AUBURN NOTEBOOK: Offense ‘frustrated’ after loss to Vandy

By Mike Szvetitz
Sports Editor, Opelika-Auburn News
Published: October 6, 2008

Auburn started off Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt with 14 consecutive running plays.

Lining up under center, with two tight ends in the game in what’s called the “Ace” formation, and handing the ball to junior running back Ben Tate was working. Well.

Auburn gained 82 total yards on those 14 plays, with a majority coming out of the “Ace” set, which picked up the Tigers’ first touchdown.

Then, after a Jerraud Powers interception, Auburn came back two plays later and scored again. This time it was a slant pass to wideout Mario Fannin for 28 yards. But it was the run that set that play in motion.

“That opened up the pass a little bit,” sophomore center Ryan Pugh said. “You saw on the third drive, we hit Mario down the middle and it’s just because we baited them in.”

Then it stopped. Auburn abandoned the run. And Vanderbilt scored 14 unanswered points to hand the Tigers their second loss of the season.

“We came out in the first quarter and rushed for about 100 yards and looked like the Auburn of old,” Pugh said. “We got our confidence going and then all of a sudden we completely go away from it. As a player, it’s frustrating. As someone watching the game, I’m sure it’s frustrating. To come out like that and then come out and lay an egg in the second quarter and the second half is really embarrassing on offense.”

Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville said the reason for going away form the run and leaning on the pass was because Vanderbilt stacked the box, halting the run and forcing the Tigers to throw the ball.

“Yeah, they stopped it,” Tuberville said of the running game. “What they did, they started bringing their safeties up and putting them on the outside and had one too many guys to block.

“Hindsight, we might have been able to do it a little more in the second half … We did some new things in the second half that we felt would work, maybe the same that they had not seen. We tried to do one or two new things where they can’t adjust during halftime but obviously it didn’t work.”

Frustration was a word thrown around a lot Sunday by players after practice.

Frustration about the lack of offensive production. Frustration about the lack of identity. Frustration about the loss to Vanderbilt.

“We’re pretty down right now,” Pugh said. “It’s a loss to Vanderbilt. I don’t remember the last time I saw a team at Auburn get beat by Vanderbilt, probably because I wasn’t alive.

“It’s disappointing. You feel a little embarrassed after the game the way you played. Just to go out and put on a performance like that, that’s just disappointing.

“It’s just frustrating as a player to go out there and put your heart on the line and come away empty-handed.”

For senior right tackle Jason Bosley it was even more disheartening because of the fast start by the offense and the running game.

“We came out and really got after them good,” Bosley said. “We thought it was going to be that game when we just clicked. I thought it was going to be like last year. Then it stopped. It just stalled and we never got it going again.

“We just struggled. It was frustrating.”

Byrum: ‘I’m going to be fine’
A day after missing an extra point that could have possibly sent Auburn’s game into overtime against Vanderbilt on Saturday night, sophomore place-kicker Wes Byrum was still searching for answers.

“I really wish I could explain it to you,” Byrum said.

So far this season, Byrum has missed four field goals, including the last three and, now, an extra point.

“I’m just working on it, trying to get back on track,” he said. “Last week, I had a good weekly practice. All week, I was hitting them. I just hit it on the outside of my foot.”

But Byrum said he’s not staying down long. As a kicker, he knows he’ll get another chance.

“I’m going to be fine, I know it,” the sophomore said. “I just got to get back on track.

“Right now, it’s just technique. Mentally, I’m working hard to get back to where I need to be. It’s just that I’m not hitting the ball on the same spot on my foot. I think I’ve got it figured out. I’m going to work hard this week like I did last week. I’ve been working hard the last couple weeks. So, I’ll get it straightened out.”

Injury report
Saturday, Tuberville said his team looked like a “MEDEVAC unit.”

Sunday, the head coach said players were getting better.

Junior cornerback Jerraud Powers (hamstring) sat out the entire second half, while junior defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks (ankle) missed a majority of the game. Powers’ hamstring is “tweaked,” according to Tuberville, and was sore Sunday. Marks’ X-rays came back negative, Tuberville said.

The coach said both of those starters are day-to-day.

Senior wideout Robert Dunn missed Saturday’s game all together, as he didn’t make the trip to Vanderbilt because of an injured ankle. Tuberville said Dunn stayed in Auburn to get treatment on the injury.

Tuberville said he hopes to see Dunn back at practice this week.

Senior running back Brad Lester (knee) is slowly getting better, as is linebacker Craig Stevens (turf toe).

Defensive end Antonio Coleman (pulled leg muscle) was limited in his play Saturday because of the injury, but Tuberville expects him to be fine for this Saturday’s game against Arkansas.

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