Tomorrow’s Notes Today—the “no comment” edition
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Like Gene Chizik, we have no comment.
Chizik mum on officiating
Gene Chizik had a simple response when he was asked to discuss a questionable call in Saturday’s game.
No comment.
Just days after SEC commissioner Mike Slive threatened suspensions and fines on coaches who complained about officiating, Chizik obliged, doing nothing but acknowledging that a delay of game was called against the Tigers in the third quarter against Ole Miss.
“I’m not going to comment on any of the officiating,” Chizik said.
The call in question is a bit of a paradox, seeing that Auburn was whistled for delay of game when, really, it was trying to speed it up.
The Tigers snapped the ball too soon, tailback Ben Tate said, not waiting until the official blew his whistle to start the play clock.
“He was backing up away from the ball,” Tate said Saturday. “Normally when he backs away from the ball, we can snap. He did that. He said he didn’t blow the whistle. I told him: ‘Then you shouldn’t have walked away from the ball.’“
Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen and Tennessee’s Lane Kiffin were both reprimanded last week for voicing respective complaints about officiating. Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino was reprimanded the week before.
While not voicing any complaints, Chizik briefly discussed two questionable calls in the Oct. 24 LSU game in his meeting with reporters the following day.
SEC Bylaw 10.5.4 requires that coaches, assistant coaches, players, support personnel and others associated with the institution’s athletics program refrain from public criticism of officials. It was announced Friday that the league would make violations of the bylaw enforceable by suspensions and fines, effective immediately.
Chizik, apparently, got the memo.
A much-needed day off
Enough was enough for Chizik when it came to watching speedy tailback Onterio McCalebb labor through a sore ankle over the past few weeks.
McCalebb dressed but didn’t see the field Saturday, missing the first game of his Auburn career.
“We’ve got to get him healthy, 100 percent,” Chizik said. “And obviously he’s got a different speed than a lot of guys, and he’s not the same guy without that speed, without being able to make those cuts and things of that nature.”
Chizik said resting McCalebb for Saturday’s game against Furman, a Championship Subdivision team, is “sort of a possibility.”
Receiving votes
After its first week of the season completely out of consideration from Associated Press voters and college coaches, Auburn received votes in both polls Sunday, but did not crack either’s top 25.
The Tigers did not crack the BCS Top 25.
They received 30 voter points in the AP poll and 46 in the coaches’ poll, making them the 28th- and 29th-ranked teams in each poll, respectively.
Bringing in the greats
For the second consecutive home game, Chizik brought in two Auburn greats to be with the team in the locker room and on the sidelines.
Former Auburn cornerback Carlos Rogers and tailback Cadillac Williams were with the team throughout Saturday’s game and stood next to Chizik during his post-game speech, according to an Auburn University photo.
Both Rogers’ and Williams’ NFL teams, the Washington Redskins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, had a bye Sunday. Former Auburn tailback Ronnie Brown and linebacker Reggie Torbor joined the team for its Oct. 17 game against Kentucky.
“It’s just really important to have those guys around and for them to be in the locker room. They love Auburn. They love coming back here,” Chizik said. “They’re the reasons Auburn is what it is. And it’s important for our guys to see those guys.”
(Photo credit: Todd Van Emst)
