Off the map

Want a sign of how much Auburn has steered itself away from the national spotlight? Tommy Tuberville was asked two questions during today’s SEC conference call.

One wasn’t even about his team, or a team in Auburn’s conference. Oh, the joys of being an uncrowned national champion after a perfect 13-0 season four years ago.

Here’s what Tuberville had to say about undefeated Penn State, who could face a similar fate this season.

It’s tough. There’s not a lot you can do about it. I can remember about this time a year, we started thinking in terms of after eight wins going ‘How we going to catch the two people in front of us? We gotta do something.‘ Actually, I think we beat two teams in the top 10 in the last three or four games and we still didn’t have the opportunity to move into the top two.

Coach (Joe) Paterno has been through this before…I saw them, they’ve got a good football team. Really, the only thing you can do is keep playing and keep hoping. But I think things will work out for them if they continue to play well.

Here’s what Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt had to say about Auburn.

They present a lot of challenges; very, very physical on defense. Excellent defensive line.

Note how he didn’t mention Auburn’s potent offense. Bulletin board material? Perhaps.

Nutt also touched on the significance of Saturday’s game. Both Ole Miss and Auburn carry a 4-4 overall record and a 2-3 record within the SEC. The teams sit in a tie for third behind Alabama and LSU.

(The players) know that. We’ve talked hard. That really started last week about changing our season. Where we are to this point, everyone knows in November, that’s when they remember. So it’s time…This is a very very important ballgame.

In other news, Auburn fans making the trek to Oxford may want to re-evaluate their gameday wardrobe. Ditch the blue and stick with the orange this weekend.

Nutt has asked Ole Miss fans to wear all blue for Saturday’s 11:30 kickoff at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The school’s official Web site has taken the initiative to call it a “Nuttin’ But Blue” day.

I’d say that’s a bit much.

Recycling. It’s a good thing

A computer glitch caused my bowl projections post yesterday to upload before I was even halfway done writing it. A glut of Auburn news later in the day buried the post once it was finally completed.

So, I’ve decided to revive the thread and bump it up to the top for a few hours. More Auburn news to come later in the day as coach Tommy Tuberville will meet with us newspapermen after this afternoon’s practice.

Enjoy.

OK, so let’s say Auburn wins this weekend or pulls off a big upset against Georgia or Alabama. And we’re assuming that it trounces Tennessee-Martin on homecoming and a 6-6 record is good enough to earn a bowl bid.

So where would the Tigers be headed?

Here’s a quick glance at the locks, the should-make-its, the maybes and the no-ways. This is based on a precise science, by the way. Take it to the bank. (Actually, don’t. That would be a terrible idea. Stuff the money in a sock drawer or put it in a ceiling tile, instead.)

Locks
Alabama (8-0, 5-0 SEC)
Florida (6-1, 4-1 SEC)
Georgia (7-1, 4-1 SEC)
LSU (5-2, 3-2 SEC)

Should-make-its
South Carolina (5-3, 2-3 SEC)
Kentucky (5-3, 1-3 SEC)

Maybes
Vanderbilt (5-3, 3-2 SEC)
Auburn (4-4, 2-3 SEC)
Ole Miss (4-4, 2-3 SEC)
Tennessee (3-5, 1-4 SEC)

No-ways
Mississippi State (3-5, 1-3 SEC)
Arkansas (3-5, 1-4 SEC)

(Either Vanderbilt or Kentucky have to make it to six wins because they play each other soon.)

Here’s how I see it breaking down. The SEC has eight non-BCS bowl tie-ins. If the conference gets two teams into those five prestigious bowl games, I’m betting that Papa John is going to be pretty upset because no teams will be available.

This serves well for Auburn. No matter what, if Auburn makes it to six wins, it will be in a bowl game.

Best-case scenario: Auburn wins out. If that miracle occurs, the Tigers would likely end up back in Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A Bowl. An even better scenario would be if Auburn won out and both Alabama and LSU made BCS bowls, a very unlikely scenario unless the SEC East division-winner, or runner-up if that division winner makes the Capital One Bowl, resembles Tennessee of last year. I don’t see that happening because both Florida and Georgia look pretty darn good right now, a lot darn better than Auburn at the moment. That highly unlikely scenario would, in theory, send the Tigers to Dallas for the Cotton Bowl. That would only occur, however, if the Cotton Bowl remained adamant in filling its SEC slot with a Western division team because a more enticing SEC East team will assuredly be available. Also in this mix would be the Outback Bowl, but that selection, as with the Cotton Bowl and the SEC West, tends to come from the SEC East.

If Auburn finishes 3-1, losing a game to either the highly-ranked Bulldogs or Crimson Tide, its fate will depend on what happens to the rest of the SEC. Best-case scenario would be the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Worst-case would be the Music City Bowl in Nashville. Sandwiched in between is the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, which gets preference over the Music City Bowl.

If Auburn finishes 2-2, its best-case scenario would be a trip to Memphis. Worst-case, and what I believe to be highly unlikely, would be a trip to Birmingham for the newest SEC-affiliated bowl game on the block, the PapaJohns.com Bowl. Also included that mix is the Independence Bowl in lovely Shreveport, La., which gets priority over the pizza man.

