5.16.23 Football Articles

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

What is Auburn getting in transfer quarterback Payton Thorne?

Taylor Jones

4–5 minutes

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It is no secret that Auburn football has had plenty of success with finding new talent within the transfer portal.

From offensive linemen to skill players, Auburn has revamped its’ roster ahead of the 2023 season. One of the biggest names to sign with the Tigers is former Michigan State quarterback, Payton Thorne.

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Thorne had three successful seasons in East Lansing by throwing for 6,494 yards and 49 touchdowns while completing 60% of his passes. He is also known for being a runner despite just rushing for 270 yards and six scores in that frame.

RELATED: The best games of Payton Thorne’s career at Michigan State

Outside of numbers, what else is Auburn getting in Thorne? To help us dig deep into the topic, we called upon Spartans Wire editor Andrew Brewster to help. Brewster covered all three seasons of Thorne’s stay at Michigan State and provides important analysis that helps us truly understand what Thorne brings to the quarterback battle.

Nick King-USA TODAY NETWORK

What was the initial reaction of State fans to Thorne’s plan to enter the transfer portal?

I think there were a few different simultaneous reactions. First, it never feels good when a player goes to the portal, no matter what it always stings. But I think for MSU, there was some relief, because there were murmurs that MSU’s backup QBs were playing better in practice and Thorne was losing the locker room a little. Michigan State probably won’t be competing for a playoff berth this year, so having a veteran like Thorne helming the ship doesn’t make as much sense for this team, where the future should be much brighter than the present, I think MSU fans are happy that Thorne found a premier landing spot like Auburn where he can shine, and the Spartans can look to the future with Noah Kim or Katin Houser.

Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports

What skill set does Thorne bring to Auburn?

He is more mobile than you’d think. Last year, he got injured in the season opener and didn’t get to use his legs, but that might be his greatest strength. He has a nice arm too and can hit the deep ball. He’s a very solid college quarterback who might even find a nice career as an NFL backup.

Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

What were some of his weaknesses as QB of Michigan State?

Last year just didn’t go as planned. He started making more mistakes, and couldn’t keep the defense on their toes with his legs like he did the year before, and I think he missed a lot of open guys without being able to extend plays on the ground and keep the pressure off.

Lansing State Journal

There’s conflicting speculation surrounding the relationship between Thorne and former State WR Keon Coleman. What was their relationship like from your perspective?

People have said that Coleman partially wanted to leave because other schools negatively recruited him based on Thorne not being good enough to get him drafted in the first two rounds. Jayden Reed just disproved that theory, but I do think Thorne could have targeted Coleman more last year. You could see Keon get frustrated a few times when Thorne didn’t get him the chance in single coverage to make a play, something Keon can do as well as anyone.

Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

What were some of his most memorable moments as a Spartan?

The 2021 season was extremely special for Thorne. Beating Michigan that year has to be the big one, it was a very special day for the Spartans.

Edited May 16, 2023 by aubiefifty

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si.com

 

Way-too-early bowl projections have Auburn football back in Birmingham Bowl

Lance Dawe

2–3 minutes

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247Sports believes the Tigers will find themselves once again in the Birmingham Bowl this upcoming season.

Auburn fans seem bored with the idea of returning to Birmingham anytime soon to play a bowl game.

Unfortunately, it could be in the cards for 2023.

Brad Crawford of 247Sports recently released his way-too-early college football bowl projections, with Auburn landing back in the Birmingham Bowl to face off against Memphis.

Here's what Crawford had to say about the matchup:

"Bowl eligibility in Year 1 for Hugh Freeze on the Plains would appease the fanbase as long as there aren't many lopsided losses mixed into a .500 or 7-5 season. Auburn's not far away from being a tough out in the SEC West and the Tigers believe they've signed a few instant-impact portal players — including Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne — that bring instant competition to vital position groups."

The Tigers appeared in the Birmingham Bowl back in 2021, losing to a ranked Houston squad 17-13. They've also played the Memphis Tigers in this exact same spot, defeating a Paxton Lynch-led Memphis squad 31-10 in 2015.

