Tuberville sticks with QB Burns

Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville plans to give Kodi Burns a second consecutive start when the Tigers play at West Virginia next Thursday night.

Burns, a sophomore from Fort Smith Northside, has three career starts for the Tigers, but none in successive games.

So even though Burns struggled through much of Auburn’s 25-22 loss to Arkansas on Saturday — when he completed 7 of 18 passes for 119 yards with 2 interceptions and rushed 15 times for 38 yards and 1 touchdown — Tuberville isn’t ready to put him back on the bench.

“We’re just looking for some consistency,” Tuberville said. “Kodi didn’t play a great game, but he showed some sparks. I think he’s got a chance to continue to get better.”

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Burns started this season’s opener, then junior Chris Todd started five consecutive games before Burns started again.

“I think we gave Chris Todd the opportunity earlier in the season, and now it’s Kodi’s turn to have a chance to run first-team in practice, really know the game plan and get a lot of reps, get out there in front of another defense and play and try to improve,” Tuberville said. “That’s the only way you can do it. You can’t really find out about somebody by running them into the game and giving them a few plays, then bringing them out. “ I want Kodi to understand this is his team, this is his type of offense. I want him to relax and play.” If Burns doesn’t show improvement against West Virginia, taking the redshirt off freshman quarterback Barrett Trotter is an option the Auburn coaches are considering. Trotter, who had been working at scout-team quarterback, began practicing with Auburn’s offense this week.

Next question Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville normally is one of the most media-friendly guys in the country, but he obviously didn’t appreciate a question he got on Wednesday’s SEC coaches teleconference.

The question from a writer for the Palm Beach (Fla. ) Post referred to Alabama’s 6-0 start and No. 2 national ranking compared with Auburn’s 4-3 record and fall out of the national polls.

The awkward exchange went like this:

REPORTER “Hey, Coach, how are you today ? Just wondering, what is your impression of the job Nick Saban has done at Alabama, and what it’s been like for you guys kind of being passed by Alabama as the top team in the state ?”

(long pause )

TUBERVILLE: “Next question.”

Tuberville, a Camden native, might have pointed out he’s 7-2 against Alabama as Auburn’s coach, including victories the past six years. Clemson interested ?

Media reports have listed Vanderbilt Coach Bobby Johnson as a possible candidate to replace Tommy Bowden, who earlier this week resigned as Clemson’s coach.

Johnson played at Clemson and was the Tigers’ defensive coordinator in 1993 before taking the head coaching job at Furman.

With Vanderbilt’s 5-1 start this season, Johnson is a hot coaching commodity, but he said in July at SEC Media Days he hoped to finish his career as the Commodores’ coach.

Duke showed interest in Johnson last year before hiring David Cutcliffe. Johnson and his assistants got undisclosed raises from the Vanderbilt administration.

Earlier this year, ESPN. com listed Johnson’s salary at $ 1 million.

“We’re trying to get ready to play Georgia [on Saturday ],” Johnson said when asked about speculation he could be a candidate for the Clemson job. “That’s all I’ve tried to concentrate on.

“ We’ve got plenty of things to do here without me worrying about anything like that. Nobody [from Clemson ] has contacted me. I’m not contacting anybody. “ As far as I’m concerned, we’re just moving along with our schedule.” Bama on upset alert Alabama’s No. 2 ranking might look appetizing to Ole Miss Coach Houston Nutt for Saturday’s matchup at Tuscaloosa, Ala. Nutt has a 5-7 record against teams ranked in the top five, including 4-7 in 10 seasons at Arkansas. Earlier this season, Ole Miss won 31-30 at then-No. 4 Florida, improving Nutt’s road record against top five teams to 4-4.

It’s complicated Ole Miss Coach Houston Nutt was asked during the SEC coaches’ teleconference to use one word to sum up the past year, which included his forced resignation from Arkansas last November after 10 seasons.

“I don’t know if one word can do it,” Nutt said. “I’ve probably got to think about that one.”

Nutt said what he chooses to remember the most about the 2007 season is that in his last game as Arkansas’ coach, the Razorbacks won 50-48 in triple overtime at No. 1 LSU.

