“Baptize them and maybe the lord can make them play better”: Charles Barkley hilariously trolls Hugh Freeze and Auburn QBs after Texas A&M humiliation
The Auburn Tigers coach Hugh Freeze had a disappointing game last weekend against Texas A&M. Despite all the struggles in the quarterback department, the team had won the first three games of the season.
However, last weekend against Texas A&M, the troubles of the team with their Michigan State transfer quarterback Payton Thorne were much more prominent.
Thorne has been having a slow start as QB1 after transferring from Michigan State this offseason. Given the experience he carries, fans expected great things from him.
However, Thorne has been having a difficult time on the field, leading to Hugh Freeze rotating the quarterback on the field between Thorne, Robby Ashford, and Holden Gernier.
Now, former NBA star Charles Barkley has come forward to troll Hugh Freeze and his team after their 27-10 loss at the hands of Texas A&M because of the dilemma in the quarterback department.
During a recent episode of The Next Round, Barkley talked about how Freeze was the talk of the town following his role in the baptism of safety Sylvester Smith. He used this as a reference to trolling Auburn and their coach, stating that he should consider baptizing their quarterbacks for better plays on the field.
"If y'all gonna be down there baptizing people, please pray for better quarterback play. Let's get these three quarterbacks, baptize them and maybe the Lord can make them play better," Barkley said.
The former NBA star's disappointment is understandable. Watching his alma mater struggle with quarterback plays on the field is sore to the eyesight. Last week against Texas A&M, Hugh Freeze played all three quarterbacks.
Unfortunately, none of them found a lot of success, as they collectively put up only 56 yards and completed 9 out of the 23 passes played.
He then further went on to talk about how, despite having confidence in Freeze, he needs to move ahead with a single person to shoulder the responsibility of QB1. This is because the constant rotation could hamper their confidence altogether.
"The one thing you can't do as a coach, you can't have your quarterback playing scared. You can't play three quarterbacks, you can't play two quarterbacks. Because that's the most important position in sports."
"But the number one thing you have to have as a player is confidence in yourself to make good plays and good bad plays. If you are scared to make bad plays, you can't make good plays. And right now, they are in no man's land," Barkley said.
Hugh Freeze admits to letting down Payton Thorne from a coaching perspective
Despite the dilemma and frequent rotation, Payton Thorne is expected to continue as the starting quarterback for Auburn this season. And during the SEC Teleconference on Wednesday, Hugh Freeze opened up about how they have a lot of scope for improvement when it comes to coaching Thorne.
"I feel like there are things our staff has let him down on. Some of it is him and he knows that and owns it," Freeze said.
Hugh Freeze then went on to talk about how he will ensure that they do their best according to their capabilities to get Thorne ready and at the top of his game for the rest of the season.
"I promised him we would do a better job coaching him this week and preparing him. When you say coaching him, it means also the other positions need to be in the right spot at the right time for him," he said.
Auburn next face the No.1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs. Can Payton Thorne finally find his footing in this highly difficult game?