Auburn quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] played his best game as an Auburn Tiger to open the 2024 season against Alabama A&M. The senior captain, who struggled throughout much of 2023, came into year two with a new cast of weapons and continued confidence from head coach Hugh Freeze.
Auburn’s QB1 showed what he could do with those new weapons on Saturday, completing 13 of 21 passes for 321 yards and 4 touchdowns. He added 4 carries for 49 yards on the ground as well, finishing as the second highest rusher on the team behind only running back Jarquez Hunter.
Thorne’s 321 passing yards and 4 passing touchdowns were the most he’s had as a Tiger, while his 360 yards of total offense were the most he’s had in a game on the Plains since week three of the 2023 season when he passed for 282 yards and added 123 on the ground in a 45-13 win over Samford.
The 23-year-old’s performance was good enough to earn him the sixth-highest PFF ranking among college quarterbacks in the first week of the season. Thorne’s ranking of 92.9 out of 100 also secured the third-highest ranking in the SEC, trailing only Ole Miss quarterback Jaxon Dart (95.7) and Mississippi State’s Blake Shapen (93.0) on the list. Auburn’s starting signal-caller also clocked in one spot ahead of Arkansas Razorbacks freshman Taylen Green (92.4), who became the first SEC freshman to pass and rush for multiple scores in a season opener since Cam Newton in 2010.
While the accolades and numbers are certainly a step in the right direction for Thorne, he’ll need to keep up his great play as the season rolls on if Auburn has any hopes of contending for an SEC title. We’ll see if he can continue playing great, turnover free, football when the Tigers host ACC opponent Cal on Saturday.
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