Since arriving to Auburn and being named the Tigers’ starting quarterback ahead of the 2023 season, Payton Thorne has piloted the team on The Plains to a 7-8 record: 6-7 (3-5 SEC) last year and a 1-1 start to 2024 after Saturday’s loss to Cal.
Through the course of those 15 games, Thorne has tossed 14 interceptions ― five of which have come in Auburn’s last three games as the former Michigan State transfer threw an interception in last year’s Auburn’s Music City Bowl loss to Maryland and four interceptions in the Tigers’ Week 2 loss to Cal on Saturday.
Sure, those two performances might sandwich a four-touchdown, zero-interception effort, but that effort came against a below average Alabama A&M squad.
So, what gives?
Why is Thorne, a fifth-year guy who is evidently plagued with ball security issues, getting opportunity after opportunity to jog out onto the field as Auburn’s starting quarterback?
During his press conference on Monday afternoon, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze was peppered with questions about the Tigers’ limping quarterback play and offered some insight as to why the leash has been so long for Thorne.
“The struggle with it is that it’s really hard to not play a young man — whether it’s Payton or whoever else it is — it’s really hard for me to not play a young man that is consistently the best performer in practice, over and over and over and over again,” Freeze said.
All throughout the offseason, Auburn’s coaches and players have raved about the strides Thorne had made.
“Payton, he’s really comfortable back there,” Auburn tight end Rivaldo Fairweather said. “Payton knows everything that’s going on.”
Freeze and Auburn’s offensive coaches were seeing the same thing during fall camp.
“His execution of the offense, it’s been pretty clear to all of us throughout fall camp and throughout the practice weeks and everything, his performance and his understanding of what we want to do has been better than the others,” Freeze said on Monday.
Thorne’s leadership has also been reason for praise from Freeze and others in the building.
However, while he might practice well and do the things a veteran quarterback should do in the locker room, when the lights have come on against quality competition, Thorne hasn’t had his best stuff.
And while it’s not always Thorne’s fault and the protection of the offensive line or the play of Auburn’s receivers are due for some criticism, it sometimes is Thorne’s fault.
Following Saturday’s loss to Cal, Freeze said during his postgame press conference that he was hoping the Tigers were “further along.”
Asked to zero in on where he expected Auburn’s play to be further along, Freeze put his finger on the quarterback spot.
“Us not executing the offense from the quarterback position, truthfully,” Freeze responded. “We have a reel of about 15 plays that were just things we have to get right and are typically done right in practice.”
But there isn’t a win and loss column for practices.
National championship trophies aren’t handed out for performances in practice, either.
Freeze knows that.
“He’s the highest performer in practice and preparation, which obviously has led to us giving him the starting nod,” Freeze said of Thorne. “But there’s got to be carryover into the game.
However, how prepared Freeze is to make a change if things don’t improve remains a question to be answered, though Auburn’s head coach says the Tigers are prepared.
“I promise you we’re prepared. If that continues, we have to go another direction.”
