College Football HQ

Hugh Freeze rips into Payton Thorne after 4th down flop vs. Georgia

Auburn coach Hugh Freeze was not happy with what Payton Thorne did, or didn't do, after a bungled fourth down play against Georgia.
James Parks|
Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze and quarterback Payton Thorne had a tense moment on the sideline against Georgia.
Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze and quarterback Payton Thorne had a tense moment on the sideline against Georgia. | Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Auburn Tigers

Tensions were high for a moment on the Auburn sideline during Saturday’s game against Georgia, as head coach Hugh Freeze appeared to let quarterback Payton Thorne have it after a bungled fourth down play that resulted in a turnover.

Moments after Auburn took a gamble on 4th and 1 in the second half against Georgia, the Tigers’ offense suffered yet another turnover as quarterback Payton Thorne was stopped behind the line.

Minutes later, head coach Hugh Freeze was in Thorne’s face on the sideline.

ABC’s cameras caught a few of the tense moments between the coach and the quarterback, and although we couldn’t see Freeze’s face, it was clear he wasn’t happy with Thorne’s effort on the play.

As the play unfolded, Freeze looked very confused on the sideline and marched out onto the field waving his hands in the air, appearing to shout “What are we doing?”

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy tried to diagnose what happened.

“I think it’s a zone read,” he said on the broadcast. “But you look at how the defensive end plays it, and they clearly didn’t have the look because Thorne pulls it and Walker tried to get blocked immediately. And Freeze absolutely lights up his quarterback as he goes back to the sideline.”

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James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.

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