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Hugh Freeze and his Auburn football team will be taking on Vanderbilt this weekend, and the Commodores are having a surprisingly good season so far. Vanderbilt was expected to be one of the worst teams in the SEC this year, but they were ranked in the top-25 before a close loss to Texas on Saturday, and they beat then #1 Alabama earlier this season. A big reason why Vanderbilt is having success is quarterback Diego Pavia, and Freeze isn’t looking forward to facing him again.
Diego Pavia took down Hugh Freeze when Pavia played at New Mexico State and Freeze coached at Liberty. Then, last season, Pavia and the Aggies met up with Freeze and Auburn, and Pavia got a win in that one as well. Now, he is with the Vanderbilt football team and trying to beat Freeze for a third straight season.
“I’m sick of seeing that quarterback,” Freeze said smiling, according to an article from 247 Sports. “I’ve had enough of him.”
When Freeze has gone up against Pavia-led teams, he has been a huge favorite. Liberty was favored by 24 points against New Mexico State in 2022, but they lost by 35. Last season, Auburn was favored by 25 over the Aggies, but they lost by 21. Pavia and Vanderbilt are the underdogs once again this season.
“We’re just gonna tell them the truth,” Freeze said. “… If they don’t know it, they will after today (in meetings), when they see the tapes and hear our defensive staff saying that (Pavia) requires you to play assignment football on every play.”
Hugh Freeze had a lot of praise for Diego Pavia
At this point, Hugh Freeze knows that his team is going to have to execute at a very high level if they are going to stop Diego Pavia. He also knows that the fact that his Auburn football team is favored coming into this one means nothing.
“He moves and makes plays, and is savvy and smart and tough,” Freeze said. “Again, makes everybody do their assignment on every single play. It burned. It’s 3 yards here on a broken play, and it’s 4 yards, and it’s third-and-3, and they get 3-and-a-half. A lot of it is due to the system. They’re very well coached.”
This game is a huge one for Pavia and Vanderbilt as they can become bowl eligible with a win. The Commodores are currently 5-3 on the season, and their three losses are by a combined 10 points, and two of them came against teams ranked in the top-10 at the time. This Vanderbilt team is legit, but they still have a lot of doubters heading into this game. The good news for Auburn fans is that Freeze isn’t one of those doubters. He knows that his team needs to show up and play their best if they are going to slow down Pavia and get a win.
Auburn is currently 3-5 and they are having another rough year, but they are the favorite in this game. The Commodores and Tigers will kick off at 12:45 ET/11:45 CT on Saturday from Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama, and the game will be airing on the SEC Network. Auburn is currently favored by 6.5 points.
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