AUBURN, Ala. (AP) – Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne’s availability for Saturday’s game against Louisiana-Monroe is uncertain.
Head coach Hugh Freeze shared that Thorne missed practice during the team’s bye week following an injury to his right throwing shoulder in a recent loss to Vanderbilt. The shoulder remains less healed than Freeze had hoped.
“He thinks he’ll be fine, but he definitely wasn’t ready to play on Tuesday,” Freeze said on Wednesday.
So far, Thorne has accumulated 1,825 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. However, he was benched in favor of Hank Brown after four interceptions against California.
Thorne is backed by Brown, who was also replaced by him after throwing three first-half interceptions against Arkansas, along with freshman Walker White. Earlier in the week, Freeze avoided committing to a potential quarterback change due to health or performance.
“We’ll see how this week unfolds with him and with others getting reps,” Freeze said. “This isn’t a sign that he hasn’t been playing well lately; you start thinking big picture.”
Freeze added that making such decisions isn’t always easy. “You care about your players and want the best for them, but also need to focus on what gives us the best chance to win the last three games. His health, of course, comes first.”
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