AUBURN, Ala. – Payton Thorne passed and ran for 405 yards of total offense and Auburn defeated Samford 45-13 Saturday at sold-out Jordan-Hare Stadium on Homecoming.
"It's a good feeling but we can't get too high or too low," said Thorne, whose rushing ability was hampered by injuries last season at Michigan State. "It was good to get back out there and run again. My body finally feels back to 100 percent. Tonight we were able to get that done and that was fun."
In a dual-threat performance that would make Cam Newton and Nick Marshall proud, Thorne led Auburn with 123 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries while completing 24 of 32 passes for 282 yards and a TD.
"I thought he played really solid," Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said. "We've got to get more confidence in us being a balanced offense and that was a goal. He ran when he needed to, we called some good draws with him and he looked natural at it."
After a scoreless first quarter, the Tigers scored 17 points in the second quarter.
Auburn struck quickly, moving 78 yards in three plays. After a career-long 40-yard Omari Kelly reception, Thorne connected with Shane Hooks for a 32-yard touchdown to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead at the 9:31 mark of the second quarter.
J.D. Rhym recorded his first interception to end Samford's next drive. After an Auburn turnover, Jaylin Simpson intercepted a pass for the third straight game and returned it 12 yards to Samford's 22 to set up a Tiger touchdown.
With his receivers covered on third-and-goal from the 5, Thorne faked a defender and sprinted into the end zone to give Auburn a 14-0 lead with 3:04 left in the half.
After Auburn's defense forced a punt, the Tigers hit another big play, a 41-yard pass to Rivaldo Fairweather that set up Alex McPherson's 22-yard field goal for a 17-0 halftime lead.
Auburn drove 76 yards in 13 plays to open the second half, consuming 6 minutes and 25 seconds. Robby Ashford faked a handoff and kept for a 1-yard touchdown that gave the Tigers a 24-0 advantage.
Samford answered with a 75-yard touchdown but Thorne delivered his longest run of the night, faking a handoff and racing 38 yards down the sideline before getting knocked out of bounds inside the 1.
Jarquez Hunter scored on the next play to give Auburn a 31-7 lead.
Samford capitalized on Auburn's third turnover, a fumbled punt return at the Tigers' 9-yard-line, to score on a 3-yard quarterback run.
Lawrence Johnson's sack forced a Samford punt from its end zone, giving Auburn possession at the Bulldogs' 33-yard-line.
Thorne scored his second rushing touchdown, cruising 18 yards for a 38-13 Auburn lead.
Ashford capped the scoring with a 32-yard touchdown pass over the middle to Micah Riley to put Auburn ahead 45-13 with 5:32 to play.
"To get another win, they're always sweet," Freeze said. "Congratulations to our kids and staff. Another great crowd at Jordan-Hare. I can't say enough about our students, supporters, band, fans and cheerleaders. Tiger Walk was incredible. I continue to say how thankful we are for the great support we're receiving."
Jay Fair led Auburn with seven receptions for 93 yards. Caleb Wooden led the Tigers with six tackles.
Auburn (3-0) kicks off Southeastern Conference play next Saturday at Texas A&M at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.
"We're getting ready to walk into College Station next weekend," Freeze said. "We're going to need every bit of the improvement we can.
"I'm very pleased with the kids. I love being around them. I love the group of kids and coaches. I think they're enjoying the journey we're on."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
Postgame Notes>> Captains: Luke Deal, Elijah McAllister, Kam Stutts, Payton Thorne
>> Coin Toss: Auburn wins the toss and defers; Samford will receive
>> Eagle Flight: Aurea from Section 12
>> Miss Homecoming: Ellie Korotsky (Huntsville, Ala.)
>> Attendance: 88,043 (capacity; largest in Jordan-Hare Stadium history)
TEAM NOTES
>> First-time starters for Auburn: None
>> Auburn has scored in 132 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in school history.
>> Auburn's record in Homecoming games is now 85-8-4; the Tigers have won their last 32 Homecoming games.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES: OFFENSE
>> Shane Hooks' 32-yard touchdown pass from Payton Thorne was Auburn's longest TD pass of the season. It was Hooks' first touchdown at Auburn and Thorne's fourth Auburn TD pass.
>> Omari Kelly's 40-yard reception was a career long.
>> Auburn's longest completion of the season was the 41-yard completion from Thorne to Rivaldo Fairweather in the second quarter.
>> Jay Fair's 36-yard reception was a career long; his total of 80 receiving yards for the game is also a career best.
>> Payton Thorne's rushing TDs were his first rushing scores at Auburn.
>> Thorne recorded his first 100-yard rushing game at Auburn and the first by an Auburn QB since Robby Ashford (122) at Alabama last season.
>> Thorne is the first Auburn QB since Nick Marshall vs. Mississippi State in 2014 to rush for 100 yards and pass for 200 yards in a game.
>> Robby Ashford scored his fourth rushing TD of the season and 11th of his Auburn career.
>> Jarquez Hunter is now 39th among Auburn career rushers with 1,353 yards, passing William Andrews (1,347 from 1976-78). Next is Mario Fannin (1,366 from 2007-10).
>> Hunter's third-quarter rushing touchdown was his first of the season and the 11th of his career.
>> Micah Riley scored his first career TD reception on the 32-yard pass from Ashford; it was Ashford's first TD pass of the season and eighth of his career.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES: DEFENSE
>> Jaylin Simpson recorded his third interception of the season and the sixth of his career. Simpson is the first Auburn player with interceptions in three consecutive games since Jerraud Powers in 2007 (Tennessee Tech, Georgia, Alabama).
>> J.D. Rhym recorded his first career interception.
>> Lawrence Johnson recorded his first sack as an Auburn Tiger.
>> Cam Riley's sack was the first of his career.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES: SPECIAL TEAMS
>> Alex McPherson recorded his second made field goal of the season and seventh of his career.
>> Marshall Meyers kicked his first career PAT.