AUBURN NOTEBOOK: Tigers not expecting cakewalk with UTM

Tommy Tuberville said Wednesday that Auburn is not a good enough team yet to go into Saturday’s game against UT-Martin expecting to get the backups plenty of playing time.

As a result, Tuberville said he’s told his banged-up starters to expect a full game against the Skyhawks on homecoming day.

“Guys need to play,” Tuberville said. “Those that have watched us the last four weeks know that we’re not a team yet that’s just going to roll our jerseys out there and be good.”

Tuberville rattled off a number of injured players Sunday, but would not go over the list Wednesday evening. Center Jason Bosley (various injuries) was the only player who practiced Wednesday that hadn’t the day before, Tuberville said.

The Skyhawks (7-2) are ranked No. 20 in the FCS Coaches’ poll and average more than 40 points per game.

“They can move the ball on you and they can score a lot of points,” Tuberville said. “They’ve got some speed on defense. It’s not one of the (FCS) teams we’ve played in the past few years … We’re going to have to go out there and play.

“I’d like to play a lot of people, but we’re going to go into the game thinking everybody’s got to play for four quarters.”

Coordinator search on hold until end of season
Tuberville said the stack of resumes for Auburn’s open offensive coordinator job grows by the day.

He won’t dive into that pile until the end of the season, but Tuberville said he already has a good idea of what he wants from the right candidate.

“What I’m looking for is somebody who fits in to what we would like to do, but also give us a future in being able to recruit,” Tuberville said. “That is 99 percent of it. You’ve got to be able to get players to buy into what you’re doing on defense and on offense.”

Since he fired Tony Franklin midway through the season, Tuberville has repeatedly said that Auburn will stick with the spread offense, which Auburn adopted upon Franklin’s arrival. Tuberville’s version of the spread, however, has differed greatly than that envisioned by Franklin and the many spread offenses run in high schools.

Auburn still lines up from the shotgun often, but has regressed back to more power formations over the last three games since Franklin’s dismissal. Tuberville stressed this week that the Tigers need to be successful at the run before they can thrive through the air.

Tuberville said Tuesday that he spent the previous night calling all potential recruits to discuss how Auburn’s offense will look in 2009. The new offensive coordinator will also have a heavy hand when it comes to making the final sell on high school prospects.

“You have to have a good salesman,” Tuberville said. “It starts with the head coach and then it obviously goes to the offense or defensive coordinators.”

Along with the open play-calling job, Tuberville said he will re-evaluate all of his assistants this off-season — just like he always has. He said their success on the recruiting trail will serve as his top criterion.

Lester: Tuberville to stay
Whether or not Tommy Tuberville will remain Auburn’s head coach for next season remains to be seen, but senior tailback Brad Lester is convinced that Tuberville will be back.

“His job’s not in jeopardy,” Lester said Tuesday. “People say that every time a coach has a bad year. Coach Tubs does a good job and he’s not going anywhere.”

Lester refused to reveal his source and dismissed all the speculation from around the country as rumors.

“People like to talk,” he said.

Tough crowd
If Jordan-Hare Stadium fills to its capacity Saturday, UT-Martin will be playing in front of more fans than it has all season — combined.

The Skyhawks have played in front of a combined 83,180 fans in their nine games this season. More than half (48,058) was accumulated in their season-opener at South Florida.

UT Martin’s home field, Hardy M. Graham Stadium, seats 7,500 at capacity. Jordan-Hare seats 87,451 people at capacity.

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