Hugh Freeze previews Cal

yeah good morning to all and um happy labor day and it's uh obviously a lot of things to be pleased with from uh Saturday and I know I said it in the post game but just again our U our student sections and band cheerleaders and fans in general were incredible and I thought that spoke volumes to um you know the the people we're trying to convince to come join us just uh that Auburn is a special special place place and um just not a lot of places in a game like that do you see that type of atmosphere throughout the entire four quarters so thankful so much for our our people and especially those students and the heck they had to be there what six hours or so um that's uh that's pretty incredible support so thankful for that a lot of lot of lot of good things um you know I'll go through Monday's the the truth for our team here in a few minutes when I meet with them and defensively there was uh I mean I thought the effort was really really good thought they ran to the football I thought we tackled fairly well um and we were u nine of 14 three and outs and we limited the explosive plays so I thought all of that was positive um special teams were really positive had a punt return an explosive punt return turn and and then had a block punt for a TD um field position battle we won um effort was good and we played a lot a lot of kids on special teams and so that was uh that was really good and obviously the seven touchbacks and field goal was efficient so towns did a really nice job for us there offensively we started fast and played physical up front thought the effort was good there 16 explo exposive plays 9.8 yards a carry um only had one penalty on offense and uh just thought that was and our Red Zone scoring was really good so lot a lot of positives to take um from there obviously we have some negatives too that I'm sure you'll ask me about and we can go over but it was U it was a good film to watch for our first game obviously some things to clean up and get better on uh biggest thing two turnover we just we can't do that and uh we've got to get the ball has to be the priority coach looking forward to cal um how much of what you've seen on tape so far um that you're worried about from last year is your approach the same is this the same Cal team that you're facing or uh defensively it's the same um uh Justin Willcox is one of the better defensive coordinators in the nation has been for years years and Peter Surman is with him which uh both of those guys have have been in power five conferences for a long time and done a really nice job and they did a great job against us last year and so uh they have quite a few returners on that side and um both those defensive ends are really really talented 44 and seven um they they you got to have a plan for those guys um linebackers are aggressive play hard and athet atic in the secondary so um they uh they certainly um will they play us the same exact way they did last year I don't know um but but last year they were U they were you know basically saying we we're going to make you have to throw the football and win some one-on ons and and we we struggle to do that some now we turned it over uh we had some really good runs in that game but we turned it over too way too many many times in it and um so we we'll see I mean we've studied every game that they played from last year and yesterday for the most part and this morning um they didn't do that the entire year but that was their plan against us and so we'll have to we'll have to see but I don't think it's going to be like uh it's not some mystery of of what they're going to play you know they're going to play some even front they're going to get in some bear and and um that's that's kind of who they've been and um they do a really nice job he'll have a good plan I'm sure and uh it'll be a good challenge for us to see kind of where we are offensively now for our defensive staff it is totally new new coordinator um Tempo spread um empty a lot just um you know it's it's you have one game to go on um with the new new coordinator but obviously we know where he came from and and can use some of that too but it is U we're going to have to get ready for Tempo they go fast and it's um so that that creates problems with communication and we we've got to make sure we're we're communicating very effectively but it's U they they are you offensively is it's different big quarterback strong um good arm can throw it so it'll be a be another challenge for us do you expect Rees to be available on Saturday and then I think we saw champ leave the game sort of toward the end do you have an update on him yeah champ is uh been struggling with a calf strain and and we really just want to he probably could have played more snaps but we just wanted to make sure we're trying to get him as healthy as possible also and I do expect Isaiah to be ready you Tyler gets a start left tackle plays a good bit some shuffling around what do you think of his play and then the play of the offensive line overall on Saturday I thought it was solid um I thought we protected well kept the quarterback clean um and the Run game was efficient obviously with with nine yards I thought Percy's snaps were really good um Tyler made a few Mas but um overall I thought he was pretty solid so it's good to see both of them play well coach your thoughts on the the play of the defensive line I know Bobby Jameson Travis got a start you just just thoughts on on how he earned that job yeah we rotated a lot of guys in there and um thought they were solid against the Run um we didn't um crush the pocket quite as well we didn't didn't didn't call too many pressures really early on and they were getting rid of the ball pretty fast so it wasn't as bad as maybe I felt uh post game um but I thought the inside guys played really well I guess just um building off what you said about the defensive line do you you see that rotation you know kind of getting smaller or do you think it's going to continue continue to see six or seven guys each game I continue to see six to seven guys and there I hope how do you feel about the the young DBS Saturday how they play um we've got some improving to do um we can't panic and and get so handsy um be patient stay in your Technique and and then go play the ball um I thought there were a few good ones JC Hart had a really good one unfortunately he didn't um and he was beating himself up pretty good but one thing I'll say about