News of the day, 9/20
Hey everyone. I'm getting to business pretty directly today. Check below for that.
Thanks for breathing in another satisfying dose of the HOTTEST Auburn blog on the 'net.
Tuberville said after today's practice that he hopes to get a ruling on suspended TB Brad Lester before Saturday's game. "We'd like to get a little closure on it -- give him some idea what he's doing," Tuberville said. Lester has been practicing and is prepared to play immediately.
As someone who has dealt with this team almost every day since Aug. 1, let me say that I don't know if New Mexico State is a guaranteed win. Not at all. This could be a legitimate challenge. I'm not predicting an Auburn loss. Don't get me wrong. I'm just saying that a loss all but ensures dramatic coaching changes at season's end.
How dramatic?
Tom Dienhart of the Sporting News recently postulated that Tommy Tuberville is on fairly tenuous ground.
How important does Brandon Cox look now? This team desperately needs him back to his old self. There is no evidence suggesting Cox is headed that way.
I was looking this up yesterday and was amazed. Auburn has 12 turnovers this season (only one other SEC team, Arkansas, has more than 7) and has a turnover margin of -2.67 per game. Where does that rank nationally? Tied for 117th out of 119. Only one team, Minnesota, is more turnover prone. The bottom quarter of that list is loaded with teams that will end the season under .500.
Thanks for breathing in another satisfying dose of the HOTTEST Auburn blog on the 'net.
Tuberville said after today's practice that he hopes to get a ruling on suspended TB Brad Lester before Saturday's game. "We'd like to get a little closure on it -- give him some idea what he's doing," Tuberville said. Lester has been practicing and is prepared to play immediately.As someone who has dealt with this team almost every day since Aug. 1, let me say that I don't know if New Mexico State is a guaranteed win. Not at all. This could be a legitimate challenge. I'm not predicting an Auburn loss. Don't get me wrong. I'm just saying that a loss all but ensures dramatic coaching changes at season's end.How dramatic?
Tom Dienhart of the Sporting News recently postulated that Tommy Tuberville is on fairly tenuous ground.
Tuberville has done a great job on the Plains, but a combination of a horrid start, Nick Saban's arrival at Alabama and a rift between Tubs and the Aubie fat cats could have all parties headed toward a mutual divorce.That's not taking an NMSU loss into account. Remember that Auburn still has road games at Florida, LSU, Arkansas and Georgia ahead. There are a lot of incredibly taxing situations ahead for this team and this coaching staff.
How important does Brandon Cox look now? This team desperately needs him back to his old self. There is no evidence suggesting Cox is headed that way.
I was looking this up yesterday and was amazed. Auburn has 12 turnovers this season (only one other SEC team, Arkansas, has more than 7) and has a turnover margin of -2.67 per game. Where does that rank nationally? Tied for 117th out of 119. Only one team, Minnesota, is more turnover prone. The bottom quarter of that list is loaded with teams that will end the season under .500.
posted by Jay G. Tate at
8:39 AM
15 Comments:
Jay,
Not sure what Tom D. from the Sporting News actually knows - but I'm going to guess its very little based on this gem from the same article -
one potential candidate is "Terry Bowden...And it also would be getting a good coach."
Haaaaaaahhhahahahahah! That is high comedy. He just failed the credibility test.
Seriously though, why is everyone assuming that Burns can't throw the ball? I saw an arm at least twice as strong as Cox's on Saturday and he is extremely mobile so that removes some of the problems with not knowing "the playbook". He said himself that he threw "almost every single down" in High School and Saturday was the first time he'd ever been called on to run the ball. Give the kid a chance to air it out.
I thought that Terry Bowden thing was funny as well. Tom said LSU might be a stretch for Bowden. Ha!
I think Auburn is going to give Burns a chance to air it out. Nobody questions his arm strength. The problem is that college defenses are much more complicated (and staffed by better players) than their high-school counterparts. There is far less room for error. That is Auburn's concern.
They're going to keep playing Brandon. I believe that. They're convinced that Brandon is going to come around one of these days.
Tubs will not be fired this year unless this team wins three or less games, then all bets are off (of course, this is a guess but a better one than Tom D.'s). As you alluded to before, the coach with the most to lose this year is Borges, followed closely by Knox and Ensminger.
Bill King on Rivals radio keeps pimping the idea that Tubs would get offered -- and accept -- the LSU job should Miles go to Michigan. Now that would make things interesting.
Edit: OK, I should read slower. "Mutual divorce" is plausible.
If Auburn keeps playing like this, I don't see why LSU would pursue Tuberville.
Also, if Tuberville were to leave, Auburn would feel unprecedented pressure to find a coach of Saban-like stature. That means Auburn would have to pay Saban-like money to someone. Who deserves that?
I'm asking you all: Who deserves it?
I think there is virtually zero chance that Tuberville goes anywhere next year - Borges would be a different story.
I also can't think of any other coach that I would prefer to have. Maybe Petrino and Spurrier but they would be very very long shots I would assume.
Surely, this is crazy. I'm not satisfied with the goings on of the program right now, but surely Tubs has not squandered all of the goodwill he has built up over the last 3 years. Right?
I think Tuberville, Inc., is an excellent group of coaches. The things they have accomplished since Jetgate put them on an elite level in my opinion.
If I was in charge of Tuberville's fate, I'd have no problems with a down season every once in a while.
I am not in charge of Tuberville's fate. The people who make those decisions are watching the situation very carefully. I don't think there is as much "goodwill" as you might think. I'm NOT suggesting there is a move afoot to get Tuberville run out of town.
If this team goes 5-7, though, anything can happen.
In response to who deserves the money, I would say Spurrier, Petrino, or Sean Payton. Would the Troy coach be a good choice, even though he doesn't deserve that type of money?
My opinion is that the 2003 fiasco basically guaranteed that Tubs will not be fired for one down year. AU took a huge credibility hit and I HOPE they would not do something similarly embarrassing.
Plus, this team has a ton of potential to be very good next year and phenomenal in 2009. Tom D. said they could be 0-3 right now but they could also be 3-0. Turning the ball over 10 times and losing by a combined 8 points says there is hope for this year as well.
Oh and I wouldn't spit on Petrino if he was on fire. He's scum. Ask Tom Jurich about Petrino's honesty and credibility.
Larry Blakeney isn't getting this job. Ever. Great coach, though.
Again, this kind of talk is premature. No doubt. Auburn might turn this thing around as quickly as it unraveled, which would make this kind of talk meaningless. If Brandon Cox re-ememges, Auburn could be pretty good.
I also agree that this team should be better in 2008. It's a young group on offense right now. Still, Tuberville, Inc., is responsible for the lack of upperclass presence on offense. They're the ones recruiting. And, for the record, I think SACS is almost irrelevant.
Anyway, we'll revisit this larger issue in a few weeks.
p.s: Honesty and credibility have almost nothing to do with this.
How about Butch Davis? He would be a great hire in my opinion, and surely Auburn would be a step-up from North Carolina, but would he leave UNC after only one year?
I think Auburn, if pressed into this currently unlikely situation, would aim higher than Butch Davis.
No offense to Arkansas, which will probably try to hire Davis in a few months...
Yeah I agree, if Auburn does have to get a new coach, we have to somewhat match the intensity that Saban has brought to Alabama. We would have to hire a top-notch coach ourselves.
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