< Previous20 STATS COMPARISONS AUBURNTIGERS.COM AUBURN STATS LEADERS RUSHING ATT NET AVG TD LONG AVG/G Jeremiah Cobb 70 453 6.5 4 46 75.5 Jackson Arnold 83 247 3.0 6 27 41.2 Durell Robinson 3 57 19.0 1 54 28.5 PASSING CMP-ATT-INT PCT YDS TD AVG/G Jackson Arnold 106-165-0 64.2 983 5 163.8 Deuce Knight 2-5-0 40.0 20 0 20.0 RECEIVING NO. YDS AVG TD LONG AVG/G Cam Coleman 24 305 12.7 2 46 50.8 Eric Singleton Jr. 30 279 9.3 2 37 46.5 Horatio Fields 12 106 8.8 1 14 26.5 DEFENSE UA A TOT TFL-YDS SACKS-YDS Xavier Atkins 26 11 37 7.0-26 3.0-15 Robert Woodyard Jr. 18 9 27 3.0-9 2.0-8 Keyron Crawford 18 4 22 7.0-27 4.0-23 MISSOURI STATS LEADERS RUSHING ATT NET AVG TD LONG AVG/G Ahmad Hardy 115 782 6.8 9 71 130.3 Jamal Roberts 53 400 7.5 3 63 66.7 Marquise Davis 34 200 5.9 2 23 66.7 PASSING CMP-ATT-INT PCT YDS TD AVG/G Beau Pribula 126-173-5 72.8 1370 11 228.3 Matt Zollers 6-6-0 100.0 75 1 25.0 RECEIVING NO. YDS AVG TD LONG AVG/G Kevin Coleman Jr. 40 388 9.7 1 50 64.7 Marquis Johnson 21 301 14.3 2 49 50.2 Brett Norfleet 23 212 9.2 5 27 35.3 DEFENSE UA A TOT TFL-YDS SACKS-YDS Josiah Trotter 17 19 36 6.0-12 0.0-0 Jalen Catalon 7 16 23 0.0-0 0.0-0 Santana Banner 6 14 20 0.0-0 0.0-0 Khalil Jacobs 7 13 20 4.5-14 3.0-12 Nicholas Rodriguez 12 8 20 2.5-5 1.0-3 Here is a quick look at the top team statistics for Au- burn and Missouri: Quick Look n Total Touchdowns 1932 n Rushing Yards 9851,623 n Passing Yards 1,0031,445 STATS COMPARISONS22 COVER FEATURE AUBURNTIGERS.COM COVER FEATURE BY: JEFF SHEARER A high school basketball standout in Memphis, Keyron Crawford did not play organized football until his senior season. “Basketball helped a lot, being able to be twitchy,” said Crawford, who trans- ferred to Auburn in 2024 after two sea- sons at Arkansas State. “Applying that to football and being more athletic. Being twitchy, quick and fast has been exciting. It’s a blessing.” One of the leaders of Auburn’s top 20 defense, Crawford is tied for sixth in the SEC with four sacks while sharing the team lead with seven tackles for loss, recording a TFL in five of Auburn’s first six games. “The improvement he’s had from year one to year two here is pretty drastic in my mind,” Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said. “I think he is more flexible; he’s stronger. I think most of the credit goes to our strength staff and (head foot- ball strength and conditioning coach) Dom (Studzinski). Just the change in his flexibility and his body, he bends a lot better off the edge. Most of that credit goes to Keyron and his work ethic.” “That’s pretty much my why,” Craw- ford said of his consistent quest to im- prove. “I have seen that. It came from not playing at all to only seeing myself ele- vate. Being positive has always been my mindset. I’m continuing to improve and get better as the game goes on.” Auburn linebackers coach Roc Bel- lantoni entered the season with a list of areas in which Crawford could improve including finishing plays, cleaning up his pass rush plan and having crisper drops into pass coverage. MAJOR KEY: CRAWFORD LEADS AUBURN DEFENSE24 COVER FEATURE AUBURNTIGERS.COM “He’s young in the game,” Bellantoni said. “He didn’t play a lot of high school football so he’s learning about the game even as he’s playing now.” The 6-4, 255-pounder needed only half a season to equal his total of 22 tack- les from 2024, his first year on the Plains. “I love his leadership,” Freeze said. “He was one that got a lot of votes for captain and is on our leadership team and is doing a really nice job in all areas of being our voice in the locker room that people listen to.” Crawford ranks tied for fifth in the SEC with a team-leading 21 quarterback pressures and joins linebacker Xavier At- kins as the two Tigers who have forced and recovered fumbles and made inter- ceptions this season. “Being versatile,” Crawford said. “That’s what the (National Football) League ex- pects. Showing that is pretty exciting.” Unsurprised by his dramatic uptick in production, Crawford has now made 102 career tackles, 58 at Arkansas State and 44 so far in a season and a half at Auburn. “It’s everything I expected because I put a lot of preparation and hard work into it,” Crawford said. “Playing every game like it’s no other. “I feel like I’m playing better but there’s a lot more I can do. I’ve got to be able to continue to play