Fans have high expectations than finishing 6-6 and going to the Birmingham Bowl Auburn in Hugh Freeze's first season. A look at Auburn's schedule, as daunting as it may be, gets easier with the addition of transfer portal quarterback Payton Thorne:

Sept. 2nd vs UMass

Sept. 9th at California

Sept. 16th vs Samford

Sept. 23rd at Texas A&M

Sept. 30th vs Georgia

Oct. 14th at LSU

Oct. 21st vs Ole Miss

Oct. 28th vs Mississippi State

Nov. 4th at Vanderbilt

Nov. 11th at Arkansas

Nov. 18th vs New Mexico State

Nov. 25th vs Alabama

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247sports.com

 

Jason Caldwells Monday morning quarterback column

Jason Caldwell

42–54 minutes

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Talking Auburn baseball, Auburn softball and Auburn football in the transfer portal in this edition of the MMQB.

Impressive coaching job

For much of the 2023 season, Auburn's pitching issues were at the center of some of the frustration for the Auburn baseball fans because of the struggles on the mound for the Tigers. Now heading into the final SEC series of the regular season, it’s time to give this coaching staff for the job they've done working with Auburn’s pitchers this year.

Coming into the year, Auburn knew it was going to be a partial rebuild with the staff after losing weekend starters Mason Barnett and Trace Bright along with top reliever Carson Skipper as well as closer Blake Burkhalter. Throw in LHP Hayden Mullins and you have 20 wins and 16 saves to replace right out of the gate.

Without those pitchers, Auburn was going to count on Joseph Gonzalez, Tommy Sheehan and Carson Swilling to be the veterans to build around this season. Instead, the Tigers got just five innings out of Gonzalez on opening weekend before an injury ended his year. Sheehan has been bothered by bone spurs and has thrown just two and two/thirds innings, while a rules violation made Swilling ineligible this year.

That partial rebuild turned into a total overhaul in a hurry, and it just took time to put the pieces together for a staff now composed almost entirely of junior college players and true freshmen. The key has been the pitching of Tommy Vail in a starting role. Scheduled to play the role of Skipper this season as a setup man to Will Cannon out of the bullpen, Vail has instead turned into Auburn’s most dependable starting pitcher. Cannon was a closer early, moved into the starting role, and now has settled back in as a bullpen piece.

It has taken lots of trial and error this season with junior college transfer Christian Herberholz stepping into a starter role along with Chase Allsup late in the year, but the production has shown up the last four weeks. Now it’s time to finish off the regular season with a strong week against a very good offensive team from Missouri.

Puzzling draw for Auburn softball?

When you just look at the numbers, Auburn’s 2 seed in the Clemson Regional (No. 16) doesn’t make much sense. The Tigers finished 40-17 overall and finished third in the SEC, but Alabama got the No. 5 national seed despite finishing fifth in the league in the regular season. When you dig deeper, however, the numbers don’t tell the entire story. 

Auburn lost non-conference games to Pitt and Georgia Tech, who both finished under .500 this season. The Tigers also had two opportunities against both Oklahoma and Northwestern, and lost all four. Meanwhile, Alabama had wins over Florida State, Duke, Texas and UCF in the non-conference. While I still don't think that's anywhere close to enough to warrant a national seed, obviously schedule strength and non-conference wins were very important to the selection committee.

In a world where teams are separated by just a few games over the course of the season, having a few big non-conference wins could make a huge difference. That was very likely the difference between hosting and being on the road for Auburn this season.

Football portal keeps giving

Auburn added another important piece from the transfer portal last week with the addition of offensive lineman Jaden Muskrat from Tulsa. One of the things the Tigers have been looking for is a player that can play multiple positions, something Muskrat brings to the table. That makes him invaluable because injuries are going to happen on the offensive line. Having someone that knows the offense and is able to play guard or tackle makes him worth his weight in gold. That’s what Muskrat will be able to do. Expected to get his first shot at guard, Muskrat will likely also be a top option at tackle behind starters Dillon Wade and Gunner Britton. 

Speaking of Wade, I continue to hear rave reviews from his teammates and some coaches after watching the Tulsa transfer in action during the spring. He’s a player that if he can stay healthy, will have a great opportunity to hear his name called in the NFL Draft this time next year.

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[toddc 13,197]

@aubiefifty

Might want to change your date to 05/16/23

Edited May 16, 2023 by toddc

[aubiefifty 18,259]

thanks. only had one cup of coffee..........