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Auburn head football coach Hugh Freeze wants to shake things up in his first year of coaching on the Plains.
Instead of ending spring practice with the traditional spring game, Freeze wants to scrimmage another school.
Head coach Hugh Freeze of the Tigers during their game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neville Arena on Feb. 1, 2023, in Auburn, Alabama. ( Michael Chang/Getty Images)
"Alabama can play Troy and we play UAB or vice versa, or whoever, I don’t care. Alabama State or whoever," Freeze said Monday, according to the Montgomery Advertiser. "People will come see that.
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"And you’re decreasing your injury possibilities by 50%," Freeze said. "And coaches are smart enough to control – we’re not going to hit each other's quarterbacks, we practice that way. If you want to put a blue jersey or a different jersey that (means) don’t take (that player) to the ground, we can do that. I just think it would be great for the sport."
Freeze said his scrimmage idea has been one he’s held for years but has never caught on throughout the sport.
Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze during the Arkansas Razorbacks game at Neville Arena on Jan. 7, 2023, in Auburn, Alabama. (Michael Chang/Getty Images)
"I guess I’m the only one that’s kind of interested in it," he said. "But to me, it makes too much sense not to do it."
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But there may be some traction to his idea after all.
UAB head coach Trent Dilfer loves the idea, saying Freeze is onto something.
"Pretty, pretty, pretty please," Dilfer said. "Yes, yes, of course. Hugh's right. Whether you're Auburn or Alabama, you're looking for live competition, you're looking to not play yourself. I think if you're UAB or Troy, you're looking to hopefully play people that are perceived to be much better than you, so you can use it as a test to see where your program is at."
Troy head coach Jon Sumrall also agreed, suggesting a home-and-home series for the end of spring practice.
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Troy Trojans head coach Jon Sumrall attends the Reese's Senior Bowl National team practice on Feb. 1, 2023, at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. (Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
"I’m open to that for sure. I think there’s some positive about guys having something to play for at the end," Sumrall told reporters Tuesday. "I do think there’s something nostalgic about having a venue on your home stadium for the end of spring with a spring game.
"Why not have two of them? Why not go ‘Hey, we’re going to do a home-and-home in the spring with the same team?’"
Auburn’s spring game is scheduled for Saturday, April 8, at Jordan-Hare Stadium.