Auburn jettisons offensive coordinator Franklin
CBSSports.com wire reports
AUBURN, Ala. -- Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville fired offensive coordinator Tony Franklin on Wednesday, just seven games into his tenure, pulling the plug after the Tigers' rocky attempt to adapt to his spread offense.
The move was first reported by Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com.
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 Wednesday. "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 Wednesday morning and told the players before practice.
He said he and his remaining offensive staff would discuss Wednesday 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. He declined comment to reporters as he loaded his car in front of the football complex.
No players were made available after practice.
Franklin brought an offense to the Tigers (4-2) that was a big departure from the more smashmouth, conservative style Tuberville had long favored. It received an abundance of attention leading up to the season but never clicked, and Franklin frequently criticized his own performance.
Tuberville, who indicated he would take a larger role in the offense, said there was "no personal conflicts" or disagreement that precipitated his decision.
"There's no really unknown reason, but you've just got to go with your gut feeling," he said. "We'd played four conference games and we just hadn't done that well."
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.
Tuberville, whose background is as a defensive coach, had staunchly defended the spread offense a day earlier and says he will stick to it.
