AUBURN — Auburn football benched quarterback Hank Brown after a three-interception first half during the Arkansas game Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Payton Thorne got the second half start after being benched for Brown the previous week against New Mexico. Auburn finished with 72 passing yards in the first half as it trailed 7-0 at the break.

Auburn has not been at its best on special teams, particularly punt return, to start the season. Hugh Freeze is preparing to make changes in that area.

Brown had been committed to Liberty for nearly six months prior to signing with Auburn, committing to play for Freeze in Conference USA. Recruiting and the coaching carousel are hardly ever predictable, though, and the two intertwined at the end of the 2022 season.

Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze is sticking with QB Hank Brown - but they have to keep it simple yet creative in the matchup with Arkansas

The Auburn football team fell to Cal in a shocking result in Week 2. After the loss, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze faced some criticism from Paul Finebaum following his team's 21-14 loss against the Cal Golden Bears on ESPN's Always College Football with Greg McElroy show.

Auburn traveled to Fayetteville for last season’s matchup, putting a 48-10 beating on the Razorbacks, the peak of Auburn’s three-game winning streak. While that win was impressive at the time for Auburn, Freeze acknowledged that blowouts like that are rare in SEC play.

Playing both sides has been Paul Finebaum's M.O. for decades, and this week, he's playing nice with Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze.

After Hank Brown completed 17 of his 25 passes for 235 yards and four TDs in a win over New Mexico, the QB is excited for the challenge to increase.