AUBURN NOTEBOOK: Tuberville ‘feels’ for ousted coaches

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AUBURN NOTEBOOK: Tuberville ‘feels’ for ousted coaches

By Andrew Gribble

Published: November 4, 2008

Tommy Tuberville said he and Phillip Fulmer became great friends over the past 15 years.

So, for Tuberville, it was “tough” to see his good friend oustered Monday from his head coaching job at Tennessee, a position Fulmer held for the past 17 seasons and a school he has been with for a combined 32 years as a player and coach.

Sure, “it’s part of the business,” Tuberville said, but it doesn’t make it any easier.

“He’s worked hard and won a lot of games,” Tuberville said. “That is his alma mater and (he’s) been there 35 years. It’s hard to imagine being part of one program for 35 years, but there will never be anybody that does any more than what he has done for his program.”

Fulmer is the third coach at a major program to be let go before the end of this season.

Tyrone Willingham at Washington has agreed to step down at the end of the year and Clemson’s Tommy Bowden is already gone.

It’s a trend Tuberville, who many speculate now sits on the hottest seat in all of college football, doesn’t particularly like.

“I think everything kind of evolves from pro football,” Tuberville said. “I think that’s how people look at it. I’d hate for us to ever compare pro football to college football because it’s not even in the same category, in terms of what you are trying to get out of young people and teach them.

“I’ve known each one of them. You feel for them because we are all in the same business.”

Tuberville said he contacted all his recruits Monday night. He said it had nothing to do with Fulmer’s dismissal, rather what type of offense the Tigers would be running in 2009.

“I don’t think it’s uneasiness. It’s like anything else — buzzards start flying from the other schools,” Tuberville said. “Whether you change a head coach or are changing an assistant or coordinator, it’s no different.”

Injury update
Many of the injured players Tuberville rattled off Sunday still were not practicing as of Tuesday.

Defensive ends Sen’Derrick Marks (ankles) and Antonio Coleman (ankle), nosetackle Tez Doolittle (groin), cornerback Jerraud Powers (hamstring) and wide receiver Rod Smith (hip pointer) all did not practice Tuesday, Tuberville said. Tuberville seemed the least optimistic about Smith’s status for Saturday’s game against UT Martin.

“He’s not responding really well,” Tuberville said. “A bad hip pointer is pretty tough.”

Defensive tackle Mike Blanc also did not practice Tuesday, but Tuberville said X-rays on Blanc’s sore hand were negative. His status for Saturday is uncertain.

On the positive side, Tuberville said cornerbacks Walter McFadden and Neiko Thorpe practiced Tuesday.

McFadden took a scary chop block in the first quarter against Ole Miss, but was able to return for the next play. Tuberville said Sunday that McFadden’s knee and ankle were both very sore from the hit and was originally scheduled to return to practice today.

Thorpe hadn’t seen the field since the second quarter of Auburn’s loss at West Virginia on Oct. 23. The freshman has been nursing a high ankle sprain, which he suffered on a successful surprise Auburn onside kick attempt.

“Whether he plays or not, he looked pretty good (at practice),” Tuberville said. “You’ve got to be able to change directions and explode. We’d love to get him back out there because he was really doing well.”

Devoted, but not able to vote
The life of a student-athlete is not necessarily permissive to taking time out of the day to vote — especially with the abnormally lengthy lines at polling stations Tuesday.

Around noon Tuesday, tight end Tommy Trott said if he were to vote, he would have to drive to Montgomery and be back to Auburn by 2 p.m. for treatment on his sore knee.

Quarterback Kodi Burns said he forgot to get an absentee ballot before it was too late from his native state of Arkansas. He did say, however, that he has been following the election and would continue to follow it Tuesday night on TV.

Tuberville said he tried to vote before Tuesday’s practice, but the lines were too long at his local precinct. He said he would try again later in the afternoon after a speaking engagement in Selma.