AUBURN | Payton Thorne got it done on the ground and through the air as Auburn improved to 3-0 with a 45-13 win over Samford at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

In his third Auburn start, the Michigan State transfer completed 24 of 32 passes for 282 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 123 yards and two more touchdowns.

Thorne finished with 405 yards of total offense, the most since Nick Marshall had 505 in a 55-44 loss to Alabama in 2014.

"It’s great for him, man. It gives him the confidence to show that he can lead the offense and put us in the right position to make plays," said tight end Rivaldo Fairweather. "Everything is in his hands and he’s a great leader for this team. We really trust him at quarterback so it’s going to be real good."

Thorne got AU on the board first with a 32-yard TD pass to Shane Hooks and added a 5-yard TD run in the second quarter. He had an 18-yard TD run in the fourth.

Auburn piled up 562 yards of total offense with Robby Ashford and Jarquez Hunter both scoring on 1-yard TD runs in the third quarter. Ashford closed out the scoring with a 32-yard TD pass to Micah Riley.

The Tigers led 17-0 at halftime. Thorne’s first rushing TD was set up by a Jaylin Simpson interception, which he returned 12 yards to the Samford 22-yard line.

Alex McPherson added a 22-yard field goal at the end of the half.

Auburn had 298 total yards in the first half but Thorne threw two interceptions in the end zone and another drive ended on a failed 4th and 1 at the Samford 20-yard line.

AU’s defense held the Bulldogs to 218 yards of total offense including just 74 on the ground. J.D. Rhym had an interception while Lawrence Johnson and Cam Riley had one sack apiece.

"I just continue to say how thankful we are for the great support that we're receiving, and obviously to get another win. They're always sweet," said AU coach Hugh Freeze. "I thought there were some really good things tonight, and obviously some things we've still got to work on and clean up,"

The Tigers open SEC play at Texas A&M next Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.