Hank Brown

[NCAubs 377]

4 minutes ago, e808 said:

To me the entire qb room seemed to be evaluated incorrectly. If u recall he never said what made PT stand out from the rest. He was just named the starter in hopes of him settling down.  RA never got an opportunity to run the complete offense. When he was in it was primarily for running. Lastly notice how the receivers gave better effort when Hank came in. Better balls and much more decisive. They were even greeting him on the sidelines after the failed 4th down conversion 

That is telling.  Perhaps 1 wasn’t the leader he was touted to be. 

[e808 3,028]

40 minutes ago, NCAubs said:

That is telling.  Perhaps 1 wasn’t the leader he was touted to be. 

PT is probably a good person. I just think CHF  does him a disservice when placing blame . The wide receivers aren’t the greatest but if put in better positions are adequate . 

[NCAubs 377]

4 minutes ago, e808 said:

PT is probably a good person. I just think CHF  does him a disservice when placing blame . The wide receivers aren’t the greatest but if put in better positions are adequate . 

Not questioning his worth as a person.  He was touted as a leader on the team.  If players play harder for the scout team QB, that tells a bit of a different story.  
 

There are plenty of good people that are not leaders.  That is a trait I want in a football player that touches the ball every time they are in the game. 

[WarEagle1983 2,185]

I don't know if Hank was playing against Maryland's 2nd or 3rd string but I do know that WRs were magically open and started catching passes. I've said all along that the WRs are getting too much blame. Never been a PT believer b/c he needs to be surrounded around a lot of talent to be an above-average QB. His best year at Mich St. they had 2 NFL-caliber WRs(Reed & Coleman), 1 current NFL RB(Walker) and a very solid OL. 

Even with star-studded WRs next year I don't we'll improve much with him. He needs to be surrounded by very good WRs, RBs and OL to perform to his highest potential. He's not a difference-maker and can't elevate talent. 

Props to Hank Brown though. I don't care what the situation was. He came in and ran a competent offense. 

[aucat 69]

I can predict that we will have a colorful yr of 2024,  qb will be brown or white 🥰😋

Edited December 31, 2023 by aucat

[NWALA Tiger 3,535]

14 hours ago, W.E.D said:

Hank Brown's 2 drives resulted in more passing yards than 7 of 13 Thorne's starts

I just don't see what Freeze sees in PT. Go get a Portal QB to bridge the gap to Hank and Walker. If PT and Geriner leave, so be it. Freeze is taking hope away from fans if he does nothing. It's Gus level stubborn. I don't understand what more he needs to see.

Edited December 31, 2023 by NWALA Tiger

[naildawg 62]

9 hours ago, NCAubs said:

That is telling.  Perhaps 1 wasn’t the leader he was touted to be. 

Thorn is my opinion plays emotionally flat, passionless. Holden, who I have hoped to see, looked scared and ill-prepared. Hank grabbed ahold of the opportunity. He was the best looking qb on the field on either team.

[aucanucktiger 1,798]

The Tennessean reporting this morning that Hank didn't even play on varsity until his sr year in h.s. I didn't know that. He then became a a 3 star recruit. Late bloomer? Better late then never.

Fwiw, Freeze absolutely lit into both Thorne and current receivers - calling out receivers as to why our last drive stalled. Brown's dorko former coach threw him under bus for complaining (in confidence to gis former coach) about Auburn's zero O line protection. Truth can hurt.

 

[sevenlee36 1,654]

Small sample size but you have to like how he quickly appeared to go through progressions and find the open guy. That is 100% what you want a QB to do and what makes a future pro QB, in addition to being able to anticipate WRs open. 

[W.E.D 11,070]

3 hours ago, aucanucktiger said:

Brown's dorko former coach threw him under bus for complaining (in confidence to gis former coach) about Auburn's zero O line protection. Truth can hurt.

What is this

[CCTAU 3,339]

9 hours ago, sevenlee36 said:

Small sample size but you have to like how he quickly appeared to go through progressions and find the open guy. That is 100% what you want a QB to do and what makes a future pro QB, in addition to being able to anticipate WRs open. 

I said early on, I don’t think PT can see over the line. He seems to miss any open receivers in the middle of the field. I’m not sure if it’s a different blocking method than he was used to at MSU, or if he just can’t see. When Hank came in, it was like he scanned the whole field while going through the reads. He seemed comfortable seeing the middle of the field. 

Edited January 1 by CCTAU

[Elephant Tipper 430]

8 minutes ago, CCTAU said:

I said early on, I don’t think PT can see over the line. He seems to miss any open receivers in the middle of the field. I’m not sure if it’s a different blocking method than he was used to at MSU, or if he just can’t see. When Hank came it, it was like he scanned the whole field while going through the reads. He seemed comfortable seeing the middle of the field. 

