Hugh Freeze turns down the noise on hot seat chatter for now, but issues plaguing Auburn still remain

FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas -- Hugh Freeze strolled into Auburn's locker room Tuesday with a mission: lighten the mood amid a four-game losing streak. His play? A surprise phone check.

The chatter online about the Auburn coach's job was rampant -- as well as the general disappointment after a double-overtime collapse against Missouri -- and the coach feared his players were listening to the social media mob. 

"I made them show me their screen time average," said Freeze, "and it's sad, really, what they average. And then you look at what apps, and man, we had a great time, but I'm like, 'Y'all are wasting a lot of time.'"

Turns out, a little more time and a lot less scrolling was just what Auburn needed. The Tigers finally won their first SEC game, knocking off Arkansas 33-24 on Saturday. For a half, it seemed Freeze looked destined to join the crowded carousel of fired coaches, fueling the social media mob in the process. His Tigers fell behind 21-10 after a pick six thrown by Jackson Arnold, the $1.5 million quarterback transfer, whom he subsequently benched. 

The Razorbacks (2-5, 0-4 SEC) controlled an SEC game for the first time in a year.

Then, the Tigers (4-4, 1-4) fought back, clawing their way out of a hole that might've buried their coach. They clamped down on Arkansas' offense, forced four turnovers in the fourth quarter, including a pick six of their own, and kicker Alex McPherson drilled a record-tying six field goals.

Noise? Turned down to a low hum ... for now.

"We just want to win. That's the only noise we've been hearing," said Auburn receiver Eric Singleton Jr. "... So when we get a 'W,' it shuts everybody up."

Yes, Freeze earned another week of job security. But there's still work to do after a promising 3-0 start was followed by a four-game skid. Credit Auburn's locker room for sticking together amid the heartbreaking losses and incredibly baffling officiating by SEC officials in losses to Oklahoma and Georgia, including a touchdown by the Sooners that the conference admitted later shouldn't have counted.

"There's a lot of people, particularly with the noise that comes with that, that maybe kinda shut it down, even if just mentally," Freeze said. "I'm just so thrilled for our university, our administration, who I think love our culture and our staff. But, obviously, you've gotta win some football games, too."

Hugh Freeze addresses job security after Auburn's fourth straight SEC loss

Brad Crawford

Be mindful that Saturday likely wasn't the awakening of a new Auburn. The usual issues that plagued the Tigers were still on full display, but at least they didn't doom Freeze against the Hogs. 

The Tigers scored on five of six trips inside the red zone, but only one (their first trip) resulted in a touchdown. 

Meanwhile, Freeze's boss still refused to provide a full vote of confidence for the coach. Two weeks ago, he compared Freeze's future to the uncertainty of starting a car. After the win on Saturday, he didn't seem to budge.

"We've gotta find a way to get better, and we've had some struggles in the second half offensively," Auburn athletics director John Cohen told CBS Sports. "Our defense allowed us to have a successful second half. We just gotta keep progressing. 

"Every single game we have played has been winnable. Every single game we've played," he repeated. "Just need to keep getting better."

Indeed, Auburn could be 6-2 or, heck, 7-1, if not for chronic issues on offense. Three of its four losses have been by one possession. The offense's lifeless stretches have made the criticism of Freeze fair game for a coach hired to fix exactly that. Auburn entered Saturday averaging only 13.5 points in the SEC. That's hardly the championship-caliber football expected on the Plains under a third-year head coach.

Whether Auburn cracked the code Saturday remains to be seen. Freeze has been slow to adjust throughout his tenure at Auburn. He's gone all-in on two quarterbacks in the portal – Michigan State's Payton Thorne and Oklahoma's Arnold – only for both to be benched.

Freeze benched Arnold after the 89-yard pick six and wouldn't commit afterward to Stanford transfer Ashton Daniels, who quietly guided four straight scoring drives on just eight throws.

Freeze finally leaned on what works: Jeremiah Cobb. The sophomore back rumbled for 153 yards, powering a 230-yard ground attack that looked like Auburn's season-opening win at Baylor.

"Obviously, those couple of losses really hurt, but I think this week we finally blocked all that noise out and came out here and did what we were supposed to do," Daniels said.

The win at Arkansas didn't change the fact that Freeze has yet to recruit or develop a quarterback worthy of the league. SEC programs don't contend for championships with subpar quarterbacks. 

His scripts on opening possessions are usually solid, but the offense slows as the game progresses, scoring only 1.14 touchdowns per game in the second half. The Tigers entered Saturday ranked 97th in scoring. Freeze leans heavily on DJ Durkin's top-25 defense to bail out the Tigers. 

Nothing is certain in college football, particularly as schools seem more willing than ever to pay record buyouts to make coaches disappear. But, for another week, Freeze can walk on Auburn's campus a free man.

"I know that we're leading this program the right way," he said. "I know how close we are, and I know how tight this staff is and how hard they're working, so yes, man, this is a breath of fresh air. 

"But, you know, when you sign up for these, you're fighting for your life from Game 1. That's what we do, and we signed up for it. It's hard on the families that have to hear all of it, I'm sure, and wonder about what's next, but I just can't give that power. Just go to work today and the next day and the next day and be consistent in front of these kids and this staff -- and make sure they see a consistency in me that comes from being grounded with good friends and faith."

Maybe the schedule finally throws Auburn a bone. The four-game skid came against ranked teams, and the win over Arkansas offered sunlight and maybe slammed the door on Bobby Petrino's bid to stick around in Fayetteville.

Next up is Kentucky, and then it's back to the gauntlet and the banes of Freeze's coaching career: No. 10 Vanderbilt, led by quarterback Diego Pavia, who is 3-0 against Freeze. Then the Iron Bowl against Alabama.

Another week, another opportunity to quiet or amplify the noise.