The Auburn Tigers just received some bulletin board material ahead of Saturday’s matchup with 1-0 Cal.
Golden Bears running back [autotag]Jaydn Ott[/autotag] spoke to members of the media on Wednesday, making sure to let everyone know he is not afraid of Auburn.
“There’s a lot of focus on the name Auburn. But what I see on film is not really in comparison to what their name is,” Ott said Wednesday. “I just want to get that into my guys’ heads that a name doesn’t mean anything.”
Ott, who rushed for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns in Cal’s opener against North Texas, obviously sees holes in an Auburn defense that struggled to stop the run in 2022 and was only able to hold UMass to 5.5 YPG a week ago.
The Tigers defense also took a hit this week, and possibly longer, with MLB [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag] injuring his thumb in last week’s game. Key’s figured to play a large role in Auburn’s defensive front seven this year, but will be “out for a while” according to head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag].
Ott’s words ultimately ring semi-true in the sense that Auburn was not close to the best version of themselves over the last few seasons. The often-feared Tigers played more like house cats under [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag]. The film, and the record, reflect that.
Still, Auburn has been in the midst of finding its identity under [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag], creating hype around the program once again. Quotes like this from opposing players are one surefire way to jumpstart a team coming together as one.
There is little doubt that Freeze and Co. will use Ott’s words to light a fire under this new-look Auburn team.
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