Auburn’s offense has not gotten off to as hot of a start as most had hoped, especially with the likes of [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and [autotag]Philip Montgomery[/autotag] running the offense.
Starting quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] has recorded 100 or more yards just twice this season and has been yanked in favor of [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] or [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] in several games.
According to stats from Pro Football Focus, Auburn receivers have not dropped a pass this season despite Thorne only completing 65% of his passes. He has also been pressured 21 times with 11 of those pressures ending in sacks.
Freeze was asked about the possibility of switching quarterbacks for the team’s upcoming game with Georgia. He says that he is sticking with Thorne for now, but Geriner could see more action following the bye week, which is scheduled for next weekend.
During Wednesday’s SEC teleconference, Freeze took accountability for Thorne’s play so far and said that Thorne has acknowledged his struggles as well.
“We’re asked to be psychologists along with being a coach. I feel like there’s things our staff has let him down on. Some of it is him, and he knows that and owns it,” Freeze said. “But I promised him we’d do a better job coaching him this week and preparing him and when you say coaching him, that also means the other positions that need to be in the right spots at the right times. At the same time, if you’ve got a wheel route that’s wide-open, you’ve got to hit it.”
It appears that Thorne is getting one last chance to prove his worth, and Freeze is going to work harder to make him more comfortable in Auburn’s offensive scheme. He hopes to see the adjustment pay off soon.
“This thing’s got to turn into a positive vibe somehow,” Freeze said. “And it takes some mental toughness to do that on (Thorne’s) part and our part. In the coming weeks, we need to see some progress.”
Thorne’s next chance to put it all together will be Saturday at 2:30 when the Tigers host No. 1 Georgia at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
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