Ole Miss served Auburn its fourth consecutive loss on Saturday, so the Tigers have had time to process the loss and reflect on what they need to do this week to defeat Mississippi State.
“It’s a great thing as a competitor going against teams that are highly ranked – Georgia, LSU (and) Ole Miss,” said linebacker Eugene Asante. “Because you want to see where you are – in terms of your standard of what you bring to the table…We just want to learn from those experiences and to continue to try to develop games where we’re playing our standard of football.”
Head coach Hugh Freeze and his team have struggled in SEC play – going 0-4 against Texas A&M, No. 1 Georgia, No. 22 LSU and No. 13 Ole Miss. Although the back half of the schedule doesn't have as many ranked teams, the Tigers are up against the unpredictable nature of the SEC.
“But at the end of the day, it’s (the) SEC…anybody can get beat,” said cornerback Jaylin Simpson. “Anybody can win…We really want to play in a bowl game, and that’s on the line right now – (if) we don’t get out (of) this mess together. So, we gotta win out.”
Under constant pressure to win, frustration is inevitable. Quarterback Payton Thorne admitted that it is something he and his team are dealing with and are using it as fuel to continue improving.
“It’s extremely frustrating – to be honest,” Thorne said. “It has been tough. You just got to keep showing up and keep working through, so, you know, I’m not going to be giving up this season or ever.”
As a captain, Thorne emphasized that it is important for him to respond correctly, especially when things get rough. However, the Michigan State transfer admitted that being level-headed isn’t always the right response.
“You know, you have to be able to respond the right way when things aren’t going great,” Thorne said. “I feel like being an older guy, I’ve had practice at that, honestly… It’s not always going to be calm, though. Some guys think that, 'Oh, you go to respond the right way. That’s being level-headed at all times,' and there’s an element to that for sure. But sometimes enough’s enough, you know, and some guys need to hear it.”
It is crucial for players to learn from a loss and immediately transition to the next game, so they don’t waste time meditating on a “What could’ve been?” Freeze has emphasized responsibility and accountability to his players while practicing those qualities himself when processing a big loss.
“That’s one thing Coach Freeze emphasized within the game – not hanging our head about our performance (and) just working on the things we have to work on as players and him working on things he has to work (on) as a coach,” Asante said. “So, you know, everyone takes responsibility, and everyone is accountable for their actions and what they bring to the table.”
Freeze has remained dedicated to building a locker room built on trust and camaraderie. Offensive lineman Connor Lew highlighted that everyone is committed to competing for the people in that locker room and the Auburn Family.
“Obviously, everybody in that locker room is a competitor, and we all want to win games,” Lew said. “We’ve realized we need to play for each other, so that’s kind of been the thing that we’ve been going forward – just play for each other, play for the man next to you, play for Auburn, play for the name on your back and the name on the front.”
The Tigers have a big opportunity to change the course of the season this weekend on Oct. 28, and it all starts at home on the Plains at 2:30 p.m. CST.
“We need some momentum, and it starts here in Jordan-Hare,” Simpson said. “It’s better to have it here than trying to start this on the road.”
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Caitlyn Griffin is a sophomore from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @caitlyngrif99
