Not many coaches are envious of Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, who has suffered a few setbacks in 2003 to say the least.
Auburn finished 8-5 overall and 5-3 in the Southeastern Conference for a disappointing third-place finish in the SEC West after entering the season ranked sixth nationally and picked to win the SEC.
Neither school president William Walker or athletic director David Housel said publicly that Tuberville’s job was in danger, but both met with Louisville coach Bobby Petrino about the job two days before the final game of the regular season.
Walker and Housel decided to keep Tuberville for another season, which inevitably fostered ill will within the organization.
But Tuberville, who decided to remain at Auburn after being retained, remains positive about his future at Auburn.
“I learned a long time ago, don’t worry about anything you can’t control,” Tuberville said to the Opelika-Auburn news, responding to rumors about his job security. “We’re going about recruiting and getting ready.”
Looking forward to the 2004 season, Tuberville is confident his team will get back on the right track.
“We had a good spring and were very fortunate to have good weather,” Tuberville said. “We accomplished a lot. We’re looking for some guys to step up and make plays, and we made progress. I think the biggest thing is the nine starters. Looking beyond that to find some depth. We have a lot of ability on defense; we just have to find the right guys and the right positions.”
Auburn’s offense will rely upon the legs of starting running back Carnell “Cadillac” Williams and No. 2 back Ronnie Brown.
With NFL prospects Williams and Brown returning at running back, there will be no worries when it comes to moving the ball on the ground. The two combined for 1,753 yards and 22 touchdowns last season.
The same cannot be said about Auburn’s passing game. Tuberville said the offense will feature a more vertical attack, with Al Borges stepping in as the new coordinator to replace the departed coordinator, who was fired after a season that saw little offensive production from the passing game.
Tuberville said junior quarterback Jason Campbell has improved his game over the spring, but Campbell had nowhere to go but up after a disappointing season.
Campbell passed for 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. And Campbell is by no means a scrambling quarterback–he rushed for -1 yards last season.
“We’re looking for some offense where we can get the ball down the field a little bit more based on different formations,” Tuberville said. “I think [the coordinator change] has helped our receivers, and our offensive line can be a little more consistent.”
The receiving corps for the 2004 team for the most part will remain the same from last season, with its top three returning.
Sixth-round draft pick Jeris McIntyre, who started only three games this past season, led the group in receiving with 621 yards.
It is now in the hands of sophomore Courtney Taylor and junior Silas Daniels to help improve Auburn’s passing game. Taylor and Daniels were second and third last year with a combined 663 yards and one touchdown.
While the receivers contributed adequate yards receiving, the two brought in only one touchdown the entire season.
But lack of point production from the receivers is not solely the fault of the receivers.
Tuberville said a simplified blocking scheme should improve upon an offensive line that gave up 26 sacks and more quarterback hurries, which often disrupted passing routes and the quarterback’s passing rhythm.
Tuberville is confident his defense will repeat the success of last season.
“We’ve got a lot of new faces on our defense, especially our front seven,” Tuberville said. “We’re lucky for some guys to step up and make plays.”
The two most notable departures from Auburn’s front seven are NFL second-round draft picks Dontarrious Thomas and Karlos Dansby, who combined for 159 tackles and 5.5 sacks on a defense that did not disappoint.
Tuberville will also look for younger players to fill the void left by defensive end Reggie Torbor, who will line up for an NFL team next season.
Auburn shifted some key players in its defense. Senior Jay Ratliff moved from defensive end to defensive tackle. Ratliff played in 21 games and started nine in his career at defensive end. Tuberville hopes Ratliff’s move inside will bring in a pass rush from the middle, in addition to the ends.
Because of the losses at linebacker and along the defensive line, Tuberville said the strength of this team’s defense will be the secondary.
Senior safety Junior Rosegreen will anchor the secondary Tuberville is depending on.
The converted cornerback has the ability to take on tight ends and running backs in the passing game, as well as stick his nose in during running downs, finishing with 61 tackles and one interception.
Karibi Dede moved from safety to linebacker after playing in all 13 games in the secondary last season. Tuberville is counting on Dede to add speed to Auburn’s new set of linebackers. Tuberville said the secondary will be deep enough to line up without Dede.
Tuberville confident in Tigers after spring practice
April 29, 2004