If there was ever a time for Auburn to flip the script, the motto this offseason about turning around the football program that has seen some dark days, this is it.
Following a 31-10 dismantling at the hands of New Mexico State, the Tigers now face rival Alabama, winners of nine straight and trying to extend its winning streak to four against Auburn. Hugh Freeze, coaching in his first Iron Bowl, isn't sure how his players will respond after the embarrassing loss to the Aggies this past Saturday.
"I don't know yet. I sure hope so," the head coach said if his players will come into the week with a good attitude. "You play this game or coach this game long enough, you're going to have some of those. And how you respond to it will determine a lot about you as a team and as a person. I wish I had a better pulse for that, but I haven't seen them yet."
That's not unusual, as Auburn players have Sundays off following games. Freeze did meet with the players elected to the Culture Council early on Monday and admitted to having some heart-to-heart talks with his assistant coaches on Sunday.
As for the players, they are looking to put the loss behind them yet still learn from what happened on Saturday.
"You have to make a decision," Payton Thorne said. "And you have to almost do something to say, 'Okay, now it's over, and we're moving forward.' You've got to get the guys together. You've got to do yourself, mentally, and say, 'Okay, we have to accept what just happened and be done with it because you can't do anything about it now and move forward.'"
Freeze also mentioned the fog hanging over many peoples' heads inside the football facility. Keionte Scott spoke on the aftermath of the loss on Saturday.
"A lot of surprised people, a lot of confusion, a lot of questions people have," Scott said. "It's going to be exciting to see what will happen. When you're in a situation like that, you never really know. Just being able to see how the little things hurt us and how we were exposed it will be exciting to see. Definitely a fog -- just the surprise of wondering what, when, where and how."
As for when the Tigers move on from the defeat and start focusing on upsetting Alabama, Eugene Asante admits it begins immediately.
"I think that’s what today is for," he said. "When you have a game like that, you kind of have to try to put it past you, but you also want to reflect and understand the situations you were in that made the outcome be what it was. I think it’s a big reflection piece for us today."
