Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said he just couldn’t bring himself to spend big money on a transfer portal quarterback this offseason.
After watching Payton Thorne throw four interceptions in a 21-14 loss to Cal inside Jordan-Hare Stadium, maybe he should have!
Rather than upgrade a position that clearly held Auburn back during Freeze’s 6-7 first season on the Plains, Freeze, citing an alleged $1 million cost to adding a transfer QB, preferred to surround Thorne with a better supporting cast in the (misguided) belief it’d elevate his play. That meant going all-in at the receiver position, landing Penn State transfer Keandre Lambert-Smith, five-star Cam Coleman and top 40 receiver recruit Perry Thompson to give Thorne plenty of weapons to work with this season.
It all looked great in an easy 73-3 Week 1 win over Alabama A&M. Thorne threw for 322 yards and four touchdowns, the new receivers all looked great and there was lots of positivity rolling into Week 2.
Even Nick Saban, long a tormentor of the Tigers while guiding in-state rival Alabama, had plenty of praise Saturday on “College GameDay” ahead of the game. Saban predicted Auburn, a 13.5-point favorite, would dominate Cal at home Saturday afternoon. His colleague, Kirk Herbstreit, was similarly bullish on Auburn, predicting they’d have a great year with an improved Thorne.
“I think (Auburn coach) Hugh Freeze is going to do an outstanding job,” Saban said. “I think they are going to be one of the most improved teams in the SEC.”
Saban botched the game prediction — see, Nick, the media prediction game isn’t as easy as it looks — but smartly pointed out that “the big thing here at Auburn is Payton Thorne, who last year probably didn’t have a lot of confidence in his receivers.”
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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/thorne-in-auburns-side-hugh-freezes-reluctance-to-be-aggressive-at-qb-is-halting-tigers-progression/
Author : John Talty
Publish date : 2024-09-08 05:34:15
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