I see a theme developing here

Again, nothing new to report. Just another day where tomorrow’s notes today almost served no purpose. Enjoy, late-nighters.

Byrum bent on getting back to form
Three is by no means a crowd for Wes Byrum. The sophomore placekicker thrives on the competition.

But it hasn’t made his second-season struggles any easier. The only thing that will fix that is him putting three points on the board somewhere besides the practice field.

“It’s a little tough because I know I can kick the ball, I know I can make them,“ Byrum said. “I’m just in a spot right now where it’s tough to get through.“

When it comes to explaining his woes, which have translated into an 8-of-14 mark and coach Tommy Tuberville re-opening tryouts for the job he currently holds, Byrum said it’s all about the flaws in his technique. But technique will only take you so far, he said.

“What it really comes down to, you just have to kick it through,“ Byrum said. “It doesn’t matter how you do it, it’s just gotta go through.“

Byrum’s struggles have been magnified this season because of the added importance on the field goals he attempts. Auburn ranks 109th in the nation in total offense and 102nd in scoring offense, so three points goes a long way.

It can be argued that two of Byrum’s misses, including his wayward 44-yard attempt against West Virginia, had a direct effect on two of Auburn’s losses. His missed extra point against Vanderbilt, in theory, prevented the 14-13 final from going into overtime.

“We’re not getting the ball in the end zone as much,“ Byrum said. “When they fight and get me in range and I don’t make it, it’s kind of tough. It’s just something I’ve got to deal with.“

Byrum has sought out high school coaches and even a former Auburn kicker for help.

Byrum said he often kicks with and simply shoots the breeze with John Vaughn, who is currently on campus for his final semester at Auburn. Vaughn, who sits at eighth all-time with 30 made field goals over his career, also had his fair share of struggles. He missed four field goals in a 20-17 overtime loss to LSU in 2005.

Running back Mario Fannin, on the other hand, has opted for a different strategy in trying to help Byrum.

“I think talking to him kind of adds more pressure, really,“ Fannin said. “So I just try to stay away from it. He knows what he has to do, so hopefully he can get it done.“

Tuberville said a decision would be made on Auburn’s open kicking job gametime Saturday at Ole Miss.

Never quit
At his weekly press conference Tuesday, Tuberville responded to comments made on a local radio show that Auburn “quit” in the second half against West Virginia.

He adamantly disagreed.

“We haven’t quit yet,“ he said. “And we never have quit. I don’t know how you determine that. Our guys have a lot of pride. They practice like everybody else. One thing we’re going to do is we’re going to play hard and we’re going to play for four quarters.

“Now, we might not play very well, and fatigue is a factor in that. But when people start talking about quitting, they start looking for excuses. We have no excuses.“

Auburn allowed 31 unanswered points Thursday, 24 coming in the second half.

An (un)friendly reminder
Junior Antonio Coleman leads the SEC in both sacks (6.0) and tackles for loss (10.5).

Word to wise: Until Auburn starts winning, don’t remind him.

“I don’t care,“ Coleman said. “It means nothing to me. I just get out there and try to make as many plays as I can. Like I told you before, that’s null and void to me. Look at our season. We’re 4-4. I couldn’t care if I’m last right now.

“The stats and all that really has nothing to do with me and what I’m all about. I really don’t care.“

My bad
Miscommunication prevented Auburn from scoring six points on a record-setting 20-play drive Thursday at West Virginia.

On a third-and-goal, Kodi Burns and Fannin bumped into each other on what became a broken play. Auburn was forced to settle for three points on a 19-yard Byrum field goal.

On Tuesday, Fannin came clean that he zigged when he should have zagged.

“I went the wrong way. It was my fault,“ Fannin said. “I thought it was 32 and it was 33. But that’s something we’re working on.“

The players’ club

OK, so more and more players trickled into the Rane Room as the afternoon wore on today. Because I don’t feel like gettin’ crackin’ on my newspaper work as of yet, I figured it’d be a good time to relay to you what those players had to say.

Enjoy.

Mr. Kodi Burns, your quarterback

On his first full game under center:
It went OK. I mean, it could have gone a lot better. We didn’t win, obviously. I came out in the first half and threw it eight for nine and was doing really good. In the second half, I kind of fell off a little bit. The running game fell off a little and that I guess caused the passing game to fall off in a sense. It went OK, but it could go a lot better.

You think the offense could open up a bit at Ole Miss?
I think the positive thing that we did in West Virginia, I think we were somewhere around 50 percent on third downs, completion rate. If we can do that, that’s pretty good. I think we just need to continue what we’re doing and just open it up a little bit more.

You picking and choosing your spots to run better? (Tony Franklin constantly harped on Burns for this)
My style of running is kind of more from the passing game – when nobody’s open, then you take off and get first downs. That’s kind of how it went Thursday night against West Virginia. Hopefully against Ole Miss it will be the same way.

How important is this Ole Miss game?
It’s definitely important because everybody wants to go to a bowl. The seniors definitely want to go to a bowl. I don’t know when the last time Auburn hasn’t been to a bowl game, so we definitely want to go to a bowl game and this game is very important. All the rest of the four are very important, but it starts with Ole Miss. It’s SEC play and we want to go to a bowl game so everybody’s fired up.