Interesting.  Could be exactly that.

I have a bit of a different take on PT's performance at AU.  At MSU during his last two seasons he averaged 31 passes/game and 3,000 yds per season with an average of about 100 yards in running for the entire season.  At MSU he had about 61.5% completion rate and, until yesterday, he exceeded that at AU, but it dropped to 61% because of the loss to MD.  His previous 2 seasons he averaged 388 passes/season, but this season he had only 265 passes (20 passes/game), even though his completion % was basically the same, yet PM increased his runs per game by double, to around 10/game at AU.  I think that they should have had him pass more, not less.  He's more productive as a passer.  His total yardage at AU was just under 2,300 yds.  Having PT run more cost us yardage production, around 700 yds for the year.  Besides, he's been our only consistent qb, why risk him with runs ?  HF has stated that he wants up tempo, but he has to work to his qb's strength, which for PT is passing, not running.  On occasion PT can make some excellent straight line runs, but I think PM had PT run too much.  My 2 cents.

Payton Thorne College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits | College Football at Sports-Reference.com

						Passing
Year	School	Conf	Class	Pos	G	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/A	AY/A	TD	Int	Rate
2020	Michigan State	Big Ten	FR	QB	4	48	85	56.5	582	6.8	6.0	3	3	118.6
*2021	Michigan State	Big Ten	SO	QB	13	235	389	60.4	3240	8.3	8.6	27	10	148.1
2022	Michigan State	Big Ten	SR		12	242	387	62.5	2679	6.9	6.6	19	11	131.2
*2023	Auburn	SEC	JR	QB	13	162	265	61.1	1755	6.6	6.1	16	10	129.1
Career	Overall					687	1126	61.0	8256	7.3	7.1	65	34	135.6
	Michigan State					525	861	61.0	6501	7.6	7.4	49	24	137.6
	Auburn					162	265	61.1	1755	6.6	6.1	16	10	129.1

[au701948 1,005]

10 hours ago, aucanucktiger said:

The Tennessean reporting this morning that Hank didn't even play on varsity until his sr year in h.s. I didn't know that. He then became a a 3 star recruit. Late bloomer? Better late then never.

Fwiw, Freeze absolutely lit into both Thorne and current receivers - calling out receivers as to why our last drive stalled. Brown's dorko former coach threw him under bus for complaining (in confidence to gis former coach) about Auburn's zero O line protection. Truth can hurt.

 

Even with the AU opt outs, everyone on Defense and Offense were asleep at the wheel yesterday. So much like the NMSU game. That of course incudes our offensive line, which at times this year against superior defensive lines held their own. Not so yesterday.

Mentally, neither the AU players nor AU coaches were prepared for this game. As much as I hope CHF has it in him to achieve his plan for our football team and program, I do believe he is lacking right now.

i can only wait and see. I am still excited to have his potential as our HC. Just must wait to see if his potential moves our program back into relevance. 

Just my thoughts. 

[milehighfan 1,240]

On 12/30/2023 at 4:26 PM, shabby said:

He looked damn sharp for not getting many practice snaps. Makes me feel a bit better about the stable of qbs

Until we get vastly improved OL play it won't matter much who lines up at qb

[AURex 2,027]

Just trying to read the comments of CHF.

1. Auburn is not looking at the portal for another QB, we are happy with the guys we have in the QB room.

2. The QB competition for next season is 100% open.

Now I'm thinking this messaging is aimed at keeping our current QBs from jumping into the portal. We saw what happened at Penn State when Franklin was open about going after Cam -- Cody jumped immediately.

But Freeze also snuck in a phrase about -- unless the right guy is available.

The way I interpret this is, if a QB enters the portal who really fits the Auburn offense, Freeze would go for him.

I'm thinking that one guy would be Liberty QB Kaidon Salter. Freeze recruited him at Liberty. They run a similar offense.

Players must enter the portal by Jan 2. (They can sign anytime after that or return to their team.) If Salter enters the portal, I'd bet Freeze goes after him.

But if Brown gets a fair look in the run-up to next season, we might see an alternative to Thorne. And with a new crop of elite receivers, there might be an inkling of optimism.

 

[CCTAU 3,339]

4 minutes ago, AURex said:

I'm thinking that one guy would be Liberty QB Kaidon Salter. Freeze recruited him at Liberty. They run a similar offense.

I thought he had already transferred once. 
And with the recent ruling allowing immediate transfer, didn’t the NCAA say something about maybe there being issues if the ruling is reversed? 
It gets muddy for the 2 time transfers right now. 