faster.” In his second season in the program, Crawford appreciates the reception he’s received. “They welcomed me with open arms,” he said. “Being more comfortable with the guys and with my new coach. Being able to be coached is one of the biggest things. It shows a lot because I’m able to play 10 times faster and process a lot more things. “There’s still a lot of growing that can be done because I don’t have as much experience. That’s been my mindset and focus: continue to grow each and every week.” DJ Durkin’s Auburn defense is one of eight FBS units in the country to hold opponents to 24 or fewer points in each game this season. “We have one of the best coaches in the country,” Crawford said. “Being a part of Auburn is probably one of the best decisions of my life.” Saturday night promises to be a spe- cial occasion for Keyron Crawford, who hopes to have two desserts on the menu: birthday cake and revenge. Crawford intends to celebrate his 23rd birthday this weekend while also enjoying the infamous dish best served cold by avenging last season’s 21-17 loss at Missouri. “We’ve got to finish 10 times harder because it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” Crawford said. “How we start is going to be important but being able to finish our opponents is the biggest thing. “That’s unacceptable, and it can’t happen again. It won’t leave my mind until I know we’ve got the victory.” Auburn will try to set Crawford’s mind at ease when the Tigers play their fourth consecutive AP top 20 opponent, No. 16 Missouri, Saturday at 6:45 p.m. CT at Jordan-Hare Stadium. “I love home games, I love Auburn, I love the community, I love our fanbase,” he said. “I came here for them. War Ea- gle!” COVER FEATUREOFFICIAL INTERCOLLEGIATE SPORTS MEDICINE PROVIDER OF AUBURN TIGERS ATHLETICS WE ARE HERE FOR L TO R: Michael Goodlett, MD, FAAFP- Team Physician Benton A. Emblom, MD - Team Orthopaedic Surgeon Jos Edison, DO - Associate Team Physician At Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center, we’re here for the competitor in all of us — from rookies chasing their dreams to legends who never quit. We’re here for the believers, the driven, the passionate. We’re here for the ones who rise, again and again. We’re here for the Auburn Tigers. To schedule an appointment, call us at 205-939-3699 Locations: Birmingham | Cullman | Gardendale | Hoover | Pelham | Trussville ORTHOPAEDIC SURGEONS James R. Andrews, MD, Emeritus Christopher M. Beaumont, MD E. Lyle Cain, Jr., MD Andrew M. Cordover, MD Jeff rey C. Davis, MD Jeff rey R. Dugas, MD Benton A. Emblom, MD Christopher H. Garrett, MD Daniel C. Kim, MD Wayne McGough, Jr., MD Kathleen E. McKeon, MD K. David Moore, MD Charles C. Pitts, Jr., MD Marcus A. Rothermich, MD Norman E. Waldrop, III, MD NON-SURGICAL SPORTS MEDICINE PHYSICIANS Matthew B. Beidleman, MD Christopher S. Carter, MD Emily Bell Casey, MD Ricardo E. Colberg, MD Rachel G. Henderson, MD Monte M. Ketchum, DO JoséO.Ortega,MD T. Daniel Smith, MD Jay S. Umarvadia, MD PHYSICIAL MEDICINE & REHABILITATION Charles T. Carnel, MDY O U R T E A M S . Y O U R S T A T I O N S . WINGSFM.COMESPNAU.COM FOOTBALL/MEN’SBASKETBALL/WOMEN’SBASKETBALL/BASEBALL/TIGERTALK ALLPLAYHERE. Auburn-Opelika’sOfficialFlagshipStationsoftheAuburnTigersCOMPETITIVE COMPETITIVE THE COMPETITIVE EDGE EDGE EDGE HARBERT COLLEGE OF BUSINESS HARBERT.AUBURN.EDU At the hArbert college of business excellence goes beyond the classroom. From boardrooms to stadiums, our students lead with grit, purpose, and the Auburn spirit. WE’RE NOT JUST PREPARING BUSINESS LEADERS —WE’RE INSPIRING EXCELLENCE ON AND OFF THE FIELD. X Sophie is a senior Business Analytics major with a minor in Business Engineering Technology. She’s active in Women in Technology and Sports Analytics student organizations.28 HEAD COACH HUGH FREEZE AUBURNTIGERS.COM Hugh Freeze became the 31st head football coach in Auburn history in No- vember 2022. Freeze has more than three decades of continued coaching success, including head coaching ex- perience that has led to conference ti- tles, nationally ranked recruiting classes and bowl appearances at multiple stops during his highly decorated career. In Freeze’s first season at Auburn, despite a shorthanded roster, the 2023 Tigers posted a 6-7 record and earned a Music City Bowl berth. In 2024, the Tigers continued to