Hugh Freeze Responds to Brutal 'Fire Hugh' Chants Following 10-3 Loss to Kentucky

Fans and students did not hesitate to express their frustration and disgust following the Auburn Tigers’ 10-3 loss to Kentucky under the lights Saturday night.

A mixture of boos and “Fire Hugh” chants echoed throughout Jordan-Hare Stadium as head coach Hugh Freeze walked off the field after one of the more embarrassing performances in recent memory.

Freeze, swarmed by a huddle of cameras and photographers, took what could be his last postgame stroll into the tunnel of his career at Auburn. And he did it while listening to the student section audibly displeased, with some fans even booing during the alma mater.

Freeze was asked about his thoughts on the stamps of disapproval from the Auburn Family after the game and his message to fans after falling to 4-5 on the season.

“Like I’ve said all year long, my job is to get this team ready to play and win games, and we’ve failed to do that this year and it’s frustrating,” Freeze said.

The third-year head coach then segwayed into one of his most renowned press conference comments, which was so bad it could’ve made Auburn fans laugh or scoff at him.

“I still believe we’re really close and I know that team plays hard for this university, and it’s sickening that we haven’t delivered,” Freeze said. “No one wants to do that more than I, and our family loves it, our staff loves it, but at the end of the day, I’m frustrated too.”

Really close?

Freeze has consistently said the same thing after every one of Auburn’s losses, often highlighting how the Tigers are “so dang close” and just a few plays away from an entirely different outlook on the season.

However, as Auburn sits at 1-5 in the SEC and is most likely not making a bowl game, that excuse is unacceptable. At some point, good teams and good coaches find ways to win football games – Freeze and company consistently find ways to lose.

Three points against a middle-of-the-pack defense and a 2-5 Kentucky team was disgraceful to yet another sold-out Jordan-Hare Stadium crowd, and the offense shouldn’t gain credit for the lone field goal in the second quarter. Similar to the previous six games, D.J. Durkin and Auburn’s defense play their hearts out to keep Auburn competitive.

And time and time again, the offense simply disappoints, even with Freeze playing musical chairs at quarterback throughout the night. Auburn outgained Kentucky in total yardage by one yard, with the Tigers posting 241 and the Wildcats recording 240, but Freeze still managed to fail the fans and students.

At this point, it’s embarrassing, inexcusable, and pitiful, and there’s virtually no more Freeze can say to defend himself.

“I get it, and we all know that when we sign up for this, and we accept what comes with it,” Freeze said. “But, you know, I love what we’re doing here, but we haven’t gotten the results and that’s frustrating.”

There needs to be a change, and athletics director John Cohen needs to make that change now. No more waiting, no more “we’re close,” the current state of college football has passed Freeze by, and it couldn’t be more obvious.