him is you know he he had that and he turned around and go made the tackle that saved them from scoring and then we held them out of the end zone and actually they missed the field goal too so you don't ever quit he gave great effort um but obviously we'd like to see him get that pick also and um he's young and but has talent and I thought can Lee was pretty solid keante was solid for the few snaps he played um kite was was pretty decent so uh safety we got some communication things we got to get cleaned up uh for sure particular when you when you roll in the the young kids like uh Caleb and Harris and and Sylvester um we're going to need them and we just got to we got to get make sure our communication gets cleaner you obviously you guys use the Freshman receivers a lot and they they made plays how do you feel about them you know you had talked about misassignments and just kind of the mental side how do you think they did in their first game in that aspect really good really um there were a few routes they were a little short um but outside of that it wasn't really any masas no like wrong routes or um so it was pretty basic game plan um this week will be more extensive so we got to get some good work in today Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday all the way up but um thought they handled uh their first their first real live go in front of uh you know a lot of people I thought they handled it really well I should have asked this last week but uh your theme for fall Camp was gratitude uh is has it changed this season and does it changed by week uh you know gratitude was the entire um fall count theme and it will be an undercurrent theme for the rest of the season but you every week kind of takes his life of its own uh like last week's theme was what's in your hand and um I went through you know what I think is in their hands that that they really have control over and though those were talent and time um our culture is in their hands um being coachable is in their hands and the resources and blessings that they receive from being at Auburn is is in their hands so those are five things that um I encourage all of us to surrender uh for the greater good yes you're talented but you have zero chance at winning a game by yourself um and who cares if you don't get as many touches as as you want it we won we should celebrate together you should celebrate for your teammates and that's a a constant battle with uh this idea of uh I need mine I need mine and I get all of that but great teams truthfully man they surrender that to the to the greater good for the team and time I think is always a a challenge for most people not just players of you know if I'm using my time wisely what does that look like and it's the Temptation today I think is for so many that you have idle time and you spend it doing things that aren't profitable for you long term uh obviously the the culture is in their hands and it I think the greatest um thing we can do for each other and cultures have positive peer pressure that's created from within the locker room and when you Empower those players to have that and they do it the right way I think it's very very uncomfortable uh to not be a part of that um coachable obviously there it is you can I coach you hard and and you receive it and and still know that that that I still care about you and um then resources obviously they're blessed with scholarships and some Financial money and all of those things and my obviously we want to give back and uh we were able to last week um we have Auburn for others and we finally have it in Alabama and many of them uh decided to give portions of their nil along with resources that Jill and I provide for this to uh to meet the needs of 13 families in the state of Alabama to help keep um their children out of the foster care system and something I'm really really proud of proud of our kids that said coach I want to I want to help him be a part of that and I hope that continues to grow throughout the year as we continue to meet needs in the state of Alabama for the orphan and Foster Care Systems coach how do you feel like the capability of your offense was to score in such a multitude of ways and does that impact your game planning going forward knowing that you have options uh I mean I don't think there's any substitute for confidence and if our kids believe in the game plan and believe that the plays that are going to get dialed up um are solid good calls that um that our guys have a chance to win and make explosive plays like we did Saturday night um I think that's great and we took a step in that direction that's going to be more challenging as you move forward against U you know more Equitable competition and uh we're working hard this morning on trying to figure out what that looks like for us this week and what our young kids can handle um cuz as coaches we get in there and we got a thousand things on the board that all look good but that's impossible for that to to all be a part of it so um I think that's the greatest challenge we have right now is let's let's tone in on the on the things that we know they can do and maybe present different pictures uh of how we get there and um hopefully that'll continue to grow confidence in that and we can add more and more as we move forward coach there were a few times on on Saturday where even after good plays you were you were on Payton pretty hard and you talked about it a little bit Saturday night about you know just seeing things differently especially against better competition have you had a chance to talked to him yet about any of those things and if you haven't what are you going to tell him oh yeah I talked to him right after the play on the on the sidelines but uh and now we got those iPads over there where I can um or Jesse if I'm busy um or if there's a time out I go and say do you see what I see and um Payton can take the hard coaching I wish the camera wasn't on me all the time and my wife got on me about one of those but um you know was a third down play that I know how critical those Downs are in coming weeks and um I expect him to get those right and I think that's a positive that he should take is if I didn't believe he should get those right I wouldn't be quite as upset but um I expect him to get that right 95% of the time on on certain things that that I was upset with the other night it um I was really only really upset one time I was frustrated a few others on and he