Hugh Freeze’s Auburn football offense will need to be explosive to compete in the SEC, but it is uncertain how. Given DJ Durkin’s favorable impact on the Tigers’ defense, Payton Thorne and his new and improved wide receiver group may not need a 2019 LSU-level effort to win eight or nine games.
But we know Auburn cannot compete with the Big Ten’s bottom-of-the-barrel offenses, which include Minnesota, Rutgers, Nebraska, and Iowa.
“Minnesota, Rutgers, Nebraska, and Iowa,” USA Today’s Blake Toppmeyer began, before adding, “Those four colleges are dues-paying members of the Plod-It-Out fraternity. “A passing game that resembles a low-octane Big Ten school will not suffice in today’s SEC.”
Last season, Thorne struggled offensively with an underperforming WR room that saw a lot of turnover. He, like his alma mater, Michigan State, was involved in/had one of the least impressive offensive offenses in the “Power 2.”
This season should be a turning point for Thorne and the Spartans.
Auburn football WR room too good for Payton Thorne not to improve
Thorne does not need to become an NFL quarterback overnight. All he has to do is find enough leverage behind an offensive line that Toppmeyer deems “average” to get the ball to his well-stocked arsenal of skill position threats.
The Freeze Four are all big-play threats in the air and after the catch, and KeAndre Lambert-Smith is a known YAC nightmare for opposition defenders. Lambert-Smith was responsible for Penn State’s Big Ten defenses.
Don’t forget about Jarquez Hunter, Damari Alston, and Jeremiah Cobb, who form a formidable running back trio. Thorne will be able to dial some top selections instead of his own number.
Thorne is almost certainly going to improve in 2024, given the skill position threats around him.
