Monthly Archive for September, 2007

Source: Auburnsports.com 

There are a number of reasons for Auburn’s lack of production on offense. Playing without starting tailback Brad Lester certainly hasn’t helped a rushing offense that ranks ninth in the SEC.

AP: Anthony Hall
Lester’s return would be a big boost for a struggling AU offense.

But the academic suspension that’s kept Lester off the playing field for the first three games could be close to a resolution according to AU head coach Tommy Tuberville.

“I think (we’ll) hear something in the next 48 hours or so,” said Tuberville following a short practice Thursday morning.

Lester has continued to practice with the team and Tuberville says the junior is in game shape

“He could play this afternoon,” said Tuberville.

“I don’t know whether that’s a reality, dealing with what we’re dealing with. We’d like to get a little closure on it, give him some idea what he’s doing.”

Tuberville didn’t elaborate on whether a resolution to Lester’s situation would put him back on the field Saturday or even this season.

“All we’ve done is do everything we can do and let the people who make the decision make it,” he said.

Tuberville has been impressed with how quickly Shoemaker bounced back from his injury.

“He’ll have to wear a brace but he’s looked good,” said Tuberville.

Tuberville also said kicker Wes Byrum has looked good kicking off this week and may return to that role Saturday. An ankle injury limited Byrum to just field goals the last two games.

LB Tray Blackmon will be out again this week.

“He practiced a little yesterday, today it was so sore he didn’t hardly do anything,” said Tuberville. “We haven’t had a lot of improvement out of him. He’s working hard to get there. They tried different tape jobs and different methods of treatment. He’s just got one real sore weak spot that’s not coming around.”

OL King Dunlap (elbow), OL Leon Hart (shoulder) and LB Merrill Johnson (shoulder) didn’t practice this week and will not play Saturday.

Freshman DB Ryan Williams, who hasn’t played in the first three games, will be ready if needed Saturday. Auburn would like to redshirt Williams but injuries and depth have been a concern in the secondary.

“We would have played him this past week if we’d feel like we needed to play him,” said Muschamp. “The opportunity never happened, but we’ll continue to prepare him as a guy that will play in the games.”

Auburn worked out for an hour in shells Thursday morning, wrapping up preparations for NMSU. The Tigers and Aggies will play Saturday at 6 p.m. CT and the game is available on pay-per-view.

“It was a beautiful day to practice,” said Tuberville. “We had to do a lot of teamwork this week because of the offense we’re going to face.”

