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 yet to have good quarterback play against Power 4 teams over the last two seasons. It made changes at wide receiver, and the improvement there was no more evident than in Penn State transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith’s 156-yard and two-touchdown performance.

Trent Dilfer was hardly surprised when his old quarterback Hank Brown made a mostly pristine starting debut for Auburn, avoiding blunders even during stretches where heavy rain was falling.