Hugh Freeze Tries to Explain Poor Auburn Red Zone Performance

Even when the Auburn Tigers come out on top, there is still a major issue plaguing the offense

Auburn is missing many opportunities to score in the red zone | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

In a game in which Auburn football hung 33 points on the Arkansas Razorbacks, it’s certainly surprising to see that none of the Tigers’ touchdowns came from inside the red zone. In fact, the Auburn offense scored just one touchdown in the matchup in the form of a 23-yard highlight catch by Cam Coleman.

CAM COLEMAN.

UNREAL CATCH. 🤯@AuburnFootball x 📺 @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/ywVmJaDc73

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) October 25, 2025

The Tigers’ only other touchdown came from a Rayshawn Pleasant pick-six, begging the question: Auburn was in the red zone six times in the matchup. What happened?

Hugh Freeze spoke on the topic this Monday in his weekly press conference, leading with the idea that the Tigers weren’t always looking to score touchdowns.

“​​There were two (possessions) that, truthfully, we were being really conservative because field goals really put us in a good position,” he said. “The last thing you want to do is risk it, so I kind of take those two out because we really didn’t attempt anything other than to milk the clock and get points.”

However, the Tigers still found themselves in the red zone four other times, particularly with first-year Auburn quarterback Ashton Daniels playing his first snaps at the helm, a fact Freeze didn’t ignore.

“One of the minuses on Ashton (Daniels),” Freeze admitted, “is that he’s got a guy wide open for a touchdown, Malcolm (Simmons), and just didn't hang in the pocket and make the throw. He just has to put it on him, and he steps in the end zone.”

Freeze didn’t blame Daniels entirely for this mistake, though, stating that the coaches need to work on not only setting the team up with the right playcall but also coaching proper execution.

“You have to look at the calls first to see if we, as coaches, put them in a position to be successful when we get down there,” he said. “Then we have to look at, 'Are we coaching the execution of it well enough or not?' Those are things we have to continue to certainly work on.”

The Tigers, led by Daniels at quarterback, will look to improve their red zone efficiency this Saturday, when the struggling Kentucky Wildcats come to town. The game will be played at 6:30 p.m. CDT and broadcast on the SEC Network.