3. The Auburn football brand has been reignited
It’s been a dark couple of years for Auburn football. The controversy and rumors of booster power-plays and attempted coups surrounding Gus Malzahn’s exit was frustrating, and the Bryan Harsin era was downright embarrassing.
For a while there, Auburn football went from the chaotic, unpredictable SEC wild card to the laughingstock. On Saturday night, the Tigers took another step back towards its rightful position in the hierarchy of college football.
Sure, there were still some laughs to be had at the offense’s expense, but the Tigers went on the road and won a non-conference game against a Power Five opponent. That’s especially meaningful after the trash talk that was thrown their way by Cal tailback Jadyn Ott during the week. It was clear the defense was on a mission after that.
Cal RB Jaydn Ott: "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. I just want to get that into my guys' heads that a name doesn't mean anything."
— Nathan King (@NathanKing247) September 6, 2023
Ott wasn’t wrong. The Harsin teams did not perform the way Auburn teams should perform. But this is no longer Harsin’s program.
Auburn also traveled extremely well, especially for a game that was about as far away from Auburn, Alabama as you could get. For a fan base that has had plenty of reasons to be embarrassed in recent years, they showed out in droves in Berkeley.
After @AuburnFootball beats Cal 14-10 for program’s first win in California, HC Hugh Freeze celebrates with Auburn fans.#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/iZVGnqa8CT
— Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) September 10, 2023
It’s clear that the hiring of Hugh Freeze has lit a fire under the Auburn fan base. With a coach who has a track record of winning in this conference, the Tigers are no longer fighting internal battles or seeing if an out-of-the-box hire will work. Instead, the program is all in formation and headed in the same direction.
In Auburn, that is a tremendous sign.