3 takeaways from the debut of Hugh Freeze at Auburn

1. Tigers go with a two-quarterback system

Payton Thorne was named the starting quarterback and a captain of this team just before this season started, but that didn’t mean Robby Ashford would disappear. Both quarterbacks saw significant playing time on Saturday, and both had success against an outmatched UMass defensive unit.

Thorne was clearly the number-one man, going 10-for-17 for 141 yards and a touchdown through the air. He started drives and wore the “C” on his chest, but had one big hole on Saturday. Under Thorne, the offense stalled in the red zone.

Freeze elected to bring Ashford into the game in those situations, and he thrived. The better rusher of the two, Ashford had three touchdowns on the ground in the first half, helping put this game out of reach early. On the day, he had a total of nine carries for 51 yards and went 2-for-6 through the air for just three yards.

The old adage that “having two quarterbacks means you have none,” didn’t apply Saturday, as each player had their way with the defense regarding the strength of their game. There is a concern, however, that better defenses will adapt to whichever quarterback they see on the field.

They’ll get a tougher test on the road at Cal next week, but it’s not until week four against Texas A&M that this offense will face SEC competition.