Auburn report, 10/8

Hey everyone. Well, the Auburn fans are not a happy lot today. Makes sense. The Tigers were completely exposed against Arkansas on Saturday morning/afternoon, and there aren't a lot of easy answers here.

AFTERNOON UPDATE: LB Tray Blackmon will return for the Florida game. Sounds like he'll be given a chance to earn the starting job ... TB Brad Lester suffered a leg injury against Arkansas. Not sure if he'll play against Florida. Tuberville said Pat Lee will return kickoffs if Lester can't play ... C Jason Bosley earned a vote-of-confidence from Tuberville this afternoon. He'll start against Florida. Tuberville said Palmer (who subbed in for Bosley yesterday) again will start at RT.

• The most vexing thing for me is the defensive front. Something happened there on Saturday that I don't understand fully. Where were the linebackers? My only memory of Will Herring was him not being able to catch Felix Jones on that touchdown sweep in the third quarter. Same thing for Karibi Dede trying to catch Reggie Fish on the trick play. I know the linebackers are small. They're supposed to be fast, though.
  
• Offensive line has some issues. That Hugh Nall would shuffle the lineup in the second half is a big deal. He's not a shuffler.
  
  Old: Dunlap, Duckworth, Bosley, Grubbs, J. Palmer
  New: Dunlap, Duckworth, J. Palmer, Grubbs, Leon Hart
  
  Not sure what will happen here. I know Nall really likes Bosley, so I don't think the kid is headed for the bench. I think Palmer has been the weakest link along the line, though, and it's possible that Hart could be a more consistent factor on the right side. It's too bad that Oscar Gonzalez dislocated his toe during two-a-days. He lost so much time.
  
• What are your thoughts on Al Borges now? I don't feel like Auburn is adapting to its situation well, but I can't bring myself to blame Borges. He has two years of really shrewd play-calling under his belt at Auburn. He hasn't lost it or anything. I think he's in a bad spot because his wideouts can't get open consistently. Teams are doubling Courtney Taylor. Guys like Rod Smith, Montez Billings and Prechae Rodriguez aren't making many plays. I know Smith made a GREAT touchdown catch against Arkansas. He's not really a threat.
  
• Which leads to this question: Why is Tim Hawthorne redshirting?
  
• Brandon Cox had a bad day. Period. He just wasn't sharp. It's happening somewhat often now. He was off against Buffalo, on against USC, off against Arkansas. I'm sure that's very frustrating for Borges. A 22-year-old junior with 16 starts should be sharp almost every time out.
  
• Auburn fans shouldn't get too down. Tuberville is best when his back is against the wall. Arkansas is THE team that messes with Auburn for reasons I discussed in my Game Day story. Let's see what Florida accomplishes this weekend before making any serious conclusions about this staff's performance. The team is 5-1. It was No. 2 a few days ago. If a pattern of badness is established, that's one thing. That hasn't happened yet.
  
  TODAY'S "WHAT ARE THEY THINKING" MESSAGE-BOARD POST
  Site: AuburnSports.com
  Poster: ronfromramer (whom I have met, and like)
  The statement: Just think where AU might be today if Jetgate had not been exposed and Petrino was our head coach! I don't think I even like the guy, but he is one of the best offensive minds in college football and look what he's done at Louisville. Running the system that we have at AU just doesn't attract the top OL and offensive skill players. For the most part, I've been a CTT supporter, but I'm always waiting for the patented Tubby egg to be laid, like yesterday. You know it's coming, you just don't know when! I wonder if Petrino would come if the opportunity arose?
  

OTHER SEC SCORES FROM SATURDAY

• Ole Miss 17, Vanderbilt 10
  
• West Virginia 42, Mississippi State 14
  
• Florida 23, LSU 10
  
• Alabama 30, Duke 14
  
• South Carolina 24, Kentucky 17
  
• Tennessee 51, Georgia 33
  

SEC STANDINGS
WESTERN DIVISION
Arkansas (3-0, 4-1)
Auburn (3-1, 5-1)
Alabama(1-2, 4-2)
LSU (1-2, 4-2)
Ole Miss (1-2, 2-4)
Miss. St. (0-3, 1-5)

EASTERN DIVISION
Florida (4-0, 6-0)
Georgia (2-1, 5-1)
Tennessee (1-1, 5-1)
South Carolina (2-2, 4-2)
Kentucky (1-2, 3-3)
Vanderbilt (0-3, 2-4)