Freeze Addresses Auburn's Passing Attack, Changes Going Foward

Freeze seemed to believe that the ground was the way to beat the Bears, and he was right. However, he made it clear he’s not abandoning the passing game.

“I think [more receiving] will come when, at some point, you’re going to have a box that you don’t like and you’re going to have to throw the football to win football games,” Freeze said. “And those days are coming. The good thing is I think we have the ability and people that can do that."

Freeze emphasized that while it would have been nice to give new starting quarterback Jackson Arnold passing reps, the run was far too affective to completely abandon. Arnold rushed for a career-high 137 yards, while Damari Alston and Jeremiah Cobb each had 84 and 74 yards, respectively.

All three had touchdowns, as well, with Arnold leading the way with his two scores. Freeze added that most of Arnold's rushes were option plays rather than scrambles.

Simply put, the run was working, so he stuck with it. Arnold flashed abilities to make good passes, but there were still struggles at times, particularly a few accuracy issues. Nonetheless, it had nothing to do with the receivers' inability to get open.

With that in mind, Auburn is likely to take advantage of its next few matchups to re-establish the passing game, particularly against the weaker pass defenses of Ball State and South Alabama.

The Tigers will get a chance to flash their receiving abilities this Saturday in their home opener against Ball State. The game will be played at 6:30 p.m. CST and broadcast on ESPN.

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