Hugh Freeze can read a situation in hindsight. The Auburn coach fully understands the magnitude of the mounting losses. After a 2-3 homestand to start the season, the Tigers head to Sanford Stadium to play the Georgia Bulldogs.

Auburn heads deeper into their SEC schedule with more questions than answers. During media availability, Freeze tried to answer a variety of them.

Regrets

The Oklahoma game presented an opportunity to shock a good team. In hindsight, Freeze recognized this. Now, that doesn’t make anything more palatable. The Auburn coach lays out a few occasions where the game needed to go far differently.

“Let’s start, that first half, it easily could’ve been 24-7 at half,” said Freeze. “We get down to the one or two, and two shots from there we went with a package that we’ve worked on for several weeks. I truthfully regret not giving it to Jarquez (Hunter) down there at least once.

You’re going to miss some field goals, but it’d have been nice to have gotten that one right before half, for sure. Certainly, (Towns McGough) is very capable of making those, but that happens. The first half, it’s really not scoring the touchdown, and I thought the offense did a good job getting us in field position to kick a field goal. I thought that was a really good drive. This was a weird situation, but the play right before we had to go mayday, and it was good to see us execute mayday really well.”

Of all of the above stated, the Hunter piece stands out most. Hunter, by far, the most talented back on the roster needed to touch the ball more, during the entire afternoon. Veering away from a proven back for a gimmick formation with a quarterback who hasn’t taken any live snaps all year sinks into the realm of overthinking the obvious. 

The Long Plan

Prevailing thought resides with those that believe Auburn will completely fall apart and struggle to make even the most tertiary of bowl spot. Yet, those games still need playing. Similarly, like most coaches, Freeze attempts to assess the situation, finding a common enemy.

“The media is into this spiraling and keep them together. If that is a question about your team, then you probably are not going to have a whole lot of success,” said Freeze. “In life, you don’t get the chance to spiral and then have success, and it’s the same way in football. That will be my lesson today that I have planned since the summer, which I think is perfect for our moment, and I am going to give some real-life examples of myself.

“At times in life you have to draw the line on what am I really in this for and what did I really sign up for? What happens when you sign up for a job and it doesn’t go the way you want, do you spiral? There is not another option. We get the opportunity this week to go play one of the top teams in the country with a really young, building team, and we see it as a another great opportunity.”

Overview

Auburn lost a game which they should’ve won, plain and simple. Yet, they still need to go on and play and win some games. Regardless of what words uttered or written, the onus stays with the ability of winning more games. Now, the team needs to compartmentalize the ancillary and stick to the matter at hand.

One game at a time is a cliche for a reason. The focus for the Auburn Tigers is Georgia, not trying to play the entire schedule this week.

Oklahoma Stae’s quarterback returned for a seventh season, but a lack of results has made that decision questionable.

Last season, Alan Bowman transferred to OSU for his sixth and seemingly final season of college football. Despite his years of experience playing for a power conference team, Bowman couldn’t separate himself in fall camp and was thrust into a three-man battle for the starting spot.

After three weeks, Mike Gundy named Bowman the starter ahead of conference play, and OSU stuck with him for the rest of the season. Over those final 11 games, Bowman led OSU to a victory in the last Bedlam, a Big 12 Championship appearance and a 10-win season.

In 2023, Bowman threw for 3,460 yards, the seventh-most in a season in OSU history, trailing only Mason Rudolph, Brandon Weeden and Taylor Cornelius. Although he seemingly got the job because of a lack of other reliable options at quarterback, Bowman quickly established himself as a gunslinger the Cowboys could count on.

After the season, Bowman applied for a seventh season of eligibility and was soon set to return for a second year in Stillwater. While it was not the original plan, no one seemed to have an issue given 2023’s successful campaign.

Through five games in 2024, Bowman has 1,537 yards, 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. While his touchdown-turnover ratio is better than last season, and he is on pace to surpass his yardage mark, Bowman’s individual stats have not translated to the scoreboard. OSU is only 3-2, and the offense has looked bad in both of the Cowboys’ Big 12 contests. 

Bowman’s return gave the Cowboys stability at quarterback to go along with starters returning at almost every position on both sides of the ball. However, his return has handicapped the Cowboys’ long-term future.

