HUNTSVILLE – If Payton Thorne has truly turned a corner at quarterback for Auburn there’s still time to salvage a lot from what’s left of the football season.
That was the overwhelming chatter on social media and from reporters alike following the Tigers’ 27-13 home win Saturday over Mississippi State to break a four-game losing streak as Thorne enjoyed his best game with Auburn.
Auburn evened its overall record at 4-4 and improved to 1-4 in the Southeastern Conference. Three weeks of slight panic in some corners gave way to relief after the victory, and talk soon moved from despair to hope.
Three seemingly winnable games are next, followed by the finale against Alabama. A 7-4 record heading into the Iron Bowl seems very possible if not likely. Auburn can now work toward building a bowl resume.
Auburn (4-4, 1-4) travels to Nashville to play Vanderbilt at 3 p.m. Saturday on the SEC Network. The Crimson Tide (7-1, 5-0) rose one spot to No. 8 in the AP and will entertain No. 13 LSU (6-2, 4-1) in Tuscaloosa at 6:45 p.m. on CBS.
“You hope that it gives us a little confidence and maybe a little swagger to go play with confidence on the road,” Auburn first-year head coach Hugh Freeze said. “It’s not easy at home and it’s certainly not easy on the road. Confidence is a huge factor and key in that.”
Thorne completed passes to 11 different receivers and finished 20-of-26 for 230 yards with three touchdowns. He added 38 yards on eight rushes. Robbie Ashford, who has shared some the quarterbacking duties with Thorne, didn’t attempt a pass and rushed twice for eight yards.
“It’s time for us to put up or shut up,” Freeze said, “and figure out who can run the things we want to run. I thought both (quarterbacks) showed signs this week. I thought Payton played really well and it was good to see.”
Auburn opens as a 13-point favorite against Vandy, according to DraftKings. The Tigers are likely to be favored in its following two games – at Arkansas and home against New Mexico State.
“We continue to work and we saw some signs today of us getting better,” Freeze said. “It’s exciting to see. It’s not easy to win in this league. This was a big one for us.”
Meanwhile, Alabama opened as a 4.5-point favorite over LSU in what has become a key battle in the SEC West. LSU and Ole Miss are both one loss behind the Tide in the division.
