GAME DAY, Auburn at Georgia

Hey everyone. Let's get to business.

We're live from Sanford Stadium, located in the rolling hills of eastern Georgia. This is a nice place. I can gaze to the west and see the Tate Student Center. Those aren't my people, but it makes me feel important nonetheless.

As far as the team goes ... TB Tristan Davis isn't dressed out as predicted by coach Tommy Tuberville. Davis obviously will not play. Georgia was rumored to be breaking out black jerseys for this game. That's a rumor that came true. UGA is wearing black for the first time I can remember. Most fans are wearing black, too, which is pretty cool.

I heard Tuberville on one of these pre-game shows, a Georgia show, and he was asked about the Texas A&M. Tuberville said he "doesn't understand why my name keeps coming up" with these various (possible) job openings. I just have to roll my eyes. Look, I have no problem with using capitalism to your advantage. I do that. I'm just saying ... we all know why Tuberville's name comes up. He likes it that way.

--------GAME COVERAGE--------

CURRENT SCORE:
AUB -- 20
UGA -- 45
FINAL

UGA -- (1st, 10:10) Brandon Coutu 34 FG
AUB -- (1st, 4:46) Wes Byrum 22 FG
UGA -- (1st, 3:09) Mohamed Massaquoi 58 pass from Matthew Stafford (Coutu kick)
UGA -- (2nd, 10:54) Sean Bailey 13 pass from Stafford (Coutu kick)
AUB -- (2nd, 6:13) Ben Tate 7 run (Byrum kick)
AUB -- (3rd, 12:19) Mario Fannin 12 pass from Brandon Cox (Byrum kick)
AUB -- (3rd, 6:47) Byrum 33 FG
UGA -- (3rd, 5:00) Knowshon Moreno 24 run (Coutu kick)
UGA -- (3rd, 0:00) Moreno 3 run
UGA -- (4th, 12:11) Brannan Southerland 1 run (Coutu kick)#
UGA -- (4th, 6:48) Brown 1 run (Coutu kick)#

STATS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT:
**That was the most points allowed by an Auburn team since the 1996 season, when the Tigers surrendered 51 (Florida) and 56 (Georgia).

Third down conversions...
Auburn: 4 of 11
Georgia: 8 of 13 (absolutely nuts)

Brandon Cox interceptions ...
4

Total offense ...
Auburn: 216
Georgia: 417

News of the day, 11/9

Hey everyone. I'm running a picture of Carnell Jr., aka Knowshon Moreno, today because my latest piece of journalistic brilliance is about the talented UGA back. He really is a lot like Carnell ... even down to the jersey number. I still think Auburn is going to win the game. There has been a quiet confidence at Auburn this week that makes me think they know something.

You're not alone: Kim Jong-il, grumpy Korean dictator, may read the HOTTEST Auburn blog on the 'net. I got a hit from Korea on Tuesday.

News of the day, 11/8

Hey everyone. I'll start by apologizing for blogging so late today. I volunteered at my daughter's school during the early afternoon, held some productive meetings at the Advertiser during the late afternoon. So it's been an unusually busy Thursday here at HABOTN headquarters.

Thanks for your continued support. I'll come up with some extra goodies during the coming days to make up for my shameful inattention.

You're the coolest person ever for perusing the HOTTEST Auburn blog on the 'net.

Some inoffensive news to report -- DT Josh Thompson and TE Cole Bennett were named to ESPN The Magazine's academic all-district team. I was a little surprised. Everybody knows that Bennett is an outstanding student, but Thompson's stout academic credentials have gone under the radar. Congratulations to both. I'm sure they're future HABOTN readers. You can't be into this stuff until your career ends. That's my rule.

From the "Did You Know" Files comes this nugget ... CB Walt McFadden, known around these parts at "Bullwinkle" for his dance last weekend, is cousins with the nation's top high-school cornerback. Patrick Johnson currently is committed to Miami, but McFadden said he's mentioned Auburn more than once.

News of the day, 11/7

Hey everyone. It's been another fun day in Alabama. The friends I didn't know I had are calling and emailing about Tommy Tuberville's job dilemma. I never know what to tell them, so I do what Tuberville does: Make up a story based on how I'm feeling that minute.

That's not the same as lying. It's just that my opinion on the matter spins around like a compass at the magnetic north pole, so north is north one minute, south the next.

Hard way to say: There is no plan yet.

Stand up and take a bow. You have chosen wisely by visiting the HOTTEST Auburn blog on the 'net.

