Payton Thorne Stands Tall in Auburn Win Over Texas A&M

While it isn't his best game by the numbers, he arguably made his biggest statement in an Auburn uniform against in Saturday's win

Thorne had arguably his best game in the win over Texas A&M / John Reed-Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers held on and found a way to beat the No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies, 43-41, in quadruple overtime. Despite blowing a 21-0 lead, the Tigers closed it out. 

Auburn has lost quite a few close games this season, but it found a way to break through and finish one, something that has not happened previously this season.

Payton Thorne had one of his best performances in an Auburn uniform, going 19-of-31 through the air for 301 yards and two touchdowns to one interception. Taking the opponent into account, this is arguably a better performance than his five-touchdown game against Louisiana-Monroe last week.

Thorne said after the game he hopes his performance is part of the beginning of something special on The Plains. 

“You hope this is a pivotal moment you can look back on two or three or four or five years and say, ‘That was a big one for the program,’” Thorne said. “To hopefully be a part of that, this senior class, we talked about going out the right way and trying to set the foundation for what’s to come. You hope it can be like that but, obviously, we won’t know until a year or two or three or whatever. But it was a big win. Top-15 win.”

Two members of the Tigers’ offense who played an important role in helping the team break through were wide receivers Cam Coleman and KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Coleman had the best performance of his young career, catching seven passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Lambert-Smith had two receptions for 104 yards and caught the pass that ended up sealing the win for Auburn.

Thorne spoke highly of Coleman’s performance, saying he looked like a veteran out there.

“When he first got here, I was like, ‘This guy’s not a freshman. I don’t know how old he is but he’s not a freshman. He moves around like a seasoned receiver,’” Thorne said of Coleman’s performance. “It was great to see him make plays tonight. He could of probably got another touchdown if I hadn’t thrown the ball out of bounds a couple of times.”

The catch Lambert-Smith made was arguably his most impressive moment in a season that has been a success for the veteran wide receiver.

KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Dude got up. Hell of a way to win it. pic.twitter.com/KpkBGa0tMD

— Max Olson (@max_olson) November 24, 2024

“Well, first off it was a heck of a catch,” Thorne said. “It was a contested catch, ball was a little behind him. I had to throw it a little earlier than I usually do. We had dressed up the boundary side a little bit different than we do on that play.”

Thorne and the Tigers’ hopes of making a bowl game have survived to Iron Bowl week. Auburn would need to upset Alabama on the road to earn a bid, but it will go into the game with the momentum it so desperately needed. Kick-off is set for 2:30 p.m. CT and ABC will carry the broadcast.