Hugh Freeze explains why Payton Thorne will start at quarterback against Oklahoma

Hugh Freeze appeared on SEC Nation on the SEC Network Saturday morning and confirmed that Payton Thorne will start at quarterback against Oklahoma later in the day.

Thorne replaced Hank Brown behind center at halftime of last week's 24-14 loss to Arkansas after Brown threw three interceptions in the first half. Thorne — who started the first two games of the season before passing over to Brown — completed 13 of 22 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.

“He came into the game in the second half and … led us with two of his four shots on goal,” Freeze said. “And one of them (where Auburn didn’t score) was a pick that I think should have been caught. I truly believe that deciding whether Oklahoma's defense works is one of the more complicated tasks you'll face. I think they are one of the best in the country defensively.

“His experience in realizing that this is where the protection should be – nothing against Hank, Hank is young, and he'll be ready to play too – but (Thorne) has played more ball. “I think he can give us more early Checks that will hopefully give us a success that will bring us into the fourth quarter with a chance to win.”

Oklahoma also made a quarterback change this week, favoring true freshman Michael Hawkins over incumbent starter Jackson Arnold. Hawkins also replaced Arnold during the Sooners' game last week, a 25-15 loss to Tennessee.

Freeze noted that Auburn's fan base can definitely do its part to make life difficult for Hawkins.

“With Jordan-Hare, they’re bringing in a freshman quarterback and we have the absolute best fans in the world,” Freeze said. “This rookie can run, he can fly, but we need our fans to make it very difficult for them on offense today. Hopefully we can control the ball to some extent and keep our defense off the field.”

Kickoff for Auburn-Oklahoma is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on ABC.