Is Auburn football done rotating Payton Thorne and Robby Ashford at quarterback?

AUBURN — Michigan State transfer quarterback Payton Thorne had been averaging 44 snaps per game against SEC competition this season heading into Auburn football's 27-13 win over Mississippi State on Saturday.

He ended up seeing 66 plays against the Bulldogs, per Pro Football Focus. That's the most he's played versus a team in the Power Five since he got 77 reps in a blowout loss to Penn State with the Spartans in November 2022.

Backup quarterback Robby Ashford, who had received at least 10 snaps each game this season, saw just two plays against Mississippi State − one was a 6-yard run for a first down in the first quarter and the other was a 2-yard rush in the second quarter.

Other than that, it was all Thorne, who completed 20 of his 26 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns.

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"I didn’t know 100%, but I had a good feel about it," Thorne said postgame when asked if he knew he would see the bulk of the action against the Bulldogs. "That’s kind of how we practiced it this week, I guess you would say. I didn’t know 100%."

Thorne led the Tigers to back-to-back touchdowns on their first couple of drives, connecting with Shane Hooks for a 28-yard score and later Ja'Varrius Johnson for a 45-yard deep shot down the left sideline. Thorne received a season-high 90.2 overall grade from PFF.

He also registered a season-high 88.9 passing grade. His 76.9% completion rate is a new career high and it was the first time since September 2021 he had at least three passing touchdowns with no interceptions since he tossed four TDs against Miami.

Thorne's passing efficiency rating, a stat calculated by Pro Football Reference, against Mississippi State was 189.3. That's the fourth-highest mark of his career, with other performances versus Youngstown State (243.1), Rutgers (194) and Maryland (191) being the only better scores.

"I would say so," Thorne said in response to a question asking if the decreased rotation helped him settle in. "Just going with what coach is calling and doing my best to execute whatever play we put in there. I was out there more than normal and just rolling with our tempo and rolling with whatever guys are out there."

But Thorne's efficient performance doesn't necessarily mean Ashford will be tabled the rest of the way. Freeze has long said he believes the Hoover native has a place somewhere within the offense, and it sounded like the staff was prepared to put him on the field had Thorne not played as well as he did.

"(Thorne) just started hot, and I felt good about our plan," Freeze said. "We had a little plan for Robby, too, and just never really got to it. But I thought Payton played really well, and it's really good to see. ... Thought he took care of the ball well."

Ashford, who started against Ole Miss on Oct. 21, had been averaging just under 17 snaps per game against SEC opponents this season heading into the game versus Mississippi State. He's accounted for 214 total yards and seven touchdowns in 2023.

"At the end of the day, we have two really good quarterbacks," junior defensive back Keionte Scott said. "We just ask them as a defense to − whoever is out there − to just perform and lead and be those guys. I feel like Payton stepped up today and showed that he has it.

"He just has to stay calm and do his job. And he did that today very good."

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: How Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze will use his QBs going forward