To be fair to Lebby, most of Mississippi State’s team hit the transfer portal after last season when Zach Arnott was fired. But now it is clear that this will be a painful and long rebuild.