LIVE -- Tuberville speaks, 11/16

Coach Tommy Tuberville held his Sunday meeting with reporters this afternoon. He answered questions about a variety of topics. Please read and enjoy.

• "We didn't look like we had an answer to their pass game or their run game. I thought our coaches did a good job of adjusting. Our corners really played well. That's the first time we had them back healthy. That allows everybody else to play well."
  
  
• "Offensively, we were hit or miss. We had a 90-yard drive. We just didn't do much in the red zone. That's where it all counts. Mario Fannin had a great day. It was his best day as an Auburn Tiger."
  
  NOTE: Auburn is 119th out of 119 in red-zone efficiency this season.
  
  
• "Kodi Burns played 70 plays. He did an excellent job except for four plays. He competed. He went to the right side of the field in terms of throwing the ball. It was a tough game for him. I'm proud of how he grew up, hoe he helped the team."
  
  
• Injuries: Wesley Byrum ("something is wrong with his knee") and Tommy Trott ("he'll be evaluated this week"). Tuberville said they're "doubtful" for the Alabama game.
  
  
• On not playing Mario Fannin late: "We threw the ball 23 of the last 30 times. We didn't know as much with him as far as protections. He was in on some passing plays. With two weeks to prepare for this game, there shouldn't be any problem. At the end of the game, it becomes a mental as well as physical game. He's not there yet. He'll progress along as we go. We just played the odds with Ben Tate."
  
  
• On offense: "We showed improvement. That's not what we're looking for; we're in it to win games. There were two good defenses on the field. There was a lot of cat-and-mouse going on. We don't play for moral victories. We needed to win for a lot of reasons. We needed to finish a game. We just didn't finish."
  
  
• On Iron Bowl: "I wish we were playing this week. It should be played this week. I'm sure they'd love ot play this week knowing there's going into the (SEC) championship game. It was voted on by the SEC ADs. We weren't given that option."
  
  
• Where was Lester?: "He played special teams. We just didn't play him. He's not 100% like the other ones."
  
  
• Mario redux; run him more when he's in there?: "A lot of those were checks at the line. They were playing 8- on 9-man fronts. It was like running into a wall. We were looking to make plays out of something they weren't doing. You try to take advantage."
  
  
• Why not kick on next-to-last possession: "I was going to until I was reminded that (Byrum's) knee wasn't right. We thought about how that was (Morgan Hull's) first time out there."
  
  
• Is Morgan your kicker?: "More than likely, yes."
  
  
• "We haven't cashed in on opportunities for points."
  
  
• Red zone?: "That's inconsistency. It's a little mental, a little physical. We've gotten better between the 20s. It hasn't gotten better down there."
  
  
• "You can't live off a kicker and defense forever. That's why I changed offenses. Obviously, that didn't work."
  
  
• Ensminger's situation: "He's done well. He's been put into a tough situation to put an offense (together) in five weeks. I think he's done a good job with Kodi. Kodi is throwing the ball a lot better. (Burns) is still basically a freshman playing quarterback."
  
  END OF INTERVIEW