Hugh Freeze addresses quarterback split between Payton Thorne, Robby Ashford

Hugh Freeze seemed to have a pretty clear plan at quarterback for Auburn with Payton Thorne as the starter and Robby Ashford as a dynamic reserve option. However, after Saturday’s close call at California, he says he is having to reevaluate that rotation.

Freeze addressed the issues with his quarterback room during his press conference on Monday. He said that he has yet to check in with them regarding how they felt about sharing the snaps against the Golden Bears. He noted that he was just doing what he had to do considering the lack of offensive punch that the Tigers had throughout the contest.

“I haven’t seen them or talked to them today yet and, obviously, everybody on the plane ride was just trying to rest,” said Freeze. “They both seem fine.”

“I don’t know that that’s exactly how I want it to look like,” Freeze said. “We just had no juice, no momentum. So you’re kind of searching for it. We’ve got to figure that piece of it out.”

In the 14-10 win over Cal, Thorne went 9-14 for 94 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. That brought him up to a 61.3% completion rate through two games for three touchdowns and the pick.

As QB2, Ashford came in and went 1/3 for no yards while also rushing for a handful of yards. However, the week before against UMass, he was able to show off his dual-threat ability with nine carries for 51 yards and three touchdowns.

The fact of the matter is Thorne’s early inconsistency had made it easier to look to Ashford in spots. Still, at the position as a whole, Freeze wants to find what works best for each of them as well as their entire offense overall.

“We need Payton to play better, truthfully, too,” said Freeze. “I’m not beating up Payton. He played really well that last possession but we do need more consistency there throughout the whole game. That’s our challenge – to get him or/and Robby and Holden (Geriner) to that point. They know that.”

It’s clear that Freeze wants Ashford to be a part of Auburn’s offense one way or another. With how his dynamic has looked with Thorne through two games, though, it’s something that he is actively reassessing ahead of their third game against Samford before conference play starts.

“That’s the big challenge,” Freeze said. “I do not like the way the other night went with it. But, at the same time, I think Robby has to get his touches.”

“That is absolutely something that’s on my mind and we’ve got to figure it out.”