[Tigger1985 812]

On 12/30/2023 at 9:57 PM, e808 said:

To me the entire qb room seemed to be evaluated incorrectly. If u recall he never said what made PT stand out from the rest. He was just named the starter in hopes of him settling down.  RA never got an opportunity to run the complete offense. When he was in it was primarily for running. Lastly notice how the receivers gave better effort when Hank came in. Better balls and much more decisive. They were even greeting him on the sidelines after the failed 4th down conversion 

RA was given plenty of chances. He was selfish with the ball and didn’t/couldn’t run the read option. He threw worse balls than Thorne. Hank looked like the best of all. Thorne never checks off. 

[e808 3,028]

1 hour ago, Tigger1985 said:

RA was given plenty of chances. He was selfish with the ball and didn’t/couldn’t run the read option. He threw worse balls than Thorne. Hank looked like the best of all. Thorne never checks off. 

We can agree to disagree on RA. How was he given plenty of chances. This years line is better than last years and the entire season was a cluster. Dude threw all of 27 passes this season. When he was in the game it’s was basically to run the ball. To say he couldn’t read the read option is false . What was the 2022 offense that was run with Caddy . It was all read option. To me RA and Milroe are similar QBs. One coordinator catered the offense to one’s strengths while the other was operating in a box . Doesn’t matter now as he is no longer at Auburn.

Hank did look the best regarding decisiveness and the receivers seemed to have more pep in their step. Hopefully, he gets a real shot. After all CHF did recruit him and hoping it’s not to be a scout qb.

Edited January 1 by e808

[Ausburn2 487]

SEC
A bright spot for Auburn football in the Music City Bowl? How about Hank Brown
Mike Organ
Nashville Tennessean

NASHVILLE — Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze said Saturday during his TransPerfect Music City Bowl postgame press conference that relying on so many young, inexperienced players played a role in the Tigers' 31-13 loss to Maryland.

One young player Freeze didn't have to make excuses for was former Lipscomb Academy quarterback Hank Brown.

Brown, who hails from Nashville, provided one of the few bright spots for Auburn (6-7) when he entered the game late and engineered two long drives against Maryland (8-5). His first, which included a 53-yard pass to Caleb Burton III, covered 66 yards on three plays and resulted in Auburn's second touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.

Brown's next covered 70 yards on nine plays before stalling deep in Maryland territory.

"Hank has increible poise; I see it everyday when he's running the scout team and he has very little protection and he stands in there and makes throw after throw after throw," Freeze said. "He has great humility. Wants to be taught, wants to learn. Has a good IQ for the game. Understands timing."

In a limited sampling, Brown outperformed Auburn starting quarterback Payton Thorne. Brown completed 7 of 9 passes for 132 yards and Thorne, a junior, was 13 of 27 for 84 yards with an interception.

Brown also had more passing yards than either of Maryland's quarterbacks − Billy Edwards Jr. (126) and Cameron Edge (82).

Brown's numbers could have even been better. Freeze blamed one of his two incompletions on Auburn's receivers on the final drive.

"The receivers should have kept coming and that's kind of what Hank anticipated," Freeze said. "He anticipates throws really well. That's where you see his IQ."

Brown committed to Liberty in the summer of 2022 when Freeze was the coach. Before Brown signed with Liberty, Freeze got the Auburn job and Brown followed him.

Brown was a three-star prospect and the No. 31 player in Tennessee in the 2023 class, according to 247Sports. He was the No. 52 quarterback in the country. 

Brown led Lipscomb Academy to the DII-AA state championship and a 13-0 record in 2022 by throwing for 3,264 yards, 47 touchdowns and only three interceptions as a senior.

"I'll be honest, I was not shocked by how well Hank played when he came into the game," said new Lipscomb Academy coach Jamie Graham, the Mustangs' pass-game coordinator when Brown was on campus. "He came into town about two weeks ago and came to see me. I asked him what's the biggest difference at Auburn and he said, 'It's just the checks.' He said he couldn't control the protection and the line of scrimmage but everything else he said he was prepared for."

Maryland crushes Auburn:Maryland football coasts to Music City Bowl victory over Auburn

Ironically, Graham played in the Music City Bowl when he was at Vanderbilt in 2008.

Graham said Brown showed signs of greatness even before he became a starter at Lipscomb.

"When he was a junior, Hank was the junior varsity quarterback and Hank never let them lose," Graham said. "He would not let them lose a game. He studied just as much as (Lipscomb Academy starter Luther Richardson) did, he prepared just as much as Luther Richardson did."

Freeze said Brown will have the opportunity in the spring to earn more playing time and compete with Thorne to become Auburn's starter.

"It's wide open," Freeze said. "I think Hank has something to him for sure. A guy that had 47 touchdowns and three picks his senior year in high school; there's something to that. The quarterback position will be an interesting one certainly in spring practice."

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.

Edited January 1 by Ausburn2

[DAG 34,005]

4 hours ago, Ausburn2 said:

"The receivers should have kept coming and that's kind of what Hank anticipated," Freeze said. "He anticipates throws really well. That's where you see his IQ."

