http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/sports/122535456134620.xml&coll=2
AUBURN — Tommy Tuberville is trying not to discuss what others are saying about his future at Auburn University. He figures he stated his case last week when he said he plans to coach the Tigers next year. No matter what others are saying, he’s trying to lay low.
But he is aware of Wednesday newspaper stories about a trustee offering, with conditions, public support for him. On Wednesday, he said he appreciated trustee Paul Spina saying he’s standing with him despite a 4-4 record. “But you have to do your job, just keep going, try to get better. You always look for support, obviously, but I know we’ve got to get better and win games.”
Auburn still has at least one-third of its games remaining and this is what he has to talk about days before playing an SEC road game at Ole Miss?
That seems to be the Auburn way, for Tuberville’s career future is being played out in the media again, and it hardly seems to surprise anyone.
“After all these years, I’m used to it,” Tuberville shrugged Wednesday.
He is an old hand at this, from the infamous 2003 aborted coup attempt, to rumors of other jobs over the years that he was slow to deny, to very public contract talks that he allowed to be played out in the press.
Maybe that’s why he can block all of this out and deal with the immediate task at hand, which is trying to find a way to beat Mississippi. He’ll try with the gradual transition of Auburn going back to its roots. The Tigers will want quarterback Kodi Burns to line up under center more, just as he did at West Virginia, and just as Auburn did with its quarterback in other years when the Tigers had a focused offensive plan.
Auburn got away from that when Tony Franklin took over as offensive coordinator last December, but now that he’s gone, the Tigers are returning to what they know best: Physical football.
That’s been the order of the day, every day, the past two weeks, which is something that wasn’t done the first half of the season.
al.com
10/30/08
Magnolia Tribune