still made good throws and made a touchdown or whatever but he didn't get himself protected like he's supposed to and I don't want him taking unnecessary hits and um I I've made it clear I believe in him and with that though comes the expectation that if I know we have thoroughly discussed something then the expectation is you get that right um he he's he handles that fine hey coach uh just wanted to give your overall per uh thoughts on the performance of he Brown and obviously when the competition steps up if he is thrusted into to the starting position do you have confidence that he could lead the offense as capable as Peyton has uh I'm confident in him the guy's a gamer I think he was three of five and with one drop right in in in the hands so he should have been four for five and um when the RPO was supposed to be thrown he threw it when it was supposed to be handed off he handed it off and know we weren't calling a plethora of things at that point but the things that got called he was 100% on execution so uh confident holding um missed one uh other than that he he executed well so um I'm confident coach a obviously similar position to last year a big win heading into of this cow game offense take a step back in that game does this feel like a moment especially for that unit to show the difference from last year to this year and you spoke about confidence earlier where's that confidence with this unit especially winning those one-on-one well they're really confident right now I'm sure um after Saturday we'll we'll see I think your initial statement is exactly accurate and I won't run from that that here's your chance you know our chance not not just them us too as coaches but here's our chance to to prove we we can be a fundamentally efficient scoring machine and against uh who I think plays really good defensive football so it'll be a really good test for us uh you have been a head coach twice in the SCC and twice in the group five uh could you just talk about the difference in those two levels as far as a coach as a head coach uh game planning is the same other than in this in at this level they're bigger and faster and it made you know like we better have a plan for 44 and seven um you know that may not be the case in every group of five that you that you play but um I don't think there's much difference really in the game planning the play call in the fronts the I mean there's only so many defenses you can run so many offenses you can face and I think coaches are all good there's good coaches at every level that have their kids prepared it's just you get in this league and it's bigger and faster and stronger and you you got to make sure your your calls Mak sense with matchups um particularly in critical Downs well recruiting is a beast yeah totally different yeah I mean that that's the biggest difference you just nailed at recruiting is uh it is a nonstop NeverEnding um battle in this league even if you have great commitments like we do it's just a a it's it it's a battle it's not near the same at a group of five um with that for sure I think you follow uh coach you said repeatedly in the fall that at some point the tape has to become the resume um after looking at the tape from Saturday uh did any guys take any steps I know Malcolm started uh is there he do well enough to maybe earn the start versus Cal or what other guys stood out yeah I want to say this again about starting I I don't care um I don't care if it's Malcolm that started he started because we had a specific play um Robert probably is going to start most games um because of the experience and but it it is a literally is a free rotation between um Robert Malcolm and Sam at that slot position and rotating those outside guys between Perry and Dre and and Cam and Camden and um and Cale uh I mean we we we feel confident so um I don't want any of them playing tired if they have to run a streak route and it's an incomplete pass or something they shouldn't be in there the next play um so it's really I I'm not as caught up on who's running out there first Malcolm did because again we we felt like his skill set was best for that play and um but that doesn't mean that I deem him in a role over Rober ber or or over Sam it's now old Line's quite different than receivers receivers free rotate but when we start a possession with the old line I don't really they're going to roll that that possession and do I want to keep them fresh yes and rotate some bodies but that's that's kind of pre-plan like hey the third series we're going to do these Subs it's not quite like the receivers where men play in play out you could have a different guy out there you mentioned how this Cal defense is very comparable to last year do you at any point this week go have a chat with Sam Jackson about some of that or is that not something you're going to do uh I may talk to him but um I mean I see I see what they're doing and have a good think I have a good feel for what they're what they've done you don't know exactly when they're going to do it but I know and we put 12 Personnel out there this is kind of you know defensive guys don't change too much as far as this is how you treat um 12 personnel as opposed to 11 personnel or 10 personnel and um now your fronts could be quite different but I don't know that Sam would have an idea of when they're going to get in the bare front or when they're going to get in an even front and um but I'm sure probably our defensive guys would talk to him more than more than I would you uh what do you think of the linebacker play look like those guys had a pretty strong game Dorian and then Robert Woodard has been a guy that's continued to produce what' you see out of those guys Saturday I thought they tackled well I thought our uh drops in zone need work but um I thought they played hard and they tackled well but we do have to we got to work on our our our p drops for sure he would Keon almost house that punt return you know stepped out of bounds how comfortable are you with him being your primary guy pun turn knowing that he's you know one of your key defensive guys this season as well and he's had some injuries we need him back there he's Dynamic and has proven he can change field position for us so um you know we want to get him as healthy as possible but um we we need him back there for sure I thought Dre was solid at catching it so was Upton but you know keante is proven he can he can change the field position back there thank you