Sadly, Auburn’s quarterback is facing serious consequences because of what?

How does Hugh Freeze see Auburn’s quarterback situation in the wake of their Music City Bowl loss? “It’s wide open.”

Hugh Freeze, the head coach of Auburn, shot down a question regarding bringing in a transfer quarterback in the offseason just over two weeks ago, giving Payton Thorne his vote of confidence.

At a press conference on December 16, Freeze stated, “To be honest, I’m not sure if you are aware of this, but we have one of the best returning quarterbacks in Power 5 with victories in Payton Thorne.”

And it felt like a huge advantage for the Tigers going into Saturday’s game in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl that Auburn had Thorne as their starting quarterback and Maryland did not have Taulia Tagovailoa.

However, it proved everything but on Saturday as Auburn was thumped by Maryland in a 31-13 loss that saw the Tigers’ offense struggle to find any kind of spark under Thorne, who went 13-for-27 through the air. Thorne tallied just 84 yards, a touchdown and an interception before being yanked from the game in the third quarter as Auburn trailed Maryland by three scores.

Holden Geriner, a redshirt freshman, initially took Thorne’s place. He attempted six passes and only completed one of them before throwing an interception.

Hank Brown, a real freshman quarterback, strode onto the field during Auburn’s subsequent drive.

Following a brief completion, Brown and Caleb Burton connected for a 53-yard pass play, which allowed fellow rookie Jeremiah Cobb to score on the ground from one yard out. Cobb’s goal with less than seven minutes remaining reduced Maryland’s lead to 31-13.