Adam Cole
Peyton Thorne didn’t know the exact words, but he got the point across clearly.
As Auburn’s starting quarterback, coming off his second consecutive Southeastern Conference win, there weren’t many questions about where he fit into the program’s game plan after the Tigers’ 31-15 win over Vanguard on Saturday. He had a special first start against De Bilt.
In Nashville, Thorne was at center, which meant current starter Robbie Ashford didn’t get any opportunities. Ashford had two steals in Auburn’s win over Mississippi State a week ago, and prior to that, the former Oregon State transfer had at least 10 steals in every game of his Auburn career. .
But right now, it appears that Auburn’s offense will be run by Thorne. He admitted Monday that not having to train separately makes him feel better, but he also included a quote from one of the best football players of all time in his answer.
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“I go back to something Tom Brady said not too long ago, and I don’t know the exact quote, but he talked about, you know, he’s won a lot of Super Bowls in his career and … he still goes out there It feels like he has something to offer every day — his job is still up in the air,” Thorne said.
It’s unclear where exactly Brady’s quote is or where it came from. A quick Google search turns up a 2018 CNBC article quoting Brady with a similar message: “You’ve got to prove it every day.”
“If the greatest player of all time says that, then why doesn’t every player in the country have the same mentality?” Thorne said. “So, that’s my mentality every day in practice and obviously every game as well. Trying to keep proving it, not only to your coaches and your teammates, but to yourself. You always want to get better when you It’s going to be fun when you do it.”
Thorne is no stranger to acknowledging greatness — the Illinois native wore a Michael Jordan shirt while speaking to the media last week — and lately, he’s also no stranger to getting better.
As the intensity of the Auburn game waned, on-field results improved greatly for the entire program, but especially for Thorne.
The Michigan State transfer started SEC play with abysmal passing numbers. In his first four games, he passed for 328 yards and a touchdown while throwing two interceptions. During that time, he averaged about 4.9 yards per attempt and completed 55.2 percent of his passes.
In Auburn’s two wins against Mississippi State and Vanderbilt? He threw as many passes as he did in his first four games in the SEC but attempted 14 fewer attempts. He also threw for 424 yards, just over a third of his total this season, and he threw for five touchdowns with one interception.
“(He) has been tough and definitely had a few drops. I think we had seven drops, that’s what I counted after watching the film,” Hugh Freeze said Monday.
Freeze later added: “I believe Payton’s skill set is the most prepared for what we’re doing. That’s not a negative on anyone else, I think he is — you talk about the pace of the game, the setup. Our protection, pitching accuracy and understanding coverage, I think he went the furthest in that area.”
As Auburn improves, being able to do that with just one passer is helpful in some eyes. Receiver Jay Fehr acknowledged Monday that it’s easier to find an offense’s rhythm without changing quarterbacks.
“I think when we get back into our rhythm, the more plays we make will build confidence as we go into the Arkansas game and then the Bama game will be the last game and probably our most important game,” Phil said. “I feel like building that confidence and getting these games done over the last few weeks has been huge for us.”