< PreviousSTATS COMPARISONS AUBURN STATS LEADERS (Final 2022 Statistics) RUSHING ATT NET AVG TD LONG AVG/G Tank Bigsby 179 970 5.4 10 50 80.8 Robby Ashford 183 710 4.6 7 49 59.2 Jarquez Hunter 104 675 6.5 7 48 56.3 PASSING CMP-ATT-INT PCT YDS TD AVG/G Robby Ashford 123-250-7 49.2 1,613 7 134.4 T.J. Finley 33-53-4 62.3 431 1 107.8 RECEIVING NO. YDS AVG TD LONG AVG/G Ja’Varrius Johnson 26 493 19.0 3 56 41.1 Koy Moore 20 314 15.7 1 46 26.2 Jarquez Hunter 17 224 13.2 2 62 18.7 DEFENSE UA A TOT TFL-YDS SACKS-YDS Owen Pappoe 51 40 91.0 3.0-17 2.0-16 Cam Riley 39 26 65.0 3.5-7 0.0-0 Derick Hall 42 18 60.0 12.0-49 7.0-36 UMASS STATS LEADER RUSHING ATT NET AVG TD LONG AVG/G Taisun Phommachanh 17 96 5.6 1 26 96.0 Kay’Ron Adams 15 79 5.3 2 21 79.0 Anthony Simpson 2 27 13.5 1 17 27.0 PASSING CMP-ATT-INT PCT YDS TD AVG/G Taisun Phommachanh 10-17-0 58.8 192 0 192.0 RECEIVING NO. YDS AVG TD LONG AVG/G Anthony Simpson 3 65 21.7 0 27 65.0 Shawn Harris Jr. 2 15 7.5 0 13 15.0 Mark Pope 1 3 3.0 0 3 3.0 DEFENSE UA A TOT TFL-YDS SACKS-YDS Tyler Rudolph 6 2 8.0 1.0-3 1.0-3 Marcus Bradley 5 1 6.0 0.0-0 0.0-0 Zukudo Igwenagu 3 2 5.0 1.0-12 1.0-12 Here is a quick look at the top team statistics for the Tigers and the Minutemen. * Auburn Final 2022 Statistics Quick Look n Total Touchdowns *355 n Rushing Yards *2,470197 n Passing Yards *2,072192 20 STATS COMPARISONS AUBURNTIGERS.COM® FAVORITE CHIP OF THE22 FLIP THE SCRIPT Five weeks into his tenure as Auburn’s 31st head football coach, Hugh Freeze addressed the donors whose generosity helped construct the Woltosz Football Performance Center at its Grand Open- ing Gala in early January. “I’m not that great at a lot of things,” Freeze said. “That’s why I hired those oth- er guys to fill in for my shortcomings. But one thing I promise to you - the Auburn Family - as your head coach: no one will show more purpose and drive every single day. I have that mental toughness and I will show that to you.” Idle words these were not. In the en- suing eight months, Freeze has shown that daily drive and purpose, relentlessly recruiting both the players he’ll coach during the 2023 season and those who will arrive in years to come. Between leading Auburn through spring practice and preseason camp, he visited alumni in three states on the AM- BUSH tour, often calling recruits during the minutes leading up to his time on stage. Those efforts paid immediate divi- dends, with Auburn ascending in the re- cruiting rankings from the 50s to the top 20 in Freeze’s first high school class and a top five transfer class ranking. Only the beginning, based on the five- star prospects who have committed to play for Freeze on the Plains in 2024. Seeking to “Flip the Script” after inher- iting a program coming off consecutive non-winning seasons, Freeze leads the Ti- gers into Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT vs. Massa- chusetts for Kickoff on The Plains. “I’m really excited game week is here,” Freeze said Monday in his first weekly press conference. “This is exciting and our kids are ready. I think our staff is ready and excited about getting into a normal week and I’m really excited about my first expe- rience running out in Jordan-Hare Stadi- um. “I think that’s going to be phenomenal and exciting. I’ve got more family coming than ever before. It’s going to be a magical experience in that stadium, provided that we play well. “That’s the pressure or the anxiousness that you feel sitting in this chair, wanting to FLIP THE SCRIPT AUBURNTIGERS.COM HUGH FREEZE BEGINS INAUGURAL SEASON ON THE PLAINS BY JEFF SHEARERdeliver for the incredible fanbase that has welcomed us so much.” Auburn fans purchased a record 63,500 season tickets for the 2023 sea- son, eclipsing by 600 the previous high from 2014. With additional premium seat- ing increasing stadium capacity to 88,043, Saturday’s sold-out season opener will mark the largest home attendance in pro- gram history. “You hear all those things, and you just so badly want to deliver,” Freeze said. “Hopefully we’ll play well, but no question we’re