Paul Finebaum reacts to Hank Brown's impressive performance in his first game as Auburn's starting QB

Redshirt freshman quarterback Hank Brown shone in his first career start at the weekend for AuburnWith a dominant and efficient performance in the Tigers’ 45:19 victory over New Mexico at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Many criticized the Tigers after their surprising loss in Week 2 against Cal at home, including college football analyst Paul Finebaum. But after head coach Hugo FreezeThe quarterback change this weekend seems to have paid off, with Finebaum changing his position.

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“Look, now I’m going to defend Hugh Freeze,” Finebaum said on McElroy and Cubelic in the morning. “Now we know why Hugh Freeze didn't go into the portal. He knew he had a great backup, right? I was really happy about that. I thought he played with such incredible composure. I wish I could say the same about the rest of the team.”

Brown completed 68% of his passes for 235 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions in the first start of his college career, showing traits that Finebaum hopes will rub off on the rest of the Auburn team for the Tigers' benefit.

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“They still seem undisciplined at times,” Finebaum added. “I worry a little about the defensive line, I worry about a lot of things. But what I'm less worried about is the quarterback, and that's the most important thing.”

While Brown looked truly outstanding on Saturday, he also faced a winless Mountain West team that can't keep up with the SEC opponents on Auburn's schedule, a performance that should have tempered expectations for the redshirt freshman, but probably won't.

“We should, but we're not going to. Because I think the Auburn fans were just desperate to cling onto something and that's the nature of the fans. And I understand that, obviously, I know you well enough, I know Cole well enough,” Finebaum told McElroy and Cubelic. “You analyze what you know, what you know going into the game, most of us are just reacting. So good luck trying to calm everybody down right now, the Auburn fans are feeling great and I'm all for it.”

Brown will face his first real test on Saturday when Auburn takes on Arkansas Razorbacks. The game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET and is a major indicator of what Brown and the Tigers could do in the SEC this season.