Auburn's QB Shuffle Could Put Hugh Freeze on Hot Seat

Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze only has himself to blame for "miserable" quarterback play.

Auburn Tigers quarterbacks Hank Brown and Payton Thorne have both been benched by head coach Hugh Freeze. / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Just like that, Payton Thorne looks very likely to reclaim the starting job for the Auburn Tigers, but it will be by default.

Redshirt freshman Hank Brown simply looked out of his depth as the increased levels of competition the SEC invariably brings sent the youngster in a brutal-turnover head spin.

Head coach Hugh Freeze had spoken all-week long about what Brown brought to the mix, but it turned out to be an extremely short leash on Saturday vs the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Leading Brown by the hand through the process clearly had its limitations, in fact, the best laid plans pretty much lay in ruin by half-time. Brown threw three interceptions in the first half against the Razorbacks and found himself watching from the sidelines as the third quarter began.

“Very testing,” Freeze said after the game. “That was our theme this week. Had no idea when I got up this morning to talk to them about being tested, it would be quite like this.”

Now standing at .500 and that brutal month on the road looming large, it was no real surprise to hear Freeze double down on the experience Thorne brings - he will need it.

“He’s done it before. He’s played in these type of environments. Payton’s played well to this point. We just have to catch the football when we have wide-open guys running." Freeze continued, "We haven’t executed today and turned it over near about every possession we’ve had.”

Thorne certainly had his moments, but the second half interception he gave up on a batted ball did much to suck the air out of the Tigers' balloon. It was the fourth on the day and Auburn's fifth turnover. No team in FBS has turned the ball over more times than Auburn's 14.

When you frame it in the context of how quick Freeze was to send his veteran signal caller to the bench after his four interception implosion against the Cal Bears, absolving Thorne from blame seemed perfectly reasonable this time around.

“I thought it was a good ball,” Freeze said when discussing the interception. “... We made the right read. Have to catch that one. Payton’s played solid."

There's really no way of soft soaping things after the 24 - 14 loss to Arkansas - pivoting immediatly back to Thorne as the starter seems to be the only real option left available to Freeze as things stand.

Heavens knows, we could even be suddenly including Freeze on the list of head coaches who now have their name on hot seat list. 

What's putting him there is what he himself called "miserable" quarterback play, and Thorne might indeed feel like he's drawn the short straw moving forward leading this listing ship.

Hindsight is indeed the perfect science, but the fateful decision he made to not seriously explore another signal calling option during the transfer portal now looks as baffling as it does negligent. 

In so many ways, Freeze has only himself to blame.