Auburn fires offensive coordinator

The Associated Press

Published Thursday, October 9, 2008

Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville fired offensive coordinator Tony Franklin yesterday just seven games into his tenure, pulling the plug after the Tigers’ rocky transition to his spread offense.

The 20th-ranked Tigers have struggled offensively all season after entering as the favorites to win the Southeastern Conference Western Division. They have dropped league games to LSU and Vanderbilt after beating Mississippi State by a score of 3-2.

"It hurts. It hurts bad," Tuberville said after practice yesterday. "It’s a difficult situation. It’s a difficult thing to do in the middle of the season. My responsibility is to this football team, and it always will be. Tony’s a good person. When it all comes down to it, it’s about production. I didn’t think over the last few weeks we were making any progress."

Tuberville said he made the decision yesterday morning and told the players before practice.

He said he and his remaining offensive staff would discuss last night who would coach quarterbacks and call plays Saturday against Arkansas. Tuberville also said he remained committed to the spread offense.

He has had five offensive coordinators during his 10-year tenure at Auburn, but none brought quite as much attention as the hiring of Franklin, who declined comment to reporters as he loaded his car in front of the football complex.

Auburn (4-2) is ranked 104th in total offense out of 119 major college teams, and quarterbacks Kodi Burns and Chris Todd have alternated most of the season. The starting spot is still unsettled.

● USC’S SANCHEZ PRACTICING: Southern California quarterback Mark Sanchez did some work in practice yesterday, giving the Trojans hope that he’ll be able to play against Arizona State on Saturday at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

"Much better today," USC Coach Pete Carroll said.

Sanchez suffered a bone bruise in his left knee in the third quarter of USC’s 44-10 victory over Oregon this past Saturday.