Pinebox derby

By Andrew Gribble
Auburn University Beat Reporter
Published: October 30, 2008

Then
“They’ll have to carry me out of here in a pine box.“

Now
“I’ve been here 10 years. I plan on being here 10 more. I’m looking forward to it … I’m 10 years an Auburn man and I’m 10 years more of an Auburn man than most because I put my heart and soul in this thing and we ain’t going to stop now.“

Discuss.

Returning to Oxford ‘not quite as brutal’
The storyline has become less and less juicy as the years go by, but a trip back to Oxford for Tommy Tuberville and a number of coaches on his staff still brings back the memories.

The unkind reception from an anti-Tuberville fanbase has also tempered, making the trip just a tad more relaxing.

“It’s not quite as brutal as it was early in my tenure,“ Tuberville said. “It’s always fun to go back and see old friends. They even call for tickets. I never give them to them but they call for tickets.“

The enemies certainly outnumbered the friends in Tuberville’s first couple of return trips to Ole Miss.

Days before he signed with Auburn following the 1998 season, Tuberville made one of his more infamous statements: “They’ll have to carry me out of here in a pine box,“ an enthusiastic commitment to the school where he began his head-coaching career.

The words, obviously, did not sit well with fans, who have let Tuberville hear it when he returns every other year. The worst reaction came in his first trip back, in 2000, when Auburn players carried Tuberville on their shoulders after the Tigers’ victory. The Vaught-Hemingway crowd heavily booed the display.

The boos and nasty signs haven’t necessarily had an effect on Tuberville, who is 4-0 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and 6-2 overall against his old school.

“A lot of changes over there,“ Tuberville said. “They’ve done a good job with facilities. They’ve done a good job with the football team. They’ve gotten better the last few years. This is still a pretty young team.“

Three of Tuberville’s offensive assistants and two on defense followed Tuberville from Oxford to Auburn.

“We had some great times over there but we’re at Auburn now,“ defensive ends coach Terry Price said. “We’ve been here 10 years and again it’s Auburn versus Ole Miss.

“So really it’s a ballgame.“ 

One more update
As he said after Wednesday’s practice, Tuberville said that the only players likely to miss Saturday’s game are cornerback Neiko Thorpe (ankle) and right guard Byron Isom (concussion).

Isom did not dress for Auburn’s game at West Virginia, per doctors’ orders, and Tuberville said Thursday that sophomore Mike Berry, who started in Isom’s place, was still running with the first-team offense.

Tuberville said nose guard Tez Doolittle (groin) should be available and cornerback Jerraud Powers (hamstring) will hopefully get a little healthier before gametime.

Tailback Ben Tate (hamstring), who Tuberville said Sunday was about “80-85 percent,“ is not quite 100 percent yet, but has improved by the day. A big step this week came when Tate did not have to warm up on a stationary bicycle during individual drills.

“Now he’s going through everything, so he should be fine,“ Tuberville said.

Kick it
Tuberville stood strong in his vow to keep Auburn’s open kicking job a secret heading into Saturday.

Tuberville said he has liked what he’s seen from starter Wes Byrum, backup Morgan Hull and punter Clinton Durst, who was thrown into the mix at the start of the week.

He was particularly impressed after Wednesday’s practice, when all three kickers made all of their attempts. Each kicker has gotten six kicks under pressure each day in practice, Tuberville said.

“We’ll go all the way to Saturday knowing that everyone’s had a lot of work this week,“ Tuberville said. “We’ll just go off what they do in pre-game.“

This and that
Auburn is 8-1 all-time in Oxford. It is 24-8 lifetime against Ole Miss … The Tigers have not allowed a touchdown in the first quarter and are one of only 10 defenses that have not allowed more than four rushing touchdowns this season … Ole Miss’ roster features six Alabama natives and one former Tiger, linebacker Patrick Trahan. Freshman tailback Enrique Davis originally signed with Auburn before de-committing and joining the Rebels. Davis has run for 175 yards and two touchdowns this season.