Let’s swing over to the other side of the ball. Antonio Coleman, come on down.

How does the defense get back to where it was at the beginning of the season?
We need to get our swagger back. There’s only one word that you can use. Just get our swagger back. Hopefully we’ll get that Saturday.

How does the defense get said swagger back?
I truly can’t tell you. We’ve been looking for that answer week-in and week-out. We’re still coming up short, so I mean, it’s just something that’s missing that not too many people know about that we’re still trying to find and see what’s wrong.

And, the moment of the day, here’s Coleman’s reaction when asked how he felt about being the SEC sacks leader. (I wish the anger translated better in print, but this is the best I can do.)
I don’t care. It means nothing to me. I just get out there and try to make as many plays as I can. Like I told you before, that’s null and void to me. Look at our season. We’re 4-4. I couldn’t care if I’m last right now. The stats and all that really has nothing to do with me and what I’m all about. I really don’t care.

And here’s another big member of the defense, Sen’Derrick Marks. Always great for a good quote or two. Here are a select couple.

Could you have ever imagined Auburn would be on the cusp of bowl-ineligibility?
I never would have thought of this. Even if we weren’t top 10, even if we weren’t projected to win our side of our conference, I never would have thought we would be in the predicament we’re in now. Even when we slid down to No. 21, even when we weren’t ranked, I never would have thought we would be 4-4, just trying to win out to get to a decent bowl game or trying to have a season where we could say, ‘OK, we didn’t do too bad, but we didn’t do good at all.‘

How ‘bout that swagger Coleman was talking about?
It’s something you can get back. Swagger is the way you approach things…All it is is going out and being able to play like we used to do.

Kicking it with…the kicker

The players have been few and far between today here at the Auburn Athletic Complex. And one of them was a kicker, which to some is worth half a player.

But this kicker had plenty to say, and I give him credit for being the first one out and answering all the tough questions. Wes Byrum’s the name and he was your starting kicker. That title has come under question since Tommy Tuberville seemingly re-opened the job Sunday to anyone capable of kicking a ball far and accurate.

Byrum’s been a great practice player but his success in games has waned since his strong freshman campaign. He’s 8-of-14 on kicks this season and it can be argued that two of his wayward field goal attempts and his only missed extra point of the season had a direct effect in three of Auburn’s four losses.

The sputtering, confused offense and the all-of-a-sudden missing defense also had a hand in those, too.

Here’s what Byrum had to say. Again, I was very impressed with the sophomore.

On his struggles as a whole:
It’s a little tough because I know I can kick the ball, I know I can make them. I mean, I know I’m a good kicker, I’m just in a spot right now where it’s tough to get through.

On the upped competition at practice, including a little heat from punter Clinton Durst:
It’s good. I think I always do better when there is more competition. Durst is good, he hits the ball real well for someone that never kicks field goals. (Morgan) Hull is hitting the ball great. I think everybody is working a lot harder.

Can you put your finger on what’s wrong?
Yeah, it’s technique but really after the last couple weeks, I just need to hit the ball and put it through the uprights, really. All in all, you could have the best technique but what it really comes down to, you just have to kick it through. It doesn’t matter how you do it, it’s just gotta go through.

Is there more pressure when the offense is hitting for more than 20 points as often as a solar eclipse?
A little bit. When we’re not putting a lot of points up and you go out there, they need the three points. We need it. We’re not getting the ball in the end zone as much and when they fight and get me in range and I don’t make it it’s kind of tough. It’s just something I’ve got to deal with.

Byrum also mentioned that he’s been hanging out and talking with former Auburn kicker John Vaughn, who is currently on campus for his final semester. Vaughn had his fair share of struggles as well, so the two have something in common. That, and they can kick the ball really far.

Here are some quick-hitters from Tuberville’s time to shine with a fancy suit on. Note: the tie was orange today.

On the differences between Byrum and Durst:
Wesley’s more of a muscle guy, who muscles the ball through the uprights. His technique comes and goes. He doesn’t rely on that very much. He never has. He’s a big guy, very strong. Most kickers just depend basically on technique to get the ball height and distance. Wesley’s strong enough that he’s been able to do that all his life. He’s trying to get a little bit more technique sound, which he needs to. Just consistency has been his problem. It was last year and obviously this year. Clinton and Hull are a little bit more technique-oriented. They have to be to be able to get the distance on the ball.

On his concerns about being bowl eligible:
You can’t worry about all that. You just keep worrying about getting better. We’re a better team now than we were three weeks ago. I think our offense is much improved. I know there was a lot of room for improvement.

On if the team quit Thursday:
No. We haven’t quit yet. And we never have quit. I don’t know how you determine that. Our guys have a lot of pride. They practice like everybody else. One thing we’re going to do is we’re going to play hard and we’re going to play for four quarters.

Now, we might not play very well, and fatigue is a factor in that. But when people start talking about quitting, they start looking for excuses. We have no excuses.

Tuberville added that he has not suffered a stroke since he last addressed the subject.