A Slow Start on the Plains
by Stephen Beard (The Muse)
October 05, 2007
While the Auburn Tigers started the season in the mid-teens in most preseason rankings, the feelings around campus were that 2007 could be a special season. With a returning senior quaterback and a good core of the defense back, most locals expected the team to compete for the SEC, and possibly, National Championship. Early season losses to South Florida and Mississippi State have tempered those expectations, while the win over Florida at least keeps the hopes of an SEC Title alive.
|
Auburn is no stranger to slow starts (see 2003). But this year is a little easier to explain. The first and most obvious issue is the fact that there was only one starter returning on the offensive line. Combined with the fact that the returning starter and 3 of the 4 new starters woefully underperformed in the first three games, it is not surprising that the offense sputtered. As the starting quarterback, Brandon Cox took most of the blame and even lost his starting job in the New Mexico State game after he lost his confidence. Cox has never been mobile and needs playmakers around him. His best season (2005), he had 2 offensive lineman, 3 receivers, and 1 running back who are now getting paychecks from NFL teams. Cox is a good manager of the game, but he needs time and playmakers.
|
"Biggest playmaker on the offense has yet to take a snap." |
Which brings up the second issue: The biggest playmaker on the offense has yet to take a snap. Brad Lester has been on acedemic suspension since the week before the Cotton Bowl last year. The coaches believed he would be able to start the year, but he has yet to play. The University has not released details of the problem. Lester's absence forced Ben Tate and Mario Fannin into starring roles. Ben Tate is a capable SEC running back, but he is not a gamebreaker. Mario Fannin is a gamebreaker, but he has had problems holding on to the ball and picking up blitzes in that passing game.
|
The third issue is the lack of playmakers in the receiving corps. The best reciever in the bunch, Rod Smith, is a former walk-on and he had terrible games in the first three contests of the season. There is an abundance of young talent with Robert Dunn, Chris Slaughter, Tim Hawthorne, etc, but for some reason, they have not made an impact in any of the games.
|
"Tigers are not in terrible shape." |
Surprisingly, the defense has played well. Surprising because they have yet to have the same starting 11 in consecutive games. At one point, five starters were on the bench injured. Even with all of those injuries, the offenses slow start, and the abundance of turnovers (they were dead last in the country in turnover margin a couple of weeks ago) the defense has played well enough to win every game.
|
After a couple of weeks distance and two wins, one over top five ranked Florida, the calls for Tubervilles job seem a little over the top. However, after the loss to Mississippi State, many wondered aloud whether Tuberville was going to be on the way out. Most know that after the "Jetgate" incident of 2003, Tuberville's relationship with the powers that be at Auburn is mostly non-existant. He seems to have quited the talk of getting fired by beating Florida. However, the new rumors are that since this looks like Dennis Franchione's last year at Texas A&M, Tuberville may be leaving voluntarily. There are some Texas A&M people who have made no secret of the fact that they would pursue Tubervillle. Again, this all seems a little premature. Tuberville has always been on the rumor mill, either in danger of being fired, jumping to the NFL, or going to Texas A&M or Arkansas. The fact is that Tuberville's contract has a 6 million dollar buyout clause in it. That will be enough to keep Tuberville in Auburn for several more years.
Even afer the slow start (a loss to now 6th ranked South Florida and an unexplainable loss to Mississippi State), the Tigers are not in terrible shape. The coaches took a chance and shook up the offensive line with 3 true freshman and that seems to have energized the offense. Cox has his confidence back, Brad Lester is back in the lineup this week and the defense is as good as anybody in the SEC with the possible exception of LSU and is getting healthy. As strange as it seems, Auburn seems to be LSU's main competition in the SEC West, along with Alabama.
|
