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Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze is being torn to shreds by college football fans on social media this week for his “love, not hate” stance on the upcoming matchup against Georgia. The Tigers and Bulldogs will square off this Saturday in the 128th meeting in the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.”
The bitter rivalry dates back to 1892, seeing some absolutely vicious displays of hatred throughout the years.
Take, for example, a 1986 matchup where UGA upset the Tigers as a three-touchdown road underdog. Fans stormed Jordan-Hare Stadium where they were then doused by sprinkler systems and fire hoses. Auburn even sprayed the Georgia marching band, who was sitting in the stands playing its postgame performance.
A decade later, the Bulldogs live mascot UGA tried to bite an Auburn player after a touchdown catch.
The schools are located just 175 miles, splitting many families down the middle of that Georgia-Alabama state line. With that being said, there’s certainly no love lost between the two programs.
When the teams meet on the field, hate can often be a word associated with fandom, at least for those three hours of game time.
Hugh Freeze doesn’t want that hatred to fuel his players or fans, though. While previewing the upcoming rivalry, he spoke about love being the driving factor. Not many are agreeing with his mindset.
Hugh Freeze on Auburn’s first rivalry game of the season against Georgia: “We should compete out of love for our people, not out of hate for other people.”
— Nathan King (@NathanKing247) September 25, 2023
While the sentiment is a nice one, fans weren’t thrilled with the commentary ahead of the often-heated matchup.
Here’s what they had to say online.
“Ok… no?”
“Some of us have a lot of hate in our hearts, Coach.”
“OMG this stinks.”
“Hugh Freeze is the ‘I just hope both teams have fun’ meme come to life.”
“Hugh Freeze has never been barked at, or he would look at this game differently.”
There were also a number of “love” references to his Ole Miss exit, which we’ll leave to the imagination. Safe to say not many, including the Auburn faithful, agree with this message.