Five expectations for Auburn football's quarterbacks under Hugh Freeze

Here are five things we can expect out of Hugh Freeze's quarterbacks at Auburn.

Author:
Lance Dawe
Publish date:
Jan 11, 2023 1:30 PM EST

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New Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze is known as a bit of a quarterback guru.

Now entering his first season on the Plains, Freeze will have that reputation put to the test.

Auburn quarterback Robby Ashford was thrown into the fire as a freshman and unsurprisingly struggled in a variety of areas - accuracy, decision making, turnovers, etc. However, he did flash glimpses of potential, rushing for over 700 yards and finished sixth in the SEC in yards per completion (min. 100 attempts).

Unless Freeze decides to roll with a quarterback out of the portal, he's going to have the chance to build on Ashford's foundation and unlock his potential.

Regardless of who the signal-caller is, here are five things we can expect out of Freeze's quarterbacks at Auburn.

More gambling

Robby Ashford in the Iron Bowl. — Jason Homan/ Auburn Daily

Over the course of his ten seasons coaching Division I college football, Hugh Freeze quarterbacks throw an interception on 2.9% of their passes. Compare this to Auburn, who from 2013-2022 threw a pick on 2.1% of their passes.

The gap between these two styles of play starts to shift when you look at interception totals - Hugh Freeze QB's 117 interceptions to Auburn's 65 - but that's not a fair comparison because of two reasons. One, the Tigers have thrown the ball significantly less than the average SEC team over the last decade. Two, there's a two-year gap in the Hugh Freeze numbers because he was out of coaching.

Only twice has Auburn eclipsed double-digit interceptions since 2013. Hugh Freeze quarterbacks have done it seven out of his nine seasons.

More turnovers come with throwing the ball more. Especially in Freeze's offenses.

More explosive play

Nov 5, 2022; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Robby Ashford (9) runs the ball against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports — Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

While turnovers may be a downside, more explosive play is also to be expected from Freeze signal-callers.

During his time at Ole Miss, Freeze never had a passing offense finish outside of the top five in the SEC in yards per game and only had one aerial attack step outside the top five of the league in yards per attempt.

If we're looking at this year specifically, there's reason to expect Auburn's receiver room to be used pretty differently considering the blend of size and speed the Tigers have in the rotation. Physical, big-bodied receivers are what have thrived in Freeze's systems in the past - and part of it has to do with the downfield passing from his quarterback.

This isn't Joe Burrow and the 2019 LSU Tigers by any stretch. However, fans should be excited about a more, well, exciting passing game.

Better accuracy

Auburn Tigers quarterback Robby Ashford (9) warms up prior to the San Jose State vs Auburn game on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. — Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Seven of Freeze's ten offenses have seen better completion percentages than Auburn's passing attacks in the same year.

We won't sit here and tell you that every year Freeze beat out the Tigers' passing attack by a wide margin in that category, but it's not unfair to say Freeze's quarterbacks have had a consistent edge over Auburn's from a raw numbers perspective - more reps, completions, accuracy, etc.

If we're talking specifically about this upcoming season, there's little doubt that Ashford will improve on his 49.5% completion percentage.

Dual-threat abilities

Auburn Tigers quarterback Robby Ashford (9) runs for big yardage and a first down during the San Jose State vs Auburn game on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. — Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Freeze has utilized his quarterback's legs to not just produce yardage, but to actually get in the endzone.

His starting signal-callers have averaged 447.1 yards on the ground per season to go along with 7.5 rushing touchdowns.

What's interesting about Freeze's use of dual-threat quarterbacks is that the more he's used them in a given season, the better the team has done overall. Now, the utilization of a QBs legs may not directly correlate to wins, but it does indicate that the offense probably performs better and therefore the team as a whole is more competitive.

Four of Freeze's ten seasons have included his starting quarterback rushing for over 500 yards. Those teams went a combined 38-11 (0.78 win percentage) and produced all three of his ten-win seasons.

It does make one wonder what could be in store if Auburn were to ride with Robby Ashford and improve his passing game...