Payton Thorne defends decision on late interception, says he’d make same throw again
Hugh Freeze addresses the media Monday following Auburn’s loss to Oklahoma, as UGA game week begins
Payton Thorne’s fourth-quarter pick-six was what most Auburn fans remember most about the Tigers’ 27-21 loss to Oklahoma Saturday.
Despite the play’s end result, Thorne defended his decision on the throw Tuesday.
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“Quite honestly if I had that play over 10 times, I probably would’ve done the same thing 10 times out of 10,” Thorne said, speaking to The Next Round Tuesday.
His comments garnered plenty of reactions on social media, but Thorne doubled down when speaking to reporters before practice Tuesday afternoon.
He did, however, acknowledge that his words may sound odd to fans who watched.
“It doesn’t make any sense, right? Like, why the hell would you do that? I agree with that,” Thorne said. “I look back on the play, and I did what my plan was and what we had talked about in the week. And like I said, it’s just a tough situation, and it stinks.”
When breaking down the play, Thorne attributed the interception to Oklahoma’s Kip Lewis making an impressive play after showing pressure.
Lewis was lined up in the A-gap before the snap and engaged with the offensive line before backing off and making a play on the ball.
“I look at the backer, I see him coming, go to find our choice route, he wins inside, I throw it to him,” Thorne said. “They had a good call on. He did a good job of coming up, put hands on our offensive lineman, showed me he was coming, and then dropped out.’
When reflecting on the play after the game, Hugh Freeze didn’t give Thorne much criticism, but said he wished he called a different play, avoiding that situation entirely.
“I shouldn’t have put him in that position and have him have that option,” Freeze said after the game.
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Auburn had the ball on third-and-four in Oklahoma territory with a five-point lead. Had the Tigers come up short and punted, Oklahoma would’ve likely had to drive the length of the field to take the lead.
“You wish you just throw that away or protect the sack and we punt it, but again in hindsight, just let me control it and let’s run the ball and then punt and see if we can play defense.,” Freeze said Monday.
