Sources: Hank Brown slated to start for Auburn against New Mexico
AUBURN — Redshirt freshman quarterback Hank Brown will start for Auburn against New Mexico, sources tell Auburn Live.
Brown takes over for previous starter and team captain Payton Thorne.
Both quarterbacks were told of the decision by Hugh Freeze on Friday morning. Sources confirm that this was Freeze’s decision in the end.
Thorne threw for 1,755 yards, 16 touchdowns and 10 picks last season. He’s thrown for 474 yards, five scores and four picks in two games this season, but is coming off a rough outing against Cal, where he completed 14-27 passes for 165 yards, while throwing four interceptions. The Tigers lost 21-14 to the Golden Bears as double-digit favorites.
Brown has played in only two games. He completed seven of nine passes for 132 yards against Maryland in last year’s bowl game. And against Alabama A&M in this year’s opener, he completed three of five passes for 96 yards.
From Nashville, Tenn. Brown was originally committed to Liberty, but flipped to Auburn following Freeze taking the head coaching job.
Freeze said this on Wednesday about the quarterback situation between deciding between Thorne and Brown.
“After watching the film, there is a very, very short leash on us playing as poorly as we did at that position. It’s not always the quarterback. One interception he gets hit with poor protection, the other deflected off the receiver’s hand,” he said.
“I know the quarterback always gets a ton of criticism and it’s not always exactly them, but there are plays that we had that he’s expected to make that we didn’t make in critical moments. (Payton) has to produce for sure. Hank has been playing well this week. We just had one practice, I’m curious to see how they perform with the reps that are given.”
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Freeze added on Monday that Brown would get his “share” of repetitions with the first-team offense this week as he evaluated both quarterbacks.
The timing of this decision was critical, as Auburn starts SEC play next Saturday against Arkansas before hosting Oklahoma the weekend following. If Freeze was going to make a move, now might be the time.
When asked this week about how much he is thinking about starting Brown before SEC play arrives next week, Freeze said, “I think about all that stuff. I wake up thinking about it and go to bed thinking about it. Ultimately, you want to give your team the best chance to win a football game. I think the value of practice is the most important thing and whoever performs the best there is probably the one you should go with. I’m not sure that’s 100 percent accurate all the time, but that’s how you usually make decisions and that’s how we’ve made the ones we have. There comes a point where you have to perform in the games.
“I’m Payton’s biggest fan because I’ve chosen to believe in him. There are plays he should get right, and there are also some that weren’t all his fault, even though the stat line and those interceptions go to him. It’s not always just on him. To say we aren’t thinking about every scenario would not be the truth. We’re always contemplating and evaluating, certainly after a game like Saturday.”
Brown will get his feet wet against one of the worst defenses in college football this season to date, as New Mexico is 132nd in scoring defense (48 points per game).
Auburn and New Mexico will kickoff at 6:30 pm CT on Saturday night. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
