Gut Reaction to Auburn's Loss to UGA: Hugh Freeze Still Doesn't Know How to Win Games

The Auburn Tigers dropped another gut-wrenching game to the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday night in a game that turned on a series of controversial calls by the SEC officials (more on that later).

Despite another despicable performance from the refs from an Auburn point of view, several things still remain clear about head coach Hugh Freeze’s squad.

Hugh Freeze Still Doesn’t Know How to Win Games

I think it’s very clear that we find ways to not win football games. And that’s what has got to change. It’s things that we have to get corrected if we want to experience the joy of winning these close, tough SEC football games. That’s really the way I see it.
Hugh Freeze

As much as Auburn dominated Georgia in the first half, Georgia bullied Auburn even worse in the second half. It’s hard to point a finger at Freeze for a fumble or blown calls, as he had his Tigers in position for a 17-0 lead at halftime.

Though that didn’t come into fruition, his Tigers were playing at home at night, up 10-3 with the ball in the second half after stopping Georgia’s opening third-quarter drive, and had pretty well controlled the game to that point.

Yet it was another game under Freeze that Auburn couldn’t figure out a way to get it done.

Freeze and the Auburn staff fixed a number of things in the bye week and looked to be headed toward the biggest win of the Freeze Era on the Plains.

The offense was staying on schedule and ahead of the chains, Jackson Arnold wasn’t drop-back passing every down, the running backs were involved, penalties were at a minimum, the offense was playing from third-and-short on a consistent basis – all things that needed to be corrected following 17 and 10-point performances in the last two losses.

The defense had been good in the losses, but they were outstanding in the first half versus Georgia.

Up 10-0 with 1:36 remaining in the second quarter, Auburn was literally an inch from making the score 17-0.

Auburn had 238 yards on 43 plays, compared to 19 yards for Georgia on just nine plays. The Tigers’ offense was 8-10 on third downs while the Bulldogs were 0-4. Auburn had 15 first downs at that point. Georgia, which had two, hadn’t gotten a first down in over 20 minutes of game action. It was complete and utter domination at that point.

One play, one series, a blown call or a fumble, a series of blown calls, there’s nothing to excuse that Kirby Smart, from that point forward, completely dominated Freeze.

It coulda/shoulda been 17-0 to Auburn late in the second quarter, but the way Smart and the Bulldogs dominated the second half, Georgia woulda won anyway. Good teams are mentally tough enough to overcome a setback, especially when everything else is still going their way.

Auburn is not a good team under Freeze and hasn't been in his tenure.

Georgia’s Second Half Dominance Was Enough to Win Regardless

Georgia had the right play called in the right situations throughout the second half and, even if the Bulldogs had gone down 17-0, they were going to win the game.

After the touchdown was ruled a fumble, Georgia outscored Auburn 20-0. The Bulldogs ran 58 plays for 277 yards compared to 24 plays for 39 yards for Auburn. The Tigers were 8-10 on third downs, and 0-6 the rest of the way.

D.J. Durkin’s defense turned in an overall good job against a program that just doesn’t lose often, but Mike Bobo and the Georgia offense had the right call over and over as the game remained close in the second half.

The Bulldogs' defense completely flipped the script against an Auburn offense that looked to be headed for a breakout performance.

Georgia adjusted, Auburn didn’t.

It Was a Complete Officiating Malfunction by the SEC Office

I try to avoid talking about officiating in this space, but it’s worth mentioning that the sequence of officiating late in the second quarter was atrocious. Arnold scored on the quarterback sneak before fumbling. The overhead view showed such.

The goal-line camera to Arnold’s left confirmed that he crossed the plain with the ball. Syncing up the timing of the cameras, Arnold was in the end zone way faster than he fumbled. Auburn should have been up 17-0.

Frankly, the play before should have been a touchdown, too. When Arnold’s elbow hit the grass, the tip of the ball was touching the plane of the goal line. Touchdown. He was more clearly over the goal line than Aaron Murray was in 2013.

However, If it was indeed a fumble, then why wasn’t it a Georgia touchdown? Arnold clearly fumbled, according to the officials. Kyron Jones was clearly not down. There weren’t any whistles, and the refs never indicated in any fashion that the play was over.

Jones picked it up, and, without being down, ran into the Georgia end zone with the football.

The simple answer to ‘Why wasn’t it a Georgia touchdown?’ is that the SEC office screwed Auburn, but it didn’t have the guts to even stand by the call.

So instead of making the proper call either way, it gave Georgia the ball at its own 1-yard line, and helped Georgia get a field goal out of it. How Georgia ended up with the ball on it’s own 1 is a mystery.

Following that blown touchdown/fumble call and several plays later, tight end Lawson Luckie caught a ball for a first down over the middle of the field when the SEC office buzzed down to review.

It was completely unnecessary as far as the use of replay is concerned. It was a catch and a first down. It was, however, necessary to help Georgia not waste time getting the next play off without any timeouts left.

After another Georgia completion, which was also called correctly on the field, the SEC office stopped the game again and found a targeting foul on Auburn’s Kayin Lee. It was the fourth time in 20 minutes of game action that the SEC office stopped the game only to uphold a correct call on the field.

After the targeting call on Lee, Amaris Williams was called for a roughing the passer on Stockton. He hit him while throwing the ball and gave a shove. Bang bang in real time and not roughing the passer 90% of the time.

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an official getting rattled before, but referee Ken Williamson lost composure during the sequence of events late in the second quarter.

His crew was largely getting calls right, but the SEC office took over his game. Williamson was struggling to turn his mic on and off, he was stuttering into the mic, he couldn’t figure out how to announce the penalty on the correct team after the kickoff.

To start the second half it was more of the same. Jones launched on Preston Howard at the end of a catch and run as he was corralled and going to the ground. It was a helmet to helmet hit that was somehow not called and not reviewed.

Ironically, during the official-gate of the late second quarter, Lee was tossed from the game for targeting on Stockton while the game was stopped to review something else. Freeze called timeout following the Jones hit on Howard, and somehow it still wasn’t called or even addressed.

Perhaps the strangest officiating blunder, at least by the on-the-field officials, took place in the fourth quarter. Up 13-10 Georgia had crossed midfield, and the play clock was about to expire.

Smart frantically called for a timeout, and for the moment, the game was stopped and the Bulldogs dodged a delay of game. Moments later Williamson announced that no timeout was called.

Well, if no timeout was called, why was there no delay of game? Freeze was arguing with the officials as the replay of Smart calling a timeout was shown on the Jumbotron. Freeze walked away from the discussion disgusted and helpless to officiating blunders yet again.

With just under 10 minutes remaining and Georgia clinging to a 13-10 lead and a 3rd and 8 at its own 24, Keldric Faulk came around left end and was on his way for a possible sack.

He was held by the right tackle with a hand to Faulk’s neck. There was no penalty on the play, the Bulldogs converted, held onto the ball for the next eight minutes, and eventually took a 20-10 lead.

Cohen and Freeze chased the officials off the field after the game into the Southeast tunnel of Jordan-Hare Stadium.

What was certainly looking like a historic win for Freeze and a big win for Auburn fans ended with official incompetence by the SEC office and total domination by Smart and the Bulldogs.

The officials had a hand in the Georgia Bulldogs’. Hugh Freeze’s teams, no pun intended, but freeze at the most inopportune times. Both can be true at the same time, and neither is acceptable.