Auburn vs. Tennessee notes

Quarterback controversy, again?
Chris Todd started Saturday’s game, but he didn’t finish.

Todd, who completed 14-of-23 passes for 93 yards, an interception and a touchdown, gave way to fan-favorite Kodi Burns in the second period and late in the contest with the game on the line.

Todd may have thrown the Tigers’ only touchdown pass, an 18-yarder in the first quarter to Robert Dunn, but Burns’ 9-yard pass to Montez Billings gave Auburn a necessary first down to put the game away.

Who will start next week?

“I’m going to look at it (film),” Tuberville said. “We will probably continue to use both as we did today. (Offensive coordinator) Tony (Franklin) did a good job. I thought he put Kodi in at the right time at the end of the first half and gave us a shot and got the fans back into the game. It was a good move on him and a very gutsy move to put him in right there at the end of the game.”

Burns started the season opener against Louisiana-Monroe and had not played since Sept. 6 against Southern Miss. Todd has started all other games.

“We did enough to win, even though we didn’t get as much as we would’ve liked,” Todd said. “I thought we started off pretty well and started to slow down in the second half.”

He’s right. Auburn managed just 75 yards in the second half.

Burns entered the game in the second quarter and promptly moved the Tigers downfield in a drive that resulted in a missed field goal.

“… He (Burns) did an excellent job of keeping them off balance and making some plays,” Tuberville said. “That’s what Kodi can do.”

Burns was happy to be given another shot.

“It was a lot of fun to be able to make plays for my teammates,” he said. “I came out a little rusty. My footwork was a little off …

“If you do enough to win, you have to hold your head up even if we didn’t play up to par like we would have liked, but we won.”

Franklin was also happy with Burns’ performance.

“There’s no doubt that you had Kodi come in and give us a spark,” he said. “He made plays that Chris can’t make because of his ability to run around. Coach Tuberville and I will talk about it and see what happens.”

Super Mario Formation?
Auburn wide receiver Mario Fannin wouldn’t tell. When asked what the offense called the special formation where Fannin lined up at quarterback and receives a direct snap from center, the sophomore wouldn’t bite.

“I can’t tell you,” he said. But he sure showed what it looked like.

Fannin, who played running back last year but was moved to receiver this offseason, saw three snaps from the shotgun, running each time for a total of 12 yards. It was just enough to keep Tennessee’s defense off balance.

“It’s another sign of me not being smart enough – I hadn’t gotten him the ball,” AU offensive coordinator Tony Franklin said. “So I figured if I lined him up and snapped it to him, he’d have the ball and I wouldn’t have to think as much. If I snap it to him, he gets it, he runs. It’s pretty easy.”

Troubles in kicking game
Wes Byrum had a chance to put Auburn up by two scores heading into halftime. But the sophomore place-kicker missed a 35-yard try with 2:30 left in the second quarter. Instead of being 17-6, Auburn led, 14-6, at the break.

“In this league, every point counts. (If) we go in 17-6 at halftime, that field goal, everyone’s feeling a lot better. We got a little bit more comfortable lead,” Tuberville said. “When you’re called on, you’ve got to make it. He’s in a slump, but he’s going to get out of that slump. We’ve got to get that corrected.”

Byrum has missed four field goals this year (32, 42, 22 and 35).

Tuberville said after Saturday’s game he’s not shy to try out another kicker if Byrum continues to struggle.

“We can’t keep missing field goals,” the head coach said. “That almost cost us tonight, missing that field goal. We’ll go back and we’ll evaluate that. We’ll put pressure on our kickers. We’ll kick another one next week if we continue to miss these field goals. There’s no call for it. We almost got beat because of it.”

Sophomore walk-on Morgan Hull is listed as Byrum’s backup on the depth chart. Hull has not attempted a field goal in his career.

Punters welcome in Jordan-Hare
Tony Franklin was dumbfounded. For the third game in a row, the opposing team’s punter pinned the Tigers deep in their own territory more than once.

Saturday vs. Tennessee, Auburn’s average staring field position was the 12-yard line. Three times, the Tigers stared on inside their own 5.

“I think every punter in the country needs to play us,” Franklin said, “because when they do, every punt seems to die down inside the 5-yard line. If you’re having a bad year punting, just schedule us and come punt.”

Tennessee punter Chad Cunningham had 10 punts for a 39.9-yard average, with five of them landing inside the Auburn 20-yard line.

Injury Report
Tristan Davis did not dress for Saturday’s game. He left last week’s game against LSU with a concussion after being kicked in the head on a kickoff return in the second half.

Josh Bynes started at linebacker in place of Tray Blackmon, who did not play because of a wrist injury, while running back Ben Tate got the starting nod.

Brad Lester, who started Auburn’s first four games, also did not play. The senior running back twisted his knee last week against LSU. Two weeks ago, Lester suffered a sprained neck at Mississippi State.

Doolittle gets 1st career start
Former Opelika standout Tez Doolittle started his first career game at Auburn on Saturday. It’s about time, as Doolittle is the only member left from Auburn’s 2004 undefeated team. The defensive tackle received a sixth year of eligibility after tearing his Achilles’ tendon prior to last season.

Doolittle finished the game with two tackles and one quarterback hurry.

“I enjoyed it,” he said. “We went out there and executed plays and did what we’re supposed to do. That’s what I’m here for, to play defense. I’m just so excited, I just had a good time.”

Slaughter out of doghouse
Sophomore wideout Chris Slaughter played Saturday, meaning he made it out of Tuberville’s “doghouse.”

Slaughter played in Auburn’s first game of the season, catching four passes for 13 yards and a touchdown. He hasn’t played since, until Saturday. Slaughter came into the game with just over six minutes left in the first quarter on second-and-5 from the 40.

Best of the Day
Best luck: After punter Clinton Durst pinned Tennessee down at the 5, the Vols fumbled on their very first play. The ball rolled into the end zone where AU’s Jake Ricks recovered it for a touchdown.

Best third-down conversion: Under heavy pressure, Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton tucked the ball and raced straight ahead for 14 yards and a first down, taking a hard lick at the end of the play. The Vols eventually scored a touchdown on the drive.

Best stop:  After a 40-yard punt return into AU territory to the 38 in the fourth quarter, the Tigers’ defense held strong to force a punt with the Vols in prime
position to take the lead.

Worst of the day
Worst trick: On a third-and-long, Auburn went to its bag of tricks with an end around to Robert Dunn, who then prepared to throw a pass. Tennessee, not fooled, hammered Dunn, ripping off his helmet for a 7-yard loss.

Worst taking advantage: Kodi Burns sparked the crowd when he entered the game and steadily drove Auburn down the field. But receivers dropped two passes on the drive and Wes Byrum missed a 35-yard field goal to nullify the excitement.

Worst decision to throw: Chris Todd had plenty of protection from his line, but threw a pass into triple coverage that was picked off by Tennessee’s Dennis Rogan and returned 38 yards to the AU 37.