Jordan Rodgers calls for Auburn to play Robby Ashford over Payton Thorne
As Auburn gets ready to welcome Georgia to The Plains, the Tigers face a major question mark at quarterback. Payton Thorne threw for just 44 yards in last week’s 27-10 loss to Texas A&M, and Hugh Freeze has spoken about the need for better quarterback play as SEC play heats up.
Ahead of the Georgia game, former Vanderbilt quarterback and current SEC Network analyst Jordan Rodgers said Freeze needs to make a call. He thinks it’s time for Robby Ashford to start over Thorne after last week’s showing against Texas A&M.
Ashford was the de facto incumbent at quarterback this year and is known for his athletic ability. That gives him a higher upside than Thorne, according to Rodgers, and it’s why he argued it might be time for a different look against a tough Georgia defense.
“Throwing for 56 yards is just unacceptable in the SEC,” Rodgers said Friday on The Paul Finebaum Show. “I don’t care who you’re playing, what the scenario is. Look, you’ve got to move on at that position, and I think you have to turn it back over to Robby Ashford. I say that because the reason Payton Thorne won that job is because [of] his consistency in the pass game. So you take a guy that maybe has a little bit lower of a ceiling for a guy that’s more consistent. That just hasn’t been the case. So if you’re not consistent on offense and it’s not clean, then you’ve got to go with the guy that has a higher ceiling.
“Robby, it hasn’t been clean. He hasn’t been consistent. But he’s the best athlete on the field when he has the ball in his hands. Payton’s done a good job, as well. But Robby’s dynamic, and also, they throw the ball downfield when Robby comes in. And I was just shocked at how little they pushed the ball downfield with Payton. I think they’ve got to figure things out.”
Thorne has struggled to start his Auburn career after transferring from Michigan State. His 140.3 passing yards per game is 14th out of 22 SEC quarterbacks and puts him 84 yards behind Jalen Milroe. Last week’s showing didn’t help his cause as he completed just 6 of 12 passes for 44 yards against Texas A&M.
While Ashford will likely make some mistakes — Rodgers noted he’s not a complete player just yet — his playmaking ability could give Auburn enough of a difference to turn the offense around. It not only will matter for this season, but next season and beyond as Freeze builds the program.
“It’s either go with Robby and live with some of the mistakes and hopefully, get some of the magic that he catches at times, or even turn to Holden [Geriner],” Rodgers said. “But right now, it’s about developing for the future. And I think it’s realistic to say Auburn’s not built to compete right now, especially in this Georgia game. But how can we put pieces in place to develop guys so we’re better for it at the end of the year and we’re better for it next year?”