Payton Thorne Q&A: Dissecting the Oklahoma game, benefits of huddling and more

AUBURN — Payton Thorne played “really, really solid” football against Oklahoma, head coach Hugh Freeze said on Monday.

Nobody would disagree with that, as Thorne threw for 338 yards and three touchdowns.

Unfortunately, the one interception is getting all the attention, as it was a pick-six that dramatically changed the game. Despite the mistake, Thorne has now put together six straight quarters of productive football, tossing five touchdowns and two picks (one due to drop) over the last one and a half games, while completing over 60 percent of his passes.

Thorne, like he normally does, faced the media on Tuesday to answer questions about the state of his play, the offense, and much more. Here are the important things Thorne said as Auburn prepares for Georgia.

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What do you tell your teammates heading into a tough Georgia environment?

“You know, just that. Number one, you can’t act like it’s not different. It is different. You know, you have to be aware of that before the game. You have to go in there with anticipation and help those guys understand what they may see, what they may hear, but then also just to block it out, you know, that’s a lot easier said than done sometimes. But, you know, we’re going to have practice with the noise all week, I’m sure, so they’ll get used to that, but just going to have to have good communication and then stay locked into what we’re doing.”

What do you remember from the Georgia game last year?

“Yeah, you know, obviously remember that game last year here in our place and like you said, we had a chance in the fourth quarter, and so unfortunately wasn’t able to come out on top. But obviously, they’re a great team. They’re a championship team who’s done it before and have a lot of respect for them. But at the same time, you take from last year that, like you say, we can play with the top teams in the country, prove that multiple times. And so for us, just by executing, putting together good week’s work, practice, and then, trusting what our coaches are giving us and then doing our best to go out there on Saturday and execute to the best of our ability and get in the end zone.”

Where would Thorne say he’s at mentally after starting, then being benched, and now starting again?

“Yeah, obviously you try to stay as consistent as you can with your preparation and everything and your mindset, but like I said before, that’s not realistic all the time. When you’re in different situations, you’re going to have different feelings, different emotions throughout that time. And so I dealt with those things, but I did my best to learn from whatever the situation was, whether it is what it was. You know, like I said, I feel like I took a good mindset. I try my best to take a good mindset with it and take what I can learn from it, and so I feel good with where I’m at right now.”

Thorne was asked to walk us through the Oklahoma pick-six and what you were seeing?

“With the play that that was called and what we talked about doing against that defense, like I said, they were in cover zero. Look, we had five out empty, no running back in the game. So we have, we have five offensive linemen for the fans that know how to do math. And then we got what’s called split double mug look, and so both the backs are mugged up in a gaps. And so you have to do something with the protection there.

“And so I, the plan going into it was I got my quick intermediate route. I would like to see the free hitter, which was the boundary end. So, I slid it to the field, all five of our guys. Cause the quarterback, you don’t necessarily, unless you’re on the move, you don’t like not being able to see who are the guys that can hit you if you slide it right. You don’t really like turning and feeling like, I don’t know where that guy’s at. 

“And so, my first read is that mug backer, and if he shows that he’s coming, which both guys, when I clap and catch the ball, both show that they were coming. And we have a choice route to the boundary that can go in or out. Now, I got to find that guy to know, okay, did he break in or did he break out? So, I look at the backer, I see him coming, go to find our choice route. He wins inside, I throw it to him. And, you know, my eyes can only, my eyes can’t go in two different directions.

“So, when I checked to see that he was coming, I have to slide now to the left, too, because I got the free hitter coming from the end who was coming. And, I have to get that ball off and I throw. I got hit, and I heard the crowd, and so I was like, crap. I don’t know what happened. And so then I get up and obviously he had done a really good job, had a good call on. He did a good job of coming up, put hands on our offensive lineman, showed me he was coming, and then dropped out.

“So, it was well executed by those guys. And, you know, I look back on that play and I did what my plan was and what we had talked about in the week, and like I said, it’s just a tough situation and it stinks. I did have a thought of checking our three receivers, but the play clock was really running low, and so I just decided to leave the call on that we had.”

When you rewatched it, did you think it was unlucky how Kip Lewis was pushed back so quickly into the passing lane by Jeremiah Wright?

“I mean, that was the call. The call is that they take a step forward to show that they’re coming, and then they drop out. And so, like I said, it was a good call in that situation. You know, it was third and, was it third and five? And we’re on the fringe of field goal range. So, I’m thinking there, they had loaded the box up the first two plays to stop the run to keep us at where we were at.

“And then I was thinking third and five, there’s a good chance they’re gonna come after me to try to get a sack and get out of field goal range. And so it was definitely, that was, they were doing that on purpose. You know, they showed it and dropped out. And he did stumble a little bit because he was trying to get out of there because he has to take his steps and get hands on. If you watch, they all get hands on. I’m sure that’s what their coach should do, and then they get out. So, you know, stinks overall, what kind.”

How does Thorne handle when Hugh Freeze is heated on the sideline when communicating with you?

“You know, I have been around that, you know, having my dad as a coach, obviously, throughout my life, he was always the most calm during football. The worst was basketball. Oh, my gosh. My mom wouldn’t sit by him in basketball games for whatever reason. It was basketball, but, yeah, I’ve dealt with that before. So, you know, when you get into competitive environments like that, you know, sometimes your emotions get a little hot, like you said, and so that can go both ways. And, you try to calm down the best you can and just listen to what I’m listening to, what coach is saying. You know, he’s hearing what I’m saying, and we try to get on the same page. So, you know, I’m not really worried about that at all.”

What do you say to Cam Coleman, who has dropped some critical passes this season?

“I told him it’s the first drive (of Coleman’s early drop against OU). It’s early in the game. Just put it behind him. Don’t dwell on it. You got a whole game in front of you. You can be pissed off about it after the game, but for right now, just put it behind you and focus on what we’re doing for the next drive. He’s obviously, like you said, a very talented player. That’s a catch he’s made a million times in his career. If you start thinking about it too much, you’re worse off than if you just scrap it and take accountability for it, which he always does, and then move on. It’s not too complicated, it’s a mental game sometimes.

“It’s only been a couple weeks. You know, I don’t have too terribly much to say about that. I think his mindset’s been great, and I think he’s been getting better, and obviously, he’s just learning what college is like still. You know, it’s his first season, and so, you know, you’re just trying to gain as much knowledge as you can early on, and he’s doing a good job with it.”

Did the amount of huddling at the LOS help Thorne and the offense during the game?

“We huddled more than we ever have. More than I ever have in my career, and I think more than Coach Freeze usually does, for sure. And so I actually enjoyed it. It was a change up, and I enjoyed being able to talk to my guys before every play and just look at them. I don’t know, there’s something about that, about looking a guy in the eye and having the whole 11 right there in front of you.

“And, you know, we had talked throughout the week. It was going to be kind of like an NFL type game. Field position was going to matter this week more than usual. You know, turnovers always matter, but that was a something that’s going to matter. And just talent wise, you know, in this league, talent is not completely even across the board, but it’s, especially the last couple years, has become fairly even. You know, there’s good players on every team, and so all those things matter to win a game, a big game on Saturday. So the huddling was an NFL aspect of that as well. So I enjoyed it, and I think that, you know, it’s a useful tool.”