Is it time for panic with Auburn’s struggling spread offense?

Is it time for panic with Auburn’s struggling spread offense?

Is Auburn’s new spread already dead?
Has Tommy Tuberville’s grand experiment become the biggest bust since Lisa Marie Presley married Michael Jackson?
Or with Auburn’s most critical game of the year just days away, should fans and media alike simply swallow a super-sized bottle of chill pills and see what happens?

Theoretically, the idea behind Tuberville’s brash decision to discard Al Borges and bring in Tony Franklin’s high-octane spread was to score more points and obviously shore up recruiting. After all, the spread has become the trendy offense in college football, and naturally top quarterbacks and wide receivers would want to jump on board. Right?
Instead, has the spread offense turned Auburn into college football’s version of the Titanic? Can you imagine a blue-chip prospect watching the Tigers’ exasperating 3-2 win over Mississippi State Saturday night? Can you also imagine the same players quickly marking through Auburn on their “Fave 5” list of recruiting visits with a freshly opened Sharpie?
Would any self-respecting skilled position player want to be caught dead in college football’s version of Al Capone’s Vault?
One can always find a silver lining in any storm and obviously that is Auburn’s defense. It is fabulous. However, as well as it played Saturday night, the Auburn offense tried repeatedly to give the game away — and nearly succeeded.

al.com
9/16/08