AUBURN — It is no stretch to say that Auburn starting quarterback Payton Thorne underperformed against Cal on Saturday.
After an overwhelming performance to open up the season against Alabama A&M — recording his best numbers to date in an orange and blue uniform — Thorne left last Saturday’s matchup throwing four interceptions, with two coming in the final minutes, halting any chance at a comeback for the Tigers.
The underlying question is if a change could be made at the position before Saturday approaches.
“Could it? Yes. Do I think I want to see how this week goes before I decide? Yes. I want to see how it goes and how everyone responds,” said head coach Hugh Freeze on Monday.
Freeze and offensive coordinator Derrick Nix named Hank Brown as the No. 2 option behind Thorne earlier in the preseason. The redshirt freshman - who was previously committed to Freeze at Liberty - has made strides in his progression since arriving on the Plains a year ago.
Making a late appearance in the Music City Bowl last season, Brown went 7-9 with 132 yards and was the lone highlight of the day for an offensive that struggled mightily. Brown rode that momentum into this season taking advantage of limited opportunity in “mop-up” duty against Alabama A&M, throwing for 96 yards and two touchdowns.
Will that be enough for Brown to get a look as the starter during practice this week?
“He will definitely get his fair share of reps in practice this week,” Freeze said.
Thorne showed throughout spring and fall camp that he was the best player in practice and had the best grasp on the offensive as a whole, but that may not be enough to save him from many more disastrous performances in-game action.
“It’s really hard not to play a young man, whether it’s Payton or whoever, that consistently is the best performer in practice over and over again,” Freeze said. "However, you have to carry that into the games.”
Freeze mentioned that he is looking forward to meeting with both quarterbacks ahead of the practice week to assess the plan moving forward.
”Meeting with both of them individually as soon as we get through here, and going through that cut-up reel and going to see how that goes and we’ll go from there,” Freeze said.
“I expect them both to respond the right way and go out and have a great week of practice. But again, it’s now at the point where it can’t be just the execution in practice that matters. We’re going to have to see that carry over into the game, which I have seen evidence of but you’ve also had some of these (plays) that just make you scratch your head and say, ‘What are we doing?’”
The Tigers are set for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on homecoming Saturday against the New Mexico Lobos. That game can be seen on ESPN2.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email logan.fowler@1819News.com.
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