Auburn Quarterback Hank Brown Confident ahead of SEC Opener against Arkansas

Auburn Tigers quarterback Hank Brown had little trouble with New Mexico but understands the Arkansas Razorbacks will provide a stiffer test.

Auburn Tigers quarterback Hank Brown walks off the field after throwing four touchdowns against New Mexico. / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Head coach Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers decided to make a change at quarterback ahead of their game against New Mexico. The decision has gone well so far as redshirt freshman Hank Brown helped lead Auburn to a blowout win in its homecoming game.

Brown threw for 235 yards and four touchdowns in his first start at Auburn. Freeze announced after that game that the Tigers would be sticking with Brown in their SEC opener against Arkansas this week, a significant uptick in competition.

Brown has quickly gone from being relatively unknown to being the talk of the town. He views it as an opportunity to make an impact.

“It’s different for sure,” Brown said. “I see it as an opportunity to just show love and be a servant and share my values with other people.”

Brown knows that the defense lined up in front of him on Saturday is a significantly better unit than the one he faced a week ago.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Brown said. “It’s definitely an uptick in competition and they’re definitely going to be a better defense than what we faced last week but I’m excited for it. They’re a fundamentally sound defense, you kind of know what you’re getting. I’m super excited, and I think the team is going to go out and execute.”

Brown has had a lot put on his plate over the last week but has received help from his coaches, particularly Freeze and quarterbacks coach Kent Austin.

“My coaches are putting me in the best possible scenario and circumstance to be able to get myself protected, and they’re going to continue to do that each and every week. I think my coaches are continuing to set me up well for success.”

Despite playing a conference opponent this time around, preparation remains the same for Brown and the Tigers.

“From the first week I’ve tried to prepare like I was the starter,” Brown said. “Now that I am, I’m going to continue to prepare, obviously, in that way. I think there’s a level of intensity that rises just within the team. My challenge for the team is that we approach evey week as the most important game.”

Brown has his first career start under his belt now, but still has not faced an SEC opponent. It is an opportunity that Brown is excited for.

“It’s super exciting,” Brown said. “There’s a lot of things that come with that, but I just see it as a blessing and an opportunity to go out there. A test to show what I can do.”

Brown and the Tigers host Arkansas inside Jordan-Hare Stadium at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday. ESPN will carry the broadcast.