LIKE IT IS : Offensive struggles no joke to Auburn’s coach

WALLY HALL

Posted on Friday, October 10, 2008

URL: http://www.wholehogsports.com/adg/239802/

A reader from Harding University sent two e-mails Thursday.

The first was to say David Knighton, the Bisons’ quarterback, should have been in our quarterback poll.

The second was forwarded from the National Weather Service and stated: In the event of a tornado warning, the National Weather Service advises all Auburn residents to take immediate shelter in Jordan-Hare Stadium. A touchdown is highly unlikely to occur there.

Of course, that is a joke making its way around the state of Alabama, especially among Crimson Tide fans, which our Harding reader happens to be.

In hopes of stopping that joke and kick-starting an anemic offense, Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville relieved Tony Franklin of his offensive coordinator duties Wednesday afternoon.

In the aftermath, Tuberville has done nothing but show class in his remarks about the change.

One thing about Tuberville, he’s a gambler, and that’s what he did when he hired Franklin to install the Spread offense.

Something happened after lunch Wednesday that made Tuberville decide to more or less fold the hand. Tuberville was defending Franklin on Monday, and on Wednesday morning’s teleconference there was no grumbling from Tuberville about the offense.

However, Tuberville was asked Monday if he had ever heard the John Barnhill line about if you have more than one quarterback, you don’t have a quarterback.

“I know exactly what that means,” he said with a small laugh.

Auburn has been alternating quarterbacks — almost on a whim at times, it seems — and the Tigers’ once powerful running game was suffering.

It was no secret that Franklin preferred Chris Todd. He was going to play for Franklin at Troy, but when Franklin got the offensive coordinator’s job at Auburn, Todd switched too.

Kodi Burns (Fort Smith Northside ) has thrown only 24 passes this season — and Tuberville even said Monday that Burns actually has the stronger passing arm — and has run 20 times.

Todd has thrown 146 passes and has a minus-6. 3 yards rushing average because of sacks and his inability to escape pressure.

Whatever happened Wednesday had to be serious, because a much better time to change offensive coordinators would have been after Saturday’s game with Arkansas.

The Tigers have the next weekend off and don’t play again until Oct. 23.

Yet, you can bet the firing was coming sooner than later anyway.

Tuberville might have been trying to protect Franklin from the media when he put him off limits, but he has been very open about his disappointment in the offense, which is averaging fewer than 13 points a game in SEC play.

In fact, the offense has scored only 10 touchdowns this season — perfect balance, though, with five rushing and five passing — and the defense has scored six, two each on punt returns, interceptions and fumble recoveries.

Auburn’s two SEC victories were by a total of three points, and the two losses were by seven.

Not that Arkansas’ offense has been lighting it up either, but the Razorbacks were picked to finish last in the SEC West and Auburn was considered a dark horse to win the division.

So how does firing the offensive coordinator affect the game with the Razorbacks ?

It probably wasn’t good news for the Razorbacks.

First, Auburn will go back to more of a running game, and the Hogs are last in the SEC and 107 th (out of 120 ) in the nation at stopping the run. That’s never good.

Second, expect Burns to play more, maybe even start. If he doesn’t get too high about playing the Hogs, he will be hard to guard. Burns is a very good runner, but he can burn you with his arm.

Lastly, Tuberville will want to prove that firing Franklin was a good idea, even in the middle of the week.

He knows the only way to stop that joke with the National Weather Service is to get some touchdowns.