Hugh Freeze Still Catching Strays for Diego Pavia Record 6 Days After Being Fired As Auburn HC

Saturday marked the first time the Auburn Tigers played without Hugh Freeze as a head coach on the sidelines. However, the Tigers still lost 45-38 in overtime to Diego Pavia’s Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday.

The Tigers now sit at 4-6 overall and 1-6 in the Southeastern Conference. They now need to win their remaining games to achieve bowl eligibility, as Freeze’s past struggles against Pavia continue to haunt him.

Hugh Freeze’s Diego Pavia Nightmare Continues Even After Getting Fired

Pavia carried a flawless 3-0 record against programs coached by Freeze during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The two were scheduled to face off for a fourth time on Saturday, but Freeze was dismissed from Auburn on Nov. 2 and replaced by interim coach DJ Durkin.

Vanderbilt went on to win the game in overtime, with Pavia recording 489 of the Commodores’ 563 total yards (87%) and 28 of their 45 points (62%). He now improves to 4-0 against schools led by Freeze at any point in a season throughout his career.

Against Hugh Freeze’s former team, Diego Pavia accounted for 489 of Vandy’s 563 yards (87%) and 28 of the ‘Dores 45 points (62%). He moves to 4-0 against teams coached by Freeze at one point in the season during his career.

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) November 9, 2025

The streak began in 2022 when Freeze was the head coach at Liberty and Pavia played for New Mexico State. That year, Pavia led his team to a 49-14 victory, completing 16 of 21 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing 20 times for 125 yards and three more scores.

Freeze later signed a six-year deal with Auburn in November 2022 to become the Tigers’ head coach. In the 2023 season, Pavia’s New Mexico State squad once again defeated Freeze. Pavia’s team beat Auburn 31-10 as he went 19 of 28 for 201 yards and three touchdowns, along with eight carries for 35 yards.

Pavia later appeared on Netflix Sports Club that summer, where he mentioned wanting to speak with the former Auburn coach after the game, but Freeze declined.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” Pavia said while revealing if Auburn respects his squad. “I actually have a teammate who talks to a few guys from Auburn, and let’s just say, I’ll be excited to play them this year.”

For the 2024 season, Pavia transferred to Vanderbilt and once again got the better of Freeze’s team in a 17-7 victory.

“I’m just super blessed, highly favored,” Pavia said after the win. “A lot of teams did not take a chance on me. They (Auburn) are just another team that didn’t. So, I wanted to make them pay for what they did.”

In Saturday’s game as well, Pavia scored Vandy’s game-winning touchdown on a jump pass to Cole Spence in overtime. Vanderbilt now stands at 8-2 on the season and holds the No. 17 spot in the PFSN College Football Playoff Meter.

Meanwhile, Freeze wrapped up his Auburn tenure with a 15-19 overall record and a 6-16 mark in Southeastern Conference play.