Hugh Freeze chucks Auburn players all the way under the bus after loss to Cal

Year 2 of the Hugh Freeze-Auburn Tigers era has gotten off to an inauspicious start following their 21-14 home loss to the California Golden Bears.

Auburn entered the unexpectedly low-scoring affair at Jordan-Hare Stadium as 11.5-point favorites, per ESPN Bet. Meanwhile, they barely cracked that scoring total, putting Freeze and the Tigers under scrutiny on The Plains.

Freeze recently spoke on "Tiger Talk," Auburn's weekly radio show, where he got asked about the upset defeat at the hands of the Golden Bears. In response, he didn't only take accountability for his team's Week 2 flop but threw the players to the wolves.

Hugh Freeze chucks Auburn players under the bus after loss to Cal

Admittedly, Freeze was "baffled" by quarterback Payton Thorne and the Tigers' offensive struggles. Excluding one shoddy play call, the Auburn sideline general believes their gameplan was sound -- but he wasn't thrilled with the execution. 

"Honestly, there was one play in this game [against Cal] that I think was a bad call by our staff," Freeze stated. "We blew protection ... situational awareness, things like that."

Talk about incredibly candid comments from Freeze. He didn't hesitate to lay the blame on his squad. But how do we tell him it's his obligation as the leader and face of Auburn's college football to ensure a proper on-field product? Like seriously, that's something they teach in Coaching 101.

Sure, you can argue Freeze is trying to motivate his players and build a sustainable culture with good habits. But putting them on blast is an entirely different story, and taking the tiniest bit of responsibility for his contributions (or lack thereof) is another.

Most notably, Freeze called out Thorne for his decision-making, citing "15 plays" he wasn't pleased with and addressed with the quarterback room.

"It's not hard stuff," Freeze begrudgingly uttered.

Regardless of the brutally honest remarks, Freeze's frustration with Thorne feels warranted. The fifth-year senior completed 51.9 percent of his passes (14 of 27) for 165 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. His turnovers proved costly in a one-score contest, prompting the former to leave the door open for backup signal-caller Hank Brown to usurp the latter.