STULTZ: For Thorne it is a matter of life and death

There are moments in everyone's life when you have to step up and prove yourself or you'll be left behind. For athletes, this happens at every level, and for many, failure is staring them in the face from six feet away.

Payton Thorne is about to have his most defining moment in an Auburn uniform this Saturday. After a lackluster 2023 season, the quarterback is once again under scrutiny for his ability to lead the Tigers' offense. His most recent performance, a disappointing 21-14 loss to Cal, was marked by missed throws, poor decisions and a subpar 14-of-27 passing rate with four interceptions and just one touchdown. That's not the level of play expected from a fifth-year senior in his second season in a system, and it's certainly not what Hugh Freeze and his offensive coaching staff will accept.

On Saturday, Auburn's head coach said he hoped they were through. Asked about that statement on Monday, Freeze responded bluntly: “We don't run the offense from the quarterback position.”

While Thorne does everything right on the practice field, he doesn't translate that to the games. With all the responsibility he now has in this offense, he needs to show he can execute when it matters. Against an experienced Cal defense that isn't exactly what Auburn expects in the coming weeks against Oklahoma and Georgia, he looked like a rookie in the starting lineup thrown in at the deep end without any training.

This isn't the first time Thorne has done this, but it was his first time this season after everyone talked about him improving in his sophomore year.

How he responds against an inferior New Mexico team will determine not only the future of his career at Auburn, but also the future of the quarterback room for the rest of the season. If he goes out there and struggles in the first quarter, Freeze needs to take him out of the game and bring in someone else who can potentially jumpstart the offense. The time for Thorne's struggles is up, and Auburn needs to look for someone else behind center to improve the team this year.

While everyone is dying to see what Hank Brown can do, he also has his limitations. Sure, he's calm and composed in the pocket, but when that breaks down behind that not-so-good pass-protection offensive line, where is he going to go? Brown isn't exactly quick, nor does he have much experience getting into the act. But if Thorne isn't the answer, and he proved last week that he might not be, you have to find someone else.

Fifteen minutes will decide Thorne's future. It's a life-or-death decision.