In today's edition of Auburn Tigers News, Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko discusses facing Auburn, and Hugh Freeze talks about Payton Thorne's performance
The Auburn football team will play their final home game this weekend against Mike Elko's Texas A&M Aggies. It will be the Tigers' first and final night game against an SEC opponent, and hopes are high that they will be able to carry the momentum from the ULM win into this weekend.
Elko says the Aggies have played plenty of early games at Jordan-Hare Stadium, but admits that the atmosphere that will be waiting in a night game changes things.
"We've played early games over there," the coach said, per Texas A&M Aggies on SI. "The atmosphere was great. There's a lot of pageantry at Auburn. It's a great place to play. It's one of the iconic stadiums in this conference.
"If I remember right, I think both of (the other times) were a noon or 11 a.m. Central kick. I don't know that that's going to be quite what we're walking into Saturday night as the first-place team in the SEC at 6:30 p.m."
Hugh Freeze on Payton Thorne
Despite the ups and downs that quarterback Payton Thorne has experienced this season, he played a great game last weekend against ULM, and he will be the starter heading into the Texas A&M game this weekend.
Although he missed a significant amount of practice due to a shoulder injury leading up to last week's game, Freeze believes it ended up being one of Thorne's best performances.
“The plan was one where he and the receivers were more in-sync on,” Freeze said of Thorne, per The Montgomery Advertiser. “I mean, the touchdown to Malcolm (Simmons), that was the best progression, timing for what we consider to be our combo world of the entire season, by far. The way it happened, the timing of it, so I think Payton just prepared well.”
And with the last home game on deck, Freeze has confidence that Thorne is the guy who puts the Tigers in the best position to win.
"I think he's been really solid, you know, and he's just, you know, he's poised and taking what the defense gives us and taking care of the football, getting us in the right protections," said Freeze, per Auburn Undercover. "Throwing the RPO game very well. You know, he's completing a high percentage of his balls and taking care of it. The biggest challenge against this group is giving them time to throw it. That pocket collapses really, really fast against this group."