extremely excited to kick off the campaign this Saturday.” Growing up on a dairy farm in north- west Mississippi, Freeze arose while it was still dark to milk cows before school, in- stilling in him the work ethic that helped him climb the coaching ranks from high school to the SEC. “My parents, they’re the hardest-work- ing people I’ve ever known,” Freeze said at his introductory press conference in late November. “My dad’s full of toughness. My mom’s full of grace. I learned hard work and toughness from him and love and compassion from my mom.” Before SEC Media Days in July, Freeze retreated to a mountain cabin to write the messages he shared with the Tigers during preseason camp. With cameras rolling in Nashville and fans tuning in on the SEC Network, he ex- pressed gratitude to Auburn fans. “They’ve welcomed our staff, my family and our new players and are excited about the effort we’re putting in to try to put a product on the field that brings them joy, so we’re very thankful,” Freeze said. “We could not have asked for a better wel- come to the Plains. What a great place it is to live. We’re excited about putting our roots down and building this program back to what it’s been.” Undeterred by underwhelming pre- season media predictions, Freeze out- lined his intentions for the 2023 season. “My expectations are for us to play a passionate, 60-minute football game every Saturday,” he said. “Hopefully it’s fundamentally sound where we give our kids a chance to win some games in the fourth quarter.” Come Saturday, the Tigers will walk, the eagle will fly and the fans will cheer. Auburn football, founded in 1892, will take the field under new leadership. Hugh Freeze, whose core values – faith, attitude, mental toughness, integri- ty, love and you – form the word “FAMILY,” coaches his first game as a member of the Auburn Family. “I think the most exciting thing to me is taking in what I consider to be one of the best home atmospheres in college foot- ball,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been at a place that has quite the enthusiasm, pas- sion and energy that Jordan-Hare is going to have. I will take a moment to take that in.” AUBURNTIGERS.COM 24 FLIP THE SCRIPT FLIP THE SCRIPTsave on auto insurance spend on Tiger merch *INSURANCE FEATURE NOT AVAILABLE IN EVERY STATE. Countrywide average premium savings for customers with safe driving discounts and Drivewise vs. those without. Savings vary by state, based on driving behaviors & based on how you buy. Subject to terms, conditions & availability. In some states, through your participation in Drivewise, your driving data may be used for purposes of rating & your rate could increase with high-risk driving. Allstate Fire and Casualty Ins. Co. & affiliates. 3100 Sanders Rd, Northbrook, IL. © 2023 Allstate Insurance Co. Marks are registered trademarks of their respective owners. PROUD PARTNER Safe driving and Drivewise® saves you 40%*28 HEAD COACH HUGH FREEZE Hugh Freeze became the 31st head football coach in Auburn history in No- vember, 2022. Freeze has nearly three decades of continued coaching success, including head coaching experience that has led to conference titles, nationally ranked recruiting classes and bowl appear- ances at multiple stops during his highly decorated career. 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 12 years is 103-47. 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, Lib- erty had the best start in program history (8-0), tied the program record for wins (10) and defeated two Power 5 programs in Syracuse and Virginia Tech. For his ef- forts, Freeze was a finalist for the George Munger Collegiate 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 sea- son in 2020 (2,776) and ranked No. 9 in the country in rushing offense. Liberty also ranked No. 15 nationally in total of- fense (482.7 yards per game) and No. 11 in total 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, joining 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. AUBURNTIGERS.COM HUGH FREEZE HEAD COACH® TRUCKWORX.COMNext >