Source: Scout.com

Why to Watch: Oh this will be interesting. Auburn has been awful so far, needing a late rally to get by Kansas State before losing to South Florida and Mississippi State. At least, it’s been awful offensively. Meanwhile, New Mexico State, coached by former Kentucky head man Hal Mumme, has one of the nation’s most prolific offenses, averaging 523 yards and 33 points per game. Yeah, the Aggies have lit up SE Louisiana, New Mexico and UTEP, but it’s a team built to throw, throw and throw some more to keep the pressure on. Auburn will have to come up with a win to close out this four-game homestand, or things might get really ugly with a trip to Florida to follow.
Why New Mexico State Might Win: Auburn’s offense decided to take the first three games off. Kansas State, South Florida and Mississippi State all have good defenses, but this is Auburn; it’s supposed to have offensive playmakers, and it doesn’t. New Mexico State’s defense is far, far worse than anything the Tigers have had to face so far, but it’s vastly improved since last year and is doing a good job of getting into the backfield. The last thing the Auburn quarterbacks need is to be under pressure, but they’ll be hit. If the Tiger running game isn’t pounding the ball, there could be major problems.
Why Auburn Might Win: The Tigers have been all too happy to give it away so far this year with 12 turnovers, but there won’t be much concern about making mistakes this week against an Aggie defense that’s not great at forcing errors. No, Auburn hasn’t faced anyone who can throw the forward pass with any consistency, but it’s done a fine job of generating pressure in the backfield, and has done an excellent job of slowing down the short to midrange passes. Get to QB Chase Holbrook, and the timing will be off.
Who to Watch: New Mexico’s diminutive junior WR Chris Williams has caught fire again. The nation’s leading receiver in 2006, with 92 catches for 1,415 yards and 12 touchdowns, started off the season slowly against SE Louisiana with just four catches, but two went for touchdowns. Over the last two weeks, he’s been all but uncoverable with 19 catches for 331 yards and five scores, and the numbers could’ve been far better if he didn’t have a few drops. He has to be the number one focus of the Auburn defense, while the Tigers offense will be centered around the quarterback situation. Veteran Brandon Cox has struggled, forcing the coaching staff to fast-forward the future by playing Kodi Burns against Mississippi State. Burns adds a scary rushing element to the mix, but he still needs time. This is still Cox’s team, but if he throws a few early interceptions, that will change.
What Will Happen: The game will be taken out of the hands of the Auburn quarterbacks as much as possible with the running game trying to pound away with underused running backs Ben Tate and Mario Fannin, who’ve been underused so far. Expect close to 300 rushing yards, five sacks from the AU defense, and a little bit of sweat during an Aggie scoring run late in the first half.
CFN Prediction: Auburn 38 … New Mexico State 20 … Line: Auburn -16.5
Must See Rating: (5 Curb Your Enthusiasm - 1 Kid Nation) … 3

Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville promises more changes for the Tigers, presumably on offense, for Saturday’s game against New Mexico State.

“There will be some changes as we get to Saturday night,” said Tuberville. “We won’t talk about those. We’re just trying to look for the right combination of things that will happen and make this team better.”

AP: Dave Martin
Tuberville cites turnovers as his biggest concern this season.

After a 1-2 start including losses in two straight home games, Tuberville is trying to keep those changes as close to the vest as possible. He’s not even going to divulge AU’s starting quarterback until right before kickoff.

Senior Brandon Cox has started the first three games at quarterback but was pulled after throwing interceptions on AU’s first two series against MSU. He returned for a late fourth-quarter drive that ended with an incomplete pass on 4th-and-goal from the 9-yard line.

“We haven’t decided yet who will be starting. Both will play,” said Tuberville. “It really doesn’t make any difference. They’ll have to make two different gameplans, as each week every team will have to do that to play both quarterbacks.”

How AU will use its two quarterbacks also remains a bit of a mystery but Tuberville insists it won’t turn into a quarterback rotation.

“We’re not going to have a two-quarterback system where we’re going to alternate every other play or all that,” said Tuberville. “We’re just going to look for the right one that’s playing and fits best with what we’re doing and go with it.”

Tuberville says the changes and the secrecy surrounding them are all for one good reason.

“We’re not satisfied in a lot of areas where we want to be,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.

“We’ve got to get better and we’ve got to get better in a hurry.”

