Lane Kiffin simply shook his head at Hugh Freeze’s insinuation that he should have four wins against Nick Saban — Freeze was referring to blown leads in the 2023 Iron Bowl and a 2016 matchup in which his Ole Miss Rebels surrendered a three-touchdown lead to the Crimson Tide at Vaught Hemingway Stadium — and shared his reaction on X.
Freeze’s interview with SEC Network’s Marty Smith and Ryan McGee aired on August 12. During it, Freeze expressed his outspoken opinion regarding the famed retired coach.
“We honestly — Nick is incredible, but I should have 4 wins against him,” Freeze stated (h/t Saturday Down South). “We beat him twice and had a 24-3 record the third year (at Ole Miss) and I wasn’t smart enough to slow it down…” I may not have expressed it correctly, but we could have easily beaten him a few more times.
Hugh Freeze can end up putting his foot in mouth with bold Nick Saban claim
Auburn hasn’t defeated Alabama in Tuscaloosa since Cam Newton led the Tigers in “the Camback”. Even though the Crimson Tide is almost certainly going to fall off under Kalen DeBoer, owing to Saban’s high standard, the 12-team College Football Playoff is likely to bring more parity to the sport, and new powers like Georgia, Texas, and Ohio State (and possibly Oregon?) are likely to rise in the coming years as a result of NIL spending, this may not happen right away. And Freeze’s impact on the Tigers will not be completely seen until 2025 or 2026.
All of this to indicate that Freeze’s comments about Saban may be resurrected and used against him in late November if DeBoer’s team covers the Tide’s almost two-touchdown lead in the 2024 Iron Bowl. Sure, the spread could and will shift, but we don’t know in which way.
Given his current recruiting success, Freeze has every right to be as confident as possible. However, retroactively stating that you should have beaten someone who is retired comes across as grasping at straws.