Garret Rangel has seen minimal opportunities to prove himself in his third season. Gundy has said Zane Flores’ opportunities to see practice reps are limited because two guys are in front of him.

Bowman’s return gave OSU an opportunity to chase something special. But with a slow start and an uncertain future at quarterback, the Bowman era in Stillwater could be in the final stages.

READ MORE: Could Ollie Gordon’s Slow Start Delay His Jump to the NFL?

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The deputy state director for the conservative political lobbying group Americans for Prosperity argued Tuesday for Oklahoma to move local school board elections to align with the election calendar for federal and state offices.

Bradley Ward, who once worked for the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency at the state Capitol, was the only presenter during a 30-minute-long interim study conducted by the House Election and Ethics Committee and led by Rep. Chris Banning, R-Bixby.

Banning is a proponent of changing the dates of school board elections, saying doing so will increase voter turnout and save taxpayer money now being spent conducting separate elections. During the just-completed legislative session, multiple conservative groups, including AFP, put a focus on local elections such as school board races.

Critics of the idea say moving the elections could have the effect of injecting partisan politics into what are nonpartisan races.

Oklahoma law now mandates school board elections to be held in February (for primaries) and April (for the general election). Low turnout can be an issue, as evidenced by election results from April.

More: When does early voting start in Oklahoma? Key dates for 2024 presidential election

Among the examples cited by Ward on Tuesday was a race for a seat on the board of Oklahoma City Public Schools, the state’s second-largest district, with about 33,000 students. In that race, 350 people cast ballots, with Jessica Cifuentes beating incumbent Cary Pirrong 233-117. A race for a seat on the Mid-Del Schools board drew 681 of a possible 16,679 voters, or 4%.

“Electing a school board member with just 2% of voter turnout is not conducive to the needs of one of the state’s largest school districts, as it undermines democratic representation and fails to capture the diverse perspectives of the community that the board ultimately serves,” Ward said.

Ward, citing Oklahoma State Election Board data, said about 6% of voters turned out for school board elections in April, compared to 11% in municipal elections in August, 17% in the presidential primary in March and 69% in the 2020 presidential general election.

Opinion: Compromises between students, parents, educators could address cellphone issues

Ward said Oklahoma is one of 12 states to have mandated non-November school board elections. Thirteen other states mandate such elections in November of even-numbered years, which would align with election for federal elections. Among those are Michigan, which he used as an example during his presentation. Sixteen states mandate elections in November of odd-numbered years.

Using data from the Oklahoma Cost Accounting System, Ward said Oklahoma school districts spent about $16.9 million on board elections this year, money he said could be reallocated toward other education purposes if board elections are moved. That is assuming the state election board would assume the costs of having a local election item on the same ballot. A spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Election Board didn’t immediately return a call seeking clarity on that question.

Two bills aiming to move Oklahoma school board election dates – one filed by Banning, the other by state Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore – didn’t make it through the legislative process this year. Banning indicated he plans to file a similar bill for the 2025 session of the state Legislature.

Banning said his measure would have two nonpartisan goals: “It has no other meaning other than to increase voter turnout and save the schools millions, and we’ll also have an accurate representation of the community when those school board members are voted in.”

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Democrat on committee says push to move elections is about GOP ‘retaining power’

The lone Democrat at the meeting table Tuesday was Rep. Mickey Dollens, R-Oklahoma City. He told The Oklahoman afterward he understood Banning’s desire to save money on conducting elections, “but I think it’s more focused on retaining power, otherwise (they) would also advocate for municipal elections to be put on the general election ballot as well.”

Dollens said he likes the current system because partisan politics usually don’t come into play, given that school board elections are “hyper-localized.”

“In this current political environment, we’re already so polarized and divisive. It’s nice to have our municipal elections be separate,” he said.

He suggested better civic education in schools – and perhaps a public messaging campaign on the importance of local elections – might be a solution to the issue of low turnout.

“Each district has its own nuances and its own special needs,” Dollens said. “For highly informed voters, or anyone for that matter, to research the candidates without having all of the other noise around a general election, I feel is a good thing.“