AUBURN NOTEBOOK: Todd to start at QB vs. Southern Miss

Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville and offensive coordinator Tony Franklin kept Tigers fans in suspense for months over who would start at quarterback in the season-opener against Louisiana-Monroe.

The competition officially stayed open until moments before last Saturday’s kickoff. The Jordan-Hare Stadium public-address announcer even announced Kodi Burns and Chris Todd as co-starters minutes before the game.

Burns eventually took the first snap, then alternated series with Todd.

The rotation continued until the third quarter, when Burns left the game with a cut on his left leg.

There will be much less suspense this week — at least when it comes to who will take the first snap.

Tuberville announced Tuesday that Todd would start this Saturday against Southern Miss. According to Tuberville, Auburn had planned all along to start Burns in the first game and Todd in the second.

Burns’ injury didn’t affect the decision to start Todd. It could, however, affect Burns’ playing time this week.

Burns received stitches during Saturday’s game and missed Monday’s practice with the injury. He practiced Tuesday, but Tuberville said he “wasn’t Kodi Burns” in practice.

Requests to speak to Burns Tuesday were declined — standard procedure when it comes to injured players. As he left Auburn’s football complex Tuesday, Burns had a large bandage on his left leg, but didn’t appear to have any trouble walking.

Still, Tuberville is being cautious.

“We’ll see how far he comes by the end of the week,” Tuberville said. “We’re not going to put him in harm’s way.

“I don’t want him (to be) a sitting duck back there, with them knowing he can’t run around.”
If Burns is healthy enough to play — and several teammates said he was effective in Tuesday’s practice — then he and Todd will continue to rotate. But the rotation won’t be as firm as last Saturday’s.

“We’re not going to alternate them every series,” Tuberville said. “We’re going to say, ‘Hey, get out there and play.’ If we think we need somebody else to go in and give us a shot in the arm, that’s what we’re going to do.”

Todd said he’s looking forward to an opportunity to play several series in a row.

“I think he’s just going to do something that allows us to get in a rhythm and get things going and see if we can get some stuff clicking,” the junior said.

Both Tuberville and Franklin have emphasized their desire to pick a starter quickly, rather than relying on a two-quarterback system.

“We’ll look for the right combination,” Tuberville said. “You’ve got to have a guy that you can go out there knowing he’s going to be your starter … somebody your players look up to.”

Injury report
Though Burns was back in action Tuesday, several other injured Tigers were still sidelined.

That included wideout James Swinton and fullback John Douglas, both out with knee injuries. Douglas isn’t expected to play this weekend. Swinton must practice today in order to be cleared for Saturday’s game.

“I’ve already told all of them, if they’re going to play in this game, our rule is you have to be out there by Wednesday,” Tuberville said. “You have to get two practices in before you play.”

Tuberville said senior tailback Tristan Davis practiced “full speed” Monday and Tuesday and would play this week. Davis is one of
Auburn’s top kickoff returners as well as a third- or fourth-string tailback.

“We desperately need him, not just to play on offense, but also special teams,” Tuberville said.

The status of several other injured Tigers is less clear. That includes linebacker Merrill Johnson (hamstring), wideout Montez Billings (hamstring), and defensive end A.J. Greene (hamstring). Johnson played briefly last weekend before being injured; Billings and Greene haven’t played yet this season.

Tigers climb in polls
Last Saturday’s 34-0 win against Louisiana-Monroe raised questions about the offense, especially the passing game. But it didn’t seem to faze poll voters.

Auburn climbed a spot in both major polls, which were released Tuesday. The Tigers are ranked ninth in the Associated Press poll and 10th in the coaches’ poll.

AU is 25 points behind eighth-ranked West Virginia and just five points ahead of No. 10 Texas in the AP poll. In the coaches’ poll,
Auburn is 68 points behind No. 9 Texas and 109 ahead of No. 11 Wisconsin.

Tuberville, a coaches’ poll voter, doesn’t usually make his regular-season ballots public. Tuesday, he said he’d voted Southeastern Conference rival Georgia No. 1 nationally. UGA is ranked second, behind Southern California, in both polls.

cmickle@oanow.com | 737-2561