The feeling I got yesterday while talking to a few of the principles is that Tuberville won't demand that Auburn pay him $4 million to match what Alabama pays Saban, which is the most insane thing about college football today. Anyway, it sounds like Tuberville will want a modest pay raise, he wants his assistants to be the highest-paid group in the SEC and he wants some serious promises, the kind that come with start dates, dealing with a few facility issues he considers important.

Tuberville has insisted that he won't meet with the Auburn folks until season's end. I'm not sure about that. Fan interest in this thing is booming. He knows that. If Auburn beats Georgia this weekend, fan interest will pressure Auburn to make something happen quickly. As we have seen with Alabama, programs desperate to make particular moves will do whatever it takes to make that move happen.

Auburn has shown fiduciary restraint in the past, so it would be out of character for school officials to act like an ATM and pay an unreasonable sum.

Plus, Tuberville has one SEC championship in nine seasons of work. It's highly unlikely this season will end with a championship of any kind. Tuberville may have more leverage than his record would suggest.

Nobody knows more about risk-to-reward ratio than trustee and financier Robert Lowder.

News of the day, 11/6

Hey everyone. I have a lot to share and discuss throughout the afternoon. So if it's before 6 p.m., keep checking back. Once 6 o'clock rolls around, you get what you see.

We here at HABOTN headquarters appluad you for choosing to spend part of your day reading the HOTTEST uburn blog on the 'net.

Tommy Tuberville again offered cloudy comments when asked about the situation at Texas A&M. It's obvious that he's planning to at least assess the Aggies' interest. The purposes of assessing that interest could be toward considering a move ... or toward creating leverage for contract talks with Auburn. I've been covering him for nine years, talked with him privately for hours, and I still can't get a read on the guy.

I know this: He loves being a wanted man. This is a good time for him to be a wanted man. Don't expect this Texas A&M stuff to go away soon. If Tuberville is interested in staying at Auburn, though, I would expect an announcement within a few days of the Iron Bowl. If the uncertainty lasts longer than that, the Tigers' recruiting opponents will begin loading their proverbial weapons with this material.

Something else is clear: He's not living and breathing to coach at Auburn. If that was the case, as some fans believe, Tuberville would take a page out of Frank Beamer's book. Tuberville would make some rock-solid affirmation, insist that he'll be the coach at Auburn next year and say that he's not interested in Texas A&M ... after Dennis Franchione gets fired.

That's not how Tuberville rolls. It's just not.

Tuberville said today that TB Tristan Davis will not play against Georgia. That represents a reversal from earlier comments. The coach revealed today that Davis, out with a broken bone in his right foot, still isn't able to sprint. That sounds like a problem, yes.

Here are your top defensive producers from the Tennessee Tech game. Players are given points for doing significant things correctly. They are docked points for missing assignments, missing tackles, penalties or loafing.

Here is the full rundown of point distribution.

FROM TTU GAME:
CB Jerraud Powers -- 18
DE Sen'Derrick Marks -- 15
S Aairon Savage -- 14
CB Walt McFadden -- 12
DT Josh Thompson -- 11
CB Jae Wilhite -- 10
LB Tray Blackmon -- 9
DT Pat Sims -- 7

SEASON OVERALL:
CB Jerraud Powers -- 160
DE Antonio Coleman -- 156
LB Chris Evans -- 148
DE Sen'Derrick Marks -- 147
CB Pat Lee -- 137
S Zac Etheridge -- 136
LB Quentin Groves -- 114

NUMBER OF DOUBLE-DIGIT PRODUCTION GAMES:
none -- 10
none -- 9
Coleman, Marks -- 8
Etheridge, Brock, Powers -- 7
Evans, Lee -- 6
LB Craig Stevens, Groves -- 5
Savage, Sims, Wilhite, Blackmon -- 4

Here are your team defensive goals for the AU-TTU game.

Win: YES, 35-3
Allow 13 pts or less: YES, 3
Allow 3.3 yards per carry or less: YES, 3.3
Allow 5.0 yards per pass or less: NO, 6.6
Create at least 3 turnovers: YES, 4
Allow no big plays (defined as 15+ rush or 20+ pass): NO on run (1); NO on pass (2)
Allow no TDs inside "red area": YES
Force opponent to convert less than 30% on 3rd down: NO, 54%

Tennessee Tech's YAC (yards after contact) number was tba. (I'll get that later.)