Good scouting Georgia defensive end Demarcus Dobbs said after the Bulldogs’ 26-14 victory over Tennessee last week that they knew which way the Volunteers were going to run the ball 80 percent of the time based on alignments and formations the team studied in video sessions. The Bulldogs held the Vols to 1 rushing yard after Tennessee had 190 rushing yards in the Vols’ 35-14 victory over Georgia last season. “Watching film was a huge part [of stopping the run ],” Dobbs said. “We did some thorough video sessions and... picked up on a couple of traits that gave away what they were going to do.” Dobbs said the alignment of Tennessee’s tackles on certain plays, as well as where the fullback and tight end lined up, tipped off the Bulldogs as to where the runner was going. “We knew their keys,” Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran said. “We knew when they wanted to run power and when they wanted to run outside. “ We were just hungry and waiting. It’s a lot of fun to play football when you know what’s coming.”

Fightin’ Phil Tennessee’s 0-3 SEC start has a lot of fans and some in the media saying it’s time for Phillip Fulmer to move on after 16-plus seasons as the Volunteers’ coach, even if it means the school must pay him a $ 6 million buyout.

That sounds like a pretty sweet deal for Fulmer, but he doesn’t appear to be someone looking for a big payday and a job with less pressure.

“It has been a tough year, a very frustrating year, for everybody,” Fulmer said. “But the only way that I know to deal with it, and how we’ve dealt with it from time to time, is you go to the practice field and you work like heck to get things better knowing that it can be turned around.

“ It’s not like we’re just completely devoid of ability or anything like that. We’re just in a transition stage a bit with our quarterback, and some of that has made it more difficult and slower than any of us would like.”

Foul play Tennessee was called for four personal-foul penalties against Georgia, including two that aided a 97-yard touchdown drive by the Bulldogs. “We’re slinging people out of bounds, and you can’t do that against a good team,” Fulmer said. “You get a personal foul penalty, and it’s a loss of composure. “ I think the frustration of the season is showing through. It’s being competitive vs. being stupid.” Get a grip Alabama junior tailback Glen Coffee is averaging 118 rushing yards per game, but has fumbled three times in the past two games. As a result, Crimson Tide Coach Nick Saban has had Coffee carry a ball at all times during practice, including stretching periods. “If that doesn’t work, he may have to carry it in the dining hall, too,” Saban said.

Two-minute drill If Tennessee loses to Mississippi State, it will be the Volunteers’ fifth consecutive SEC loss going back to last season. Tennessee hasn’t lost five conference games in a row since 1977. Vanderbilt is swapping quarterbacks and starting Mackenzi Adams in place of Chris Nickson.

Auburn linebacker Tray Blackmon has been playing with a cracked bone in his right wrist and might need surgery.

Georgia has lost its second left tackle this season, Vince Vance, who tore knee ligaments against Tennessee.

South Carolina will start its third quarterback this season when redshirt freshman Stephen Garcia takes the first snap against LSU. Information for this report was contributed by SEC beat writers GAME OF THE WEEK NO. 22 VANDERBILT AT NO. 10 GEORGIA

11: 30 A. M. SATURDAY, SEC REGIONAL After losing at Mississippi State last week, Vanderbilt will try and bounce back on the road against the Bulldogs. Both teams are 5-1 with one conference loss. The winner will keep pace with idle Florida in the SEC East race. Georgia wants to reassert itself as a national power and squash Vanderbilt’s hopes of winning its first SEC title. OVERHEARD “It was nice, even though it was a little tiring.” Georgia OL Clint Boling on the Bulldogs’ 17-play, 76-yard drive vs. Tennessee that consumed 10 minutes and 55 seconds “This is just the start. We’re coming back. We’re coming back.” Mississippi State tailback Anthony Dixon after the Bulldogs beat then-No. 13 Vanderbilt 17-14 for their first SEC victory “Absolutely untrue.” Ole Miss Coach Houston Nutt, when asked about Internet rumors that DE Greg Hardy has been kicked off

the team

BY THE NUMBERS 16-0 Steve Spurrier’s coaching record vs. Kentucky. 4 Interceptions by Tennessee’s Eric Berry, tops in the nation. 85. 5 Penalty yards per game by Georgia.