8B
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2004
Auburn takes success and praise in stride
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn bungled an attempt to oust its coach, and three of its stars nearly left early for the NFL.
Almost a year later, the Tigers are unbeaten. And coach Tommy Tuberville and top players Carnell Williams, Ronnie Brown and Carlos Rogers are the main reasons No. 3 Auburn (7-0) is in the running for the national championship.
Auburn's Stanley McClover picks up coach Tommy Tuberville after their 10-9 victory against LSUon Sept. 18. Auburn has been the Southeastern Conference's best team this season, finally living up to the hype that made them the nation's No. 6 ranked team prior to the 2003 season.
"Everybody wants to say coach has got to be laughing," Tuberville said. "I've been in this business 29 years. What happened last year, I've forgotten about. I'm glad it's worked out the way it did."
Couldn't have worked out much better so far.
Todd J. Van Emst/AP PHOTO
Auburn has been the Southeastern Conference's best team this season, finally living up to the hype and acclaim that overwhelmed the Tigers in 2003.
Last year's free-fair from a preseason No. 6 ranking has been replaced by a steady, unrelenting climb up the rankings.
That woefully inconsistent offense? It's leading the league.
And with the Tigers fourth in this week's first Bowl Championship Series standings, Tuberville is more likely to get a lifetime contract than to lose his job.
Then-interim President William Walker was forced to retain Tuberville after an expedition he led to interview Louisville's Bobby Petrino two days before last year's Alabama game became public, angering Auburn fans and alumni.
The defense that lost three starting linemen and two AllSEC linebackers? It has allowed the second fewest points in the nation, just nine per game, and is the only Division I-A team that hasn't allowed a rushing touchdown.
The university's administration had egg on its face. The football team still had its coach. And the Tigers have won nine straight since Walker & Co. boarded the plane to Kentucky.
"We know about everything that went down with our coach last year, and we know how people downed us last year because they were expecting more," receiver Courtney Taylor said. "We just don't want to be in that position anymore."
"I feel like we were at the bottom of the barrel, and now we're just trying to climb our way out."
The Tigers have risen to the occasion this season, including a 34-10 rout at Tennessee.
Thriving in a West Coast system implemented by new offensive coordinator Al Borges, Campbell is the nation's fourth-rated passer with 13 touchdown passes, only two interceptions and a 67.6 percent completion rate.
They've only been challenged once, but answered with a gutsy game-winning drive against LSU. Leading that drive was Jason Campbell, a formerly maligned quarterback whose turnaround has been about as dramatic as Auburn's.
"Its just great to finally hear your name mentioned," Campbell said. "Through all of the things I've been through here, there's finally an opportunity to have success."
Tailbacks Brown and Williams have been solid, too. They rank fifth and sixth in the SEC in rushing yards per game, combining for 1.153 vards.
When that pair and Rogers, a cornerback, opted to return for their senior seasons, it had a big impact on the Tigers — on and off the field.
"The thing that we lacked was confidence," Tuberville said. "With these guys coming back and believing in what we're doing, I think it helped everybody."
Tuberville has taken pains to make sure his team doesn't get overconfident. He seldom mentions the opposing team by name to his players during game week, emphasizing Auburn's own execution.
The philosophy behind that: "Our gameplan's going to be dictated to ourselves. We're not going to let them dictate to us."
Every player and coach sits in on the weekly special teams meet
ings, whether they play on special teams or not. And many of the top players do, including Williams, Brown and Rogers.
"By doing that, we're trying to create more of a team concept," Turberville said.
And he's not worrying about his job security anymore. Tuberville
Interim President Ed Richardson has said his coach will be "rewarded for doing an outstanding job" at season's end.
"I think the only way this job can be done is both sides have to forgive and forget. As long as we're doing what's best for Auburn, I'm fine with it."
"I'm not laughing behind the
scenes or gloating or saying I told you so, any of those things." Tuberville said. "I'm glad to be here.
No moral victories in conference matches for Missouri
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Coach Gary Pinkel is not one for moral victories, so he found little comfort in Missouri's narrow 28-20 loss to No. 8 Texas.
But the offense faltered, turning the ball over after six plays.
The Tigers (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) had a chance at the end with the ball at their 34 with 3:10 to go, needing a touchdown and two-point conversion to tie the game.
Pinkel was satisfied with his team's effort, but not the result.
"I thought we did OK against one of the best teams in the country," he said. "I'm certainly real disappointed. When you have a game like that, you want to win."
Moving on from such a loss often takes time, though
Missouri has little to spare. No.
21 Oklahoma State (5-1, 2-1)
visits Saturday, but the Texas
loss will linger.
Those mistakes included two Brad Smith interceptions that led to 14 Texas points. Although the Tigers outperformed the Longhorns in most statistical categories, they could not find a way to win.
"I don't think anybody can
say that they're more physical than us in the Big 12," tailback Damien Nash said. "To go out there and compete like we did and not come out on top was disappointing because we knew we could win the physical battle."
Missouri has lost its past 11 road games against ranked opponents, the last victory coming in 1998, a 28-26 victory at
No.18 Texas Tech.
The loss to Texas was particularly difficult for Omboga, one of 23 Texans on the Missouri roster.
"It's not going to be a priority in my life, but it's going to be in the back of my head that we blew an opportunity to defeat them," said Omboga, a Grand Prairie, Texas, native.
The loss will remind the Tigers of what it takes to beat top-
notch opponents.
With Oklahoma State looming, the Tigers face another difficult task, this time at home. Although the Texas loss could have provided it, Nash said he won't need any extra motivation against the Cowboys.
"I'm always fired up when you get to play a top team," Nash said. "As long as you're at the top, I want to knock you off."
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