News of the day, 11/5

Hey everyone. A few readers disagree with my assertion that Kodi Burns' best-cast career scenario now mirrors Jason Campbell's: Two years of badness, one year of pretty good play, one year of MVP play. Look, we're almost finished with Year One of Badness. Do you really think Burns will be mistaken for Andre Woodson or Matt Ryan next year?

I'm not trashing the kid. Not by a long shot. He's 18, I know that, and he certainly has a LONG time to refine his skills. What I'm saying is that Auburn (and others) talked about Burns like he was ready. The coaches chose to play him as a true freshman, which indicated that they thought he was ready to contribute in some way. Now Blake Field is the backup. Why not leave Burns on the scout team and let him learn like every single Tuberville quarterback before him?

If Field was good enough to be the backup all along, why burn a year of Burns' eligibility? It seems wasteful.

Thanks for peeping the HOTTEST Auburn blog on the 'net.

ESPN is reporting that Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione is in negotiations for a contract buyout. You know what that means: Tuberville will become an official candidate soon. Athletic director Jay Jacobs said during the weekend that he planned to talk with Tuberville at season's end, as is customary for all coaches, and formulate a plan from there. I would guess the timetable will be moved up.

Here are some things to keep in mind as the madness begins:
*Tuberville is in the third year of a seven-season deal worth approximately $18.2 million. He is making approximately $2.4 million this season.

*The contract includes a two-way buyout clause of $6 million.

*The contract includes detailed language requiring Tuberville or anyone acting on his "expressed authority" to obtain expressed permission from Auburn to negotiate with another school or professional team. There also is a phrase indicating that Tuberville's people can't "directly or indirectly" speak with possible employers without Auburn's permission. So there won't be any lurking, so to speak.

Let's just say that Texas A&M fires Dennis Franchione. I consider that "imminent."

Let's say Texas A&M really offers Tuberville big-time money ($3.5 million/year). I consider that "possible."

Then what? It'll all come down to how much The Important Trustees value Tuberville in financial terms. That's the real question. Would he be worth $3.5 million? Could Auburn get something better for that kind of money? I'm not touching that one with a 10-foot pole, of course, but these are the kinds of questions shrewd Auburn fans should be asking themselves ... in that pretend world where your opinion matters.

News of the day, 11/4

Hey everyone. I'll apologize up front for the lack of updates yesterday. I was watching the game and taking notes, but it's hard to stay into a game that's such a total mismatch. I'd kinda write some stuff for the paper, watch a series or two, write more stuff for the paper. I'll make up for it with some juicy details today.

It all depends on what you interpret as juicy, of course.

We hope you enjoy your stay here at the HOTTEST Auburn blog on the 'net.

Tuberville came out this afternoon and said Auburn doesn't have a backup quarterback. Holy cow. He's basically saying Blake Field and Kodi Burns are in a dead heat, which is a really bad development for Burns. Offensive coordinator Al Borges told a different story yesterday after the game. Tuberville said he and Borges had a chat on Sunday morning that changed things. We'll see what happens there. I gotta say: I'm shocked. Absolutely shocked.

What's even more shocking is how poorly Burns played on Saturday. He claimed to be anxious, which is NOT what a team wants to hear from a quarterback. My esteemed colleague Collin Mickle of the O-A News said anxiousness may be the worst trait a quarterback can have. I concur. That was a really bad performance from Burns yesterday. In fact, I'm now of the opinion that he's going to be a wait-and-see guy. Anyone still assuming Burns will be a star is not basing that on facts. The kid may end up being a star someday. Who knows? Best-case scenario now, at least in my eyes, is Jason Campbell: Two years of badness, one year of pretty good play and one year of MVP play.

Here is the AP football ballot I submitted this morning. My wife said we shouldn't even bother watching the BC-Florida State game because "the Seminoles suck so bad." So I watched non-sports programming. So it goes.

You can review every voter's ballot here.

I'll have to rag on Neal McCready for thoughtfully voting Arizona State No. 1 for the past three weeks. Them Sun Devils sure looked good yesterday. I'll say this: ASU's quarterback has one hell of an arm. My god.

1 Ohio St.
2 Oregon
3 LSU
4 Oklahoma
5 West Virginia
6 Kansas
7 Missouri
8 Georgia
9 Virginia Tech
10 Arizona St.
11 Hawaii
12 Florida
13 Southern Cal
14 Boston College
15 Connecticut
16 Texas
17 Auburn
18 Michigan
19 Boise St.
20 Clemson
21 Kentucky
22 Wisconsin
23 Alabama
24 Virginia
25 Illinois