STULTZ: Facing Ole Miss will always be emotional for Freeze

I thought I knew the answer but wanted to hear it from the man himself. So, on Monday, I asked Hugh Freeze if it helps that he has already faced Ole Miss as a head coach since his upsetting dismissal from the Rebels program in 2017.

"Jill and I actually talked about that because that removes the 'Hey, this is your first time playing Ole Miss since your departure from there,'" Freeze said. "And so I think it's very helpful."

Yes, emotions were running high on Nov. 6, 2021, when Freeze stepped on the field where he had made so many memories as the head man of a program he grew up near. You didn't know what to expect from Ole Miss fans who had worshipped him when he led them to a Sugar Bowl victory and beat Alabama.

It was a return to his roots, the place he had stayed during the lowest point of his life, surrounded by those who supported him after all his transgressions came to light. These people, almost all linked to Ole Miss, helped him get through that troubling time, and now he was returning and trying to beat the Rebels.

I personally saw how much love there was for Freeze, even in the aftermath. Those who care about the man stood up for him when it was the hardest and when he was worried if he would ever coach again. So yes, returning to Ole Miss was as emotional as possible.

"I have a lot of friends there and a lot of people that I think appreciate the good things that we did," Freeze said. "And certainly wish that some things were different at the ending, just like I do."

But what I'm not buying is that Saturday is just another game on the 2023 Auburn schedule for Freeze. Per usual, he will have a flock of family in town, all turning in their Ole Miss blue and red for the orange and blue of Auburn. Universities and football teams are important, but blood is more important.

Certainly, seeing those uniforms on the other sideline during pregame warmups will be emotive. Freeze was on top of the world at Ole Miss before it all came crashing down. Now, he's trying to lead a different SEC program from the ground up to the standard that Auburn has set for itself. No, it won't be as emotional as that day in 2021, but feelings will still be floating everywhere in his head.

Once the game begins, those feelings will disappear as he, his coaching staff and Auburn players try to get their first SEC victory of the season, break a three-game losing streak and build some momentum going into the final half of the schedule. For his family and friends, who have already gone through this two years ago, it will be tense as the past connects with the present.

But I'm confident that a win on Saturday would be special for Freeze for many reasons, the foremost being it coming against a university he grew up rooting for.

So, while all the storylines have already been told two years ago with his return to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, where he used to be the ruler, Freeze now welcomes the Rebels to Jordan-Hare, his new palace that will be rocking when the Tigers take the field.

It will be another memorable moment in his first season back in the SEC after a devastating fall six years ago.

"Now, this is not something that's new," Freeze said on Monday.

Sure, but facing Ole Miss will always be emotional for him. That's human nature.