After Auburn’s 19-14 loss to Mississippi State, there was only one question around the Auburn football complex: Who is Auburn’s starting quarterback? Auburn’s coaches say there’s no answer yet. Freshman Kodi Burns and senior Brandon Cox both played Saturday; both were scheduled to practice with the first-team offense on Sunday, according to head coach Tommy Tuberville. “Brandon’s still going to play,” Tuberville said before practice. “He might be our starter. We haven’t made up our mind on that.” Though Cox threw interceptions on his first two pass attempts Saturday, he settled down by the time he was called upon for the final drive. The senior completed four of his final eight attempts, for 42 yards, and led the Tigers to first-and-goal on the 9 before falling short. Burns was effective as a change of pace: He led AU to two second-quarter touchdowns and had 58 rushing yards at halftime. Burns had just 2 yards passing in the first half; he finished with 65. But his fourth-quarter interception led to MSU’s go-ahead touchdown. “Kodi was exactly what I would have guessed,” offensive coordinator Al Borges said. “He’s a freshman and he did some freshman things. At the same time, he has some electricity about him. If you get him out in the open field, he can make some things happen. We need to iron out of the mistakes. As he gets more solid, you’ll see more and more production out of him.” Borges said Cox replaced Burns for the final drive because the coaches trust Cox more as a passer. Tuberville and Borges both said no decision has been made; neither coach ruled out the possibility of playing either quarterback, or both. But Borges didn’t sound thrilled about the possibility of using two quarterbacks. In more than 30 years of coaching, he said he’d never used a two-quarterback system. “I don’t like it,” Borges said. “(But) if I think that’s what will help us move the ball and win games, I’ll do anything. “What I like and don’t like is immaterial. That has to take a back seat to what’s best for the team.” Cox has also never been part of a quarterback rotation. Speaking to reporters Sunday, Cox kept his head down and his answers short. “They’ll do what they have to do,” he said. “I’m not sure what it will be. … If it works, great.” Borges estimated Burns knew about 30-40 percent of the offense. Cox knows 100 percent. But Burns’ athletic ability gives the Tigers’ offense more flexibility. Burns is just happy to be on the field. “I was just waiting on my opportunity,” the freshman said. “I was just happy to go out there and play. A lot of my teammates said, ‘You’re just out there smiling the whole time.’ “It’s a fun game. I just enjoyed playing.” Borges said he wasn’t overly concerned that a two-quarterback system – or sitting one quarterback full-time in favor of the other – would split the locker room. “I always worry about that, but I can’t let that be the determining factor,” he said. “I’ll leave it at that.” Several players and coaches spoke out about their disappointment that fans at Jordan-Hare Stadium booed Cox several times. Boos rained down when Cox was announced as the starter during pre-game warmups, then again when he replaced Burns for a play in the second quarter and again when he took the field for the final drive. “I was bothered,” Tuberville said. “I was hoping they were booing me. I don’t think they’d be booing Brandon. “That’s the way we took it and that’s the way it should be. If you’re going to boo, boo the coaches because we get paid to do this. The players don’t.” Cox thought fans were booing him. But the senior took it in stride. “It doesn’t take much,” Cox said. “It doesn’t matter who you are. If you don’t get the job done, they’re not going to like you. “If we would have gone in and I had thrown a touchdown pass on the last drive, they would have been cheering again.”

Brandon Cox was hurt. His teammates were angry.

After Auburn’s short Sunday practice, Auburn players expressed their contempt for those who booed Saturday after Cox threw his second interception in Saturday’s 19-14 loss to Mississippi State.

“I think everybody feels the same way,” senior fullback Carl Stewart said. “They might as well have turned on me. It was just horrible to see.”

Stewart said he and his teammates never expected to hear that in their own stadium and were offended when they did.

“I was pretty upset,” Stewart said. “To be in your home stadium and have your fans boo you, that’s just disheartening.”

Cox was lifted in favor of freshman Kodi Burns after the second interception. He offered help and advice to Burns until he returned to lead a desperation final drive that died at the Mississippi State 9 in the final minute.

“It shows the type class he has,” Stewart said. “It takes a lot of composure to stand up and be a man like that in that kind of situation.”

Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville couldn’t help but hear the boos, which reverberated through the stadium. And he said he was disturbed.

“Yeah, I was,” Tuberville said. “I’m hoping they were booing me. I don’t think they’d be booing Brandon. That’s the way we took it. That’s the way it should be. If you are going to boo, boo the coaches. We get paid to do this. The players don’t. They work awfully hard to do what they do. I think most people would agree with that. This is not pro ball. True fans are going to understand, hopefully.”

Cox said Sunday that the boos were disappointing, but he said his teammates were quick to offer support.

“When it was going on, everybody came up to me and said they believed in me and still loved me,” Cox said. “There are true fans at Auburn who love you no matter what. The fans who (boo), I don’t care for.”