Auburn needs to look to future during dismal present

By Lee Roberts  |   Thursday, November 06, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

Auburn Tigers
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I think it’s safe to call the 2008 football season for the Auburn Tigers a disaster. With lofty expectations that always come with the territory, this season looked like it had the makings of something special. A new, fancy offense that brought excitement after a bowl game victory and a stout, experienced defense will go a long way to heightening expectations. Unfortunately, Auburn fell flat and now must look to the future.

The experiment with the spread offense failed and Tony Franklin was the scapegoat. The drama surrounding his firing has been well-chronicled, as has the continued struggles of the offense without Franklin. Adding to Auburn’s problems this season has been a startling rash of injuries on the defensive side of the ball.

The Tigers currently sit 4-5, needing two wins for bowl eligibility. One of those wins will come this weekend as Auburn hosts Tennessee-Martin. The problem will be finding a second victory, with Georgia and Alabama on the schedule the last two weeks of the season. Given the Tigers’ play thus far, it’s difficult to imagine them winning either of those games.

So, with the team staring a 5-7 record and no bowl game in the face, Auburn must start to plan for 2009. Kodi Burns can be an effective quarterback in the SEC, so the coaches need to continue to develop his passing skills. He threw for 319 yards against Ole Miss, but he also had three interceptions. He’s shown flashes all season but has been killed by inconsistency.

At running back, Ben Tate and Mario Fannin should return next season, which will provide a nice tandem in the backfield to establish a running game. Four of the top six receivers on the team this season will be back next year. Only one offensive lineman on the entire roster is a senior. Essentially, the offense should return almost entirely intact. Given the unit's performance this year, though, that might not be a good thing; however, with an added year of experience, one would assume the 'O' will be much improved.

Injuries on the defensive side of the ball have forced young players into action much sooner than anticipated. Freshmen Neiko Thorpe, Harry Adams and D’Antoine Hood have all played significant minutes this year. That experience will only help this defense next season, especially considering veteran players like Aairon Savage, Jerraud Powers and Walter McFadden all return.

While Tommy Tuberville certainly isn’t going to give up on this season yet, he should be comforted by the amount of returning talent he’ll have at his disposal next season. Of course, whether he is coaching all that talent at Auburn next season is yet to be determined.
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About Lee Roberts

Born in Richmond, Va, I moved south to UNC-Chapel Hill for college and received a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. I currently live in Charlotte, NC and cover Auburn, LSU and the ...
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