The Other Side: Q&A with an Auburn beat writer
This week’s edition of “The Other Side” takes a turn to the Plains of Alabama. As the Hogs get prepped for their opponent, Auburn, we welcome longtime Tigers beat writer Phillip Marshall of AuburnUndercover.com.
The Tigers have dealt with a lot this week and Marshall has been there for it all. If you haven’t heard by now, head coach Tommy Tuberville fired offensive coordinator Tony Franklin on Wednesday as the Tigers make a mid-season attempt to get back in the SEC West race.
Along with the latest on the Plains, Marshall also hits on the relationship between Tuberville and his former offensive coordinator (2002), Bobby Petrino, in this week’s “The Other Side.”
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Slophouse: Plenty of teams have trouble when implementing a new offense (just look at Arkansas), but why are the Auburn Tigers having such a hard time adjusting to a new scheme this season?
PM: Tommy Tuberville wanted to run the spread with a physical, downhill running component. Tony Franklin’s spread doesn’t have much of that. The effort to mix it in has not been a pretty thing. In addition, quarterbacks Chris Todd and Kodi Burns have been inconsistent, at best. The receivers have not been consistently productive and the offensive line has gotten too many penalties.
SH: Bobby Petrino and Tommy Tuberville won’t discuss it, but how much does “Jetgate” come into factor Saturday? And how are the assistants at Auburn approaching this weekend?
PM: I think Auburn’s assistants probably have harder feelings than Tuberville. From what I can see, Tuberville and Petrino will never be best buds, but there doesn’t seem to be any real animosity.
SH: Coach Petrino said he expects Auburn to run the ball a bit more like it did against Vanderbilt in the first quarter last week. Do you expect the same?PM: That would seem to be a safe bet, especially with Franklin out of the picture.
SH: How are the Auburn fans handling all of the hoopla with the Tide this season? And, for that matter, what do they think of Coach Tuberville and the program right now?
PM: Auburn fans never handle Alabama success well, or vice versa. I think Tuberville has
pretty widespread support, but there’s a lot of anxiety out there right now.
SH: Who do you think will impact the game on offense for the Tigers?
PM: Mario Fannin. I look for him to get a lot of touches from 2-3 different positions.
SH: Who do you think will impact the game on defense for the Tigers?
PM: CB Neiko Thorpe, one way or the other. He’ll start in place of injured junior Jereraud Powers. Thorpe is a talented guy and has played well, but he is a freshman playing against Petrino’s offense.
SH: Give us one word to describe the Auburn Tigers this season.
PM: Inconsistent.
SH: Give us one word to describe the Arkansas Razorbacks this season.
PM: Overmatched.
SH: Give us your score prediction and how you see the game unfolding.
PM: Auburn 24, Arkansas 17. Auburn will score early and hold on for a win that won’t
satisfy many fans.
Thanks for the time, Phillip.
(Photo by Dave Martin, Associated Press)
– Brandon Marcello
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3 Responses to “The Other Side: Q&A with an Auburn beat writer”
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I like this feature. So far, the other reporters have been courteous and respectful, but truthful, too. It will be interesting to see the comments down the road when the Hogs are playing much better football. Thanks for bringing this insight to us Hog fans.
[...] Excerpt from: The Other Side: Q&A with an Auburn beat writer [...]
I agree wyohog. It gives us an honest idea about how we are perceived outside of the state. Many of our fanbase lives in an Arkansas bubble and are unable to grasp how people outside the state perceive us.
I hope that the slophouse will continue this feature.