It is rare to find a thorn that occupies the side of Alabama‘s Nick Saban, but [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has been just that over the years.
Before becoming Auburn’s head coach prior to the 2023 season, Freeze led Ole Miss’ program from 2012-16. While in Oxford, he did something that not many coaches can claim… he beat Nick Saban in consecutive seasons.
In 2014, the Rebels scored 13 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to upset the No. 3 Crimson Tide in Oxford. Then, in 2015, Ole Miss broke a 3-3 tie with 7:30 remaining in the 2nd quarter thanks to a Jordan Wilkins 1-yard touchdown run. Ole Miss would not waiver again on the way to a 43-37 victory at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
When asked about what makes Freeze such a special coach, Saban references his offensive mind.
“He’s, to me, one of the best offensive coaches in the country in terms of taking the personnel and the players he has and doing what he needs to do to help them be successful. They present a lot of multiples that give you problems to try and stay gap sound against the run and they’ve done a good job all year with it. So our players are going to have to be zeroed in on making the adjustments that we need to make, and I’m sure we’ll probably see something different in the game than what we practiced. But I think Hugh’s one of the best, most difficult preparations that we have when we play against his offenses.”
The rivalry between Saban and Freeze hits a new chapter on Saturday when the Crimson Tide and Tigers meet up at 2:30 p.m. CT at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
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