Things that you either have or don't have.

[WarEagle1983 2,185]

18 hours ago, Elephant Tipper said:

Interesting.  Could be exactly that.

I have a bit of a different take on PT's performance at AU.  At MSU during his last two seasons he averaged 31 passes/game and 3,000 yds per season with an average of about 100 yards in running for the entire season.  At MSU he had about 61.5% completion rate and, until yesterday, he exceeded that at AU, but it dropped to 61% because of the loss to MD.  His previous 2 seasons he averaged 388 passes/season, but this season he had only 265 passes (20 passes/game), even though his completion % was basically the same, yet PM increased his runs per game by double, to around 10/game at AU.  I think that they should have had him pass more, not less.  He's more productive as a passer.  His total yardage at AU was just under 2,300 yds.  Having PT run more cost us yardage production, around 700 yds for the year.  Besides, he's been our only consistent qb, why risk him with runs ?  HF has stated that he wants up tempo, but he has to work to his qb's strength, which for PT is passing, not running.  On occasion PT can make some excellent straight line runs, but I think PM had PT run too much.  My 2 cents.

Payton Thorne College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits | College Football at Sports-Reference.com

						Passing
Year	School	Conf	Class	Pos	G	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/A	AY/A	TD	Int	Rate
2020	Michigan State	Big Ten	FR	QB	4	48	85	56.5	582	6.8	6.0	3	3	118.6
*2021	Michigan State	Big Ten	SO	QB	13	235	389	60.4	3240	8.3	8.6	27	10	148.1
2022	Michigan State	Big Ten	SR		12	242	387	62.5	2679	6.9	6.6	19	11	131.2
*2023	Auburn	SEC	JR	QB	13	162	265	61.1	1755	6.6	6.1	16	10	129.1
Career	Overall					687	1126	61.0	8256	7.3	7.1	65	34	135.6
	Michigan State					525	861	61.0	6501	7.6	7.4	49	24	137.6
	Auburn					162	265	61.1	1755	6.6	6.1	16	10	129.1

I agree that he's running too much. It's been funny to me that people were hanging their hats on we can count on him to produce the same or similar numbers next season. I think it's a case of he is a little more athletic than what we initially thought but I don't believe in PT as a runner. He got lit up a couple of times on Saturday. I'd rather he use his running skills to maneuver in the pocket and go through progressions to hit WRs or just throw it away. 

[Aubi1961 17]

I think the battle for starter next year is going to be between Hank Brown and Walker White. I have seen enough of Thorne the backup didn't look to great. Hank Brown had a quick release and stood tall in the pocket. Now all that might change if somehow we find a transfer that is worth it. One thing i don't understand is why Hugh Freeze was so all in on Thorne.  Hank had one heck of a senior season at Lipscomb Academy. Threw for 47 TDs in his senior season, and didn't hurt he was coached by ex NFL player Trent Dilfer.

[Hank2020 3,215]

1 hour ago, WarEagle1983 said:

I agree that he's running too much. It's been funny to me that people were hanging their hats on we can count on him to produce the same or similar numbers next season. I think it's a case of he is a little more athletic than what we initially thought but I don't believe in PT as a runner. He got lit up a couple of times on Saturday. I'd rather he use his running skills to maneuver in the pocket and go through progressions to hit WRs or just throw it away. 

He was not the same after one of those hits Saturday. He was never a runner that wanted contact, but after that hit he was watching the people getting close to him.

[Hank2020 3,215]

53 minutes ago, Aubi1961 said:

I think the battle for starter next year is going to be between Hank Brown and Walker White. I have seen enough of Thorne the backup didn't look to great. Hank Brown had a quick release and stood tall in the pocket. Now all that might change if somehow we find a transfer that is worth it. One thing i don't understand is why Hugh Freeze was so all in on Thorne.  Hank had one heck of a senior season at Lipscomb Academy. Threw for 47 TDs in his senior season, and didn't hurt he was coached by ex NFL player Trent Dilfer.

Freeze had plenty of data to see Brown’s potential (along with all the coaching staff) as he was running as scout team QB.

[Tigger1985 812]

14 hours ago, e808 said:

We can agree to disagree on RA. How was he given plenty of chances. This years line is better than last years and the entire season was a cluster. Dude threw all of 27 passes this season. When he was in the game it’s was basically to run the ball. To say he couldn’t read the read option is false . What was the 2022 offense that was run with Caddy . It was all read option. To me RA and Milroe are similar QBs. 

One game RA came in and threw an interception in one or two plays. Another RO play down in the red zone, he keeps the ball resulting in a 4-5 yards loss.Running back would have scored. Saw him bounce multiple short passes off the ground. Hope Hank gets a good chance