Hugh Freeze appeared Saturday morning on SEC Nation on the SEC Network, confirming that Payton Thorne will start at quarterback vs. Oklahoma later in the day.
Thorne replaced Hank Brown behind center at halftime of last week’s 24-14 loss to Arkansas, after Brown had thrown three interceptions in the first half. Thorne — who started the first two games of the season before giving way to Brown — completed 13 of 22 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.
“He came in in the second half and … led us on two scoring drives out of the four that he had,” Freeze said. “And one of those (where Auburn didn’t score) was a pick that I think should have been caught. I think really the nod comes down to Oklahoma’s defense is one of the more complicated ones you’re going to face. I think they’re one of the best in the country defensively.
“His experience of identifying ‘this is where the protection should be — nothing against Hank, Hank’s Young and he will be ready to play also — but (Thorne) has played more ball. I think he can get us into more of the early checks that hopefully give us some success that gets us into the fourth quarter with a chance to win it.”
Oklahoma also made a coaching change this week, giving true freshman Michael Hawkins the nod over incumbent starter Jackson Arnold. Hawkins also replaced Arnold during the Sooners’ game last week, a 25-15 loss to Tennessee.
Freeze noted that Auburn’s fan base can definitely do its part to make life tough on Hawkins.
“They’re starting a freshman quarterback in Jordan=Hare and we have the absolute best fans in the world,” Freeze said. “That freshman can run, he can fly, but we need our fans to make it very difficult on them when they’re on offense today. Hopefully we can control the ball some and keep our defense off the field.”
Kickoff for Auburn-Oklahoma is set for 2:30 p.m. on ABC.
