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Payton Thorne had an eventful Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium and for all the worst kinds of ways.
Auburn’s senior quarterback tossed 4 interceptions, only managed 165 yards passing, and his 1 touchdown pass and 1 TD run weren’t enough to rescue the Tigers from a stunning 21-14 loss to California.
Instead of roaring into Week 3 against New Mexico with a 2-0 record, Auburn is 1-1 with questions everywhere and plenty of frustration, too. Thorne felt all of it, and he wasn’t holding back after a porous performance that followed his 322-yard, 4-touchdown showing in the Tigers’ season-opening rout of Alabama A&M.
Regarding Auburn’s stagnant offense, which only produced 286 total yards, here’s what Thorne had to say:
“Their defense did a good job mixing some things up,” Thorne said. “When we did get a rhythm going, it felt like, ‘bang,’ a negative play. You don’t obviously want that. We try to limit negative plays as much as we can. We had a few too many tonight. I have to go back and look at the film to really see momentum-type stuff like that. Obviously, we weren’t able to hold onto that momentum tonight.”
It was a lost day, but Thorne wanted everyone on the Plains to know that the season isn’t lost, too.
“It’s early in the season. It’s only Week 2,” Thorne said. “It is important — if we hang our heads here and think the season’s over. Thankfully this year, the season’s not over. It’s really go time now and time to respond.”
Auburn will face New Mexico in Week 3.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
