Payton Thorne Believes Auburn can Compete with Anyone, Including Georgia Bulldogs

Despite the 2-3 record, the Auburn Tigers could realistically be 5-0 if not for the self-inflicted wounds. QB Payton Thorne hopes to put a complete game together against the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs.

Payton Thorne's otherwise productive day was ruined by a late interception in Auburn's loss to Oklahoma. / Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers

After opening the season with five games in a row inside Jordan-Hare Stadium, the Auburn Tigers will hit the road for the first time this season.

Auburn’s first road destination is Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga. for a meeting with the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs who had not dropped a regular season game since 2020 until Saturday night. The Alabama Crimson Tide was the team to do it both times.

Picking up this win would be a tall task for the Tigers, but quarterback Payton Thorne believes they are capable of competing with anyone in the country.

“They’re a great team. They’re a championship team who’s done it before,” Thorne said. “I have a lot of respect for them. At the same time, you take it from last year that we can play with the top teams in the country. We proved that multiple times.”

Thorne elaborated more on what goes into pulling off an upset like this would be.

“For us it's about executing, putting together a good week's work in practice,” Thorne said. “Trusting what our coaches are giving us and then doing our best to go out there on Saturday and execute to the best of our ability and get in the endzone.”

Thorne has had an up-and-down season, including a stint on the bench. Throughout this, Thorne has tried to remain focused and keep out the outside noise.

“Obviously you try to stay as consistent as you can in your weekly preparation and your mindset,” Thorne said. “That’s not realistic all the time. When you’re in different situations, you’re going to have different feelings and different emotions throughout that time. I did my best to learn from whatever the situation was.”

 Auburn enters the game against Georgia a 24-point underdog. ESPN gives the Tigers just an 8.8% chance of winning. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT. The television broadcast can be found on ABC and livestreamed on ESPN+.