UGA Football Coach Kirby Smart Talks About Struggling Auburn Quarterback
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ATHENS - After chasing Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe all night long last weekend, Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs will have an easier test in front of them on Saturday with the Auburn Tigers coming to town.
Instead of Milroe, the Bulldog defense will face struggling Tiger quarterback, Payton Thorne.
It’s been a tough season for ole Payton Thorne.
The former Michigan State quarterback struggled mightily against the Cal Bears in week two, throwing for a measly 165 yards and four giant interceptions in an embarrassing 21-14 loss at home.
Yikes.
In week three loss to Arkansas, Thorne was just 13/22 for 213 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. He was also sacked twice during their 24-14 loss on the Plains.
In a loss to Oklahoma over the weekend, Thorne wasn’t playing terribly until the very end where he threw a game-losing pick-six. Easily his worst throw of the night. Until that point, Thorne had made some big throws down the field and was having his best game of the season.
However, his biggest test will come this weekend. The Tigers have yet to play on the road, and now they’ll take on the No. 5-ranked Bulldogs in Sanford Stadium. In case you forgot, the Tigers haven’t won in Athens since 2005, a game where Georgia basically handed them the game.
Thorne’s having a rough season, but he’s a veteran, a good runner, brings above-average athleticism, and does have some weapons around him. If he can take care of the football and give his receivers a chance to make some plays, maybe Thorne can hang in there on Saturday and make this a ballgame.
That’s a tall task, though.
Here’s what Kirby Smart had to say about Thorne this week...
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According to FanDuel, the Georgia Bulldogs are 24.5-point favorites against the Auburn Tigers this Saturday.
“I think the guy's a really good football player and a really good athlete”, Smart told reporters this week. “Whatever noise or criticism they get from people, I don't respond to that because I watch what's on tape. He played really well against us last year. In the three games I've seen him play this year, he has done a tremendous job of knowing when to go with his feet and when to make throws, decision-making. He's a really good quarterback that's a good athlete, which when you have that combination along with the skill players they have, it becomes hard to defend.”
So far this season, Thorne is 61/102 (59.8%) for 1,038 yards and 10 touchdowns and six INTs.
Last season UGA football came from behind to defeat Auburn, 27-20, Saturday afternoon before 88,043 spectators at Jordan-Hare Stadium and a CBS national television audience.
Carson Beck led Georgia (5-0, 2-0 SEC) as he finished 23-for-33 for 313 yards and one touchdown. Tight end Brock Bowers led all receivers with eight catches for a career-high 157 yards, while running back Daijun Edwards rushed 19 times for a team-high 76 yards and two touchdowns. Linebacker Smael Mondon, Jr. tied his career high with 11 tackles, including seven solo stops and two tackles for loss, while defensive back Javon Bullard returned from injury for a career-best 10 tackles.
The game-winning play came from Bowers. The Dawgs crossed midfield when Beck hit Bowers a 16-yard pass on third down before the game-winning 40-yard touchdown pass.
Bowers made the catch at the 25-yard line before evading the Tigers’ secondary for the winning score. On its final drive, Auburn neared midfield before defensive back Malaki Starks picked off Thorne on fourth down to seal the victory.