Auburn football has had a tough five weeks, and it’s no secret. The expectation was that the Tigers would head into Athens with five wins, ready to face Georgia. Now, fans are just hoping Auburn avoids another embarrassing defeat.
Unfortunately, analyst Paul Finebaum advises fans not to get their hopes up. With the easier games now behind them, Auburn will need to pull off a major upset to add more victories to their record.
“I hate to say that I was somewhat impressed, but I did like what I saw in some ways. However, you can’t gloss over one of the worst stretches of Auburn football I can remember. There’s no way to sugarcoat it, and it all ties back to a decision Hugh Freeze made in the offseason, which has backfired. I don’t see a clear path forward for Auburn,” Finebaum said, as reported by On3.
“The schedule is simply too tough. Back in July, I thought they would be undefeated heading into the Georgia game. Now, they’ve got three losses and will need to pull off some huge upsets just to have a mediocre season. I don’t think that’s likely.”
Payton Thorne breaks down his pick-six against Oklahoma
Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne gave it his all for the Tigers this past weekend, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win, especially after he threw a costly pick-six in the fourth quarter. Head coach Hugh Freeze took much of the responsibility, reminding fans that rebuilding from the state of the program left by Bryan Harsin is no easy task.
When asked about the interception, Thorne made no excuses and explained the situation.
“Honestly, if I had that play over 10 times, I probably would’ve made the same decision every time,” Thorne said Tuesday on The Next Round, according to Auburn Undercover. “It’s frustrating for me. Looking back, it sucks, but I’ve got to give them credit—they had the perfect call for what we were running.
“They faked pressure just enough for me to think they were coming, and when I went to find my receiver, I couldn’t see the defender drop back,” Thorne added. “It’s a tough one to accept. The play clock was winding down, so I couldn’t adjust my receivers to a quicker route. It was just an unfortunate play.”
Thorne and the Tigers will get a chance to bounce back this weekend when they face the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens at 2:30 p.m. Central.
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