build on and off the field. Every home game was sold out for the second consecutive season as fans embraced Freeze’s brand of football and Auburn garnered top 10 recruiting class- es for the 2024 and 2025 campaigns. Freeze came to Auburn from Liber- ty University, where he was head coach from 2019-22. Freeze led the Flames to four bowl games and a 34-15 record. Freeze experienced similar success at each of his head coaching stops prior to Liberty that include Lambuth Univer- sity (2008-09), Arkansas State (2011) and Ole Miss (2012-16). Freeze led each school to double-digit win seasons, while helping Ole Miss to a top 10 national fin- ish in 2015. His on-field coaching record in 14 seasons is 114-61. Liberty was just one of five FBS teams in the country to win a bowl game each season from 2019-21, joining Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Louisiana. It was the second team in NCAA history to win a bowl game during its first three full sea- sons at the FBS level, all coming under Freeze’s leadership. Freeze guided Liberty to a 10-1 overall record in 2020 and the team’s first-ever national ranking as it finished No. 17 in the country. That season, Liberty had the best start in program history (8-0), tied the program record for wins (10) and de- feated two Power 5 programs in Syracuse and Virginia Tech. For his efforts, Freeze was a finalist for the George Munger Col- legiate Coach of the Year Award. Known for his fast-paced offensive style, Freeze’s 2020 Liberty team set a school record for rushing yards in a season (2,776) and ranked No. 9 in the country in rushing offense. Liberty also ranked No. 15 nationally in total offense (482.7 yards per game) and No. 11 in to- tal defense (317.7 yards per game). The Flames were one of three teams in the country to rank in the top 20 in both total offense and total defense in 2020, join- ing Clemson and BYU. Spearheading Liberty’s outstand- ing offense in 2020 was former Auburn quarterback Malik Willis, who burst into the spotlight leading the nation in rushing yards (944) and touchdowns (14) by a FBS quarterback. Willis earned All-America honors, was named to the Davey O’Brien Award Quarterback Class of 2020 and was on the 2020 Maxwell Award watch list. The Flames posted an eight-win sea- son in 2021 after facing eight bowl-eli- gible teams during that campaign. Lib- erty’s defense finished the 2021 season ranked No. 7 nationally in passing yards allowed, No. 11 in total defense and No. 24 in scoring defense. Offensively, Lib- erty finished 2021 ranked No. 25 in the country in scoring offense and No. 8 in passing yards per completion. Leading the charge for the Flames in 2021 once again was Willis, who was a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Na- tional Quarterback Award and the Max- well Award and a top 10 candidate for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Willis was a third-round draft pick of the Ten- nessee Titans in the 2022 NFL Draft. In 2022, Liberty finished the regu- lar season 8-4 with wins over Arkansas and BYU; three of the four losses came by a combined five points. The Flames earned a berth in the Boca Raton Bowl. While head coach at Ole Miss, Freeze took the Rebels to bowl games in three of his five seasons, including wins in the 2013 Music City and the 2016 Sugar bowls. Freeze’s time in Oxford was highlight- ed by a 10-3 campaign in 2015, the pro- gram’s first 10-win season since 2003. The Rebels won their first four games of the 2015 season, including a 43-37 road victory over No. 2 Alabama, Ole Miss’ first win in Tuscaloosa since 1988. The Rebels were ranked as high as No. 3 in the national polls in both 2014 and 2015 and finished in the national Top 10 for the first time since 1969 after the Sugar Bowl win. Ole Miss was ranked in the top 25 for 45 weeks over Freeze’s five-year tenure, including a string of 27 straight weeks in the polls for the first time since 1957-62. Freeze collected four nationally ranked recruiting classes at Ole Miss. In 2013 and 2016, his recruiting classes ranked in the top five nationally, the best in program history. Freeze and his staff developed 20 players who earned all-SEC honors, in- cluding All-Americans Cody Prewitt, Senquez Golson, Robert Nkemdiche, Laremy Tunsil, Evan Engram, Laquon Treadwell and Trae Elston. HUGH FREEZE HEAD COACHNext >