Sports

Auburn can’t hold on to early lead; loses 14-13 to Vanderbilt

Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville addresses the media following the 14-13 loss to Vanderbilt Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.: Tuberville said changes were in store for the Tigers’ offense after failing to score in the second half. JD Schein / PHOTO EDITOR

Extra points are often taken for granted, but in tight games they can carry a lot more weight than usual.

Wes Byrum’s missed extra point in the first quarter proved to be costly as Auburn continued to struggle offensively in Saturday’s upset loss to Vanderbilt.

The Commodores rallied from a 13-point deficit to hand Auburn its second loss of the season, 14-13, in front of 38,773 at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville.

“I apologize to the players for not giving them a chance in the second half ,” head coach Tommy Tuberville said after the game. “We didn’t make very good adjustments. But you can’t take anything away from Vanderbilt. I’m not going to make a bunch of excuses. There’s not a lot to say, but this one’s my fault.”

The win marks the first for Vanderbilt against Auburn (4-2, 2-2 SEC) in 14 tries. The last time the Tigers fell to Vandy was in the Gator Bowl in 1955.

The Commodores are now 3-0 in SEC play for the first time since 1950 and 5-0 for the first time since 1943.

The Auburn offense had a strong first quarter, in which the Tigers compiled 129 yards and two passing touchdowns on its first three drives. 

Auburn running back Ben Tate, No. 44, lunges for the goal line in the first half of Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt in Nash: The Commodores held Tate and the Auburn offense out of the end zone on fourth and short. JD Schein / PHOTO EDITOR

Running back Ben Tate, who got the start over Brad Lester, started the game with 40 rushing yards on his first three attempts.

The Tigers turned the ball over after going for the touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line later in the drive.

However, the next two drives ended in touchdown passes. The first was a 7-yard catch from quarterback Chris Todd to receiver Rod Smith and the second a 28-yard pass from Todd to Mario Fannin. The second score was set up following a diving interception by Jerraud Powers.

Just as the game was beginning to look like a blowout, Auburn ran out of gas.

Following the Fannin touchdown, the Tigers failed to put together a successful offensive drive and managed only 56 yards on offense for the rest of the game and only four rushing yards in the second half. They were forced to punt for nine consecutive drives, and the last drive of the game ended in an interception.

Another year, another missed opportunity.

The schedule set up perfectly with arguably our toughest SEC games at home, and we had a new offense coming in that would improve upon the points (or lackthereof) put up by Al Borges’ offense.

With John Parker Wilson being the only really experienced QB in the SEC West, I felt like changing offensive schemes and quarterbacks wouldn’t hinder our run for the SEC championship.

A returning championship caliber defense would give our offense time to come into its own and develop a starting quarterback.

Well, at least I was right about the defense.

From the start of the season we looked lost on offense.

Wide receivers and tight ends running the wrong routes and unable to get off jams, indecisive quarterbacks holding on to the ball too long in a quick-release offense and seemingly limitless penalties and missed assignments by the offensive line.

But even with an offense that crashed harder than the economy, we still managed to stay in the hunt, even with a loss to LSU.

And then Vandy happened.

Caleb Allen, a sophomore in sports broadcasting, returns the ball in the Student Act.: Morgan Thacker / ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR

The faint pitter patter of ping pong balls can be heard echoing through the Student Activity Center every Monday and Wednesday night.

No, it’s not an underground beer pong tournament. It’s the Auburn table tennis club.

Group leader Clark Kennedy, a sophomore in civil engineering, hopes to get more people involved in table tennis this year. Kennedy said this semester’s turn-out has not been as big as last year.

“Last year, we had 10 or 12 people every night,” Kennedy said. “This year, only about six to eight of us have been showing up regularly.”

Kennedy said the group plays from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. every Monday and Wednesday, and the playing structure is flexible.

“You can just come and go as you want to,” Kennedy said. “And as of now, there aren’t even any club dues.”

Carnell “Cadillac” Williams carries the ball against Arkansas.: Williams was drated in the first round by Tampa Bay, just behind fellow running back Ronnie Brown, who was drafted by the Miami Dolphins. Brown tied an NFL record with five touchdowns against New England Sept. 21. ARCHIVED

In wake of last weekend’s depressing loss to the team that will remain unnamed, I’ve decided to focus on the more positive side of Auburn football — well, sort of.

I started thinking about the Auburn teams of the past, and I really began to miss certain players. Players that were seemingly unstoppable in their prime on the Plains.

So here’s an update on how Auburn alumni are doing in the NFL through the first five weeks of the season:

News came out of Sunday’s scheduled press conference — Tony Franklin is still the offensive coordinator.

Who would have thought two months ago that Tuberville would have to say that? Nonetheless it was news. The Plainsman isn’t the only one reporting this. Check Rivals or the O-A News.

The offense is struggling. There is little doubt about that.

Is it Franklin’s fault?

Well that’s where it gets sticky.

People want heads on pikes.

Auburn hadn’t lost to Vanderbilt in 13 consecutive tries. The Tigers came out well on offense; funny thing was, it wasn’t Franklin’s offense.

Earlier in the week, Tommy Tuberville said the Tigers weren’t running the “spread offense” but instead the “Auburn offense.”

What exactly does that mean?

Well apparently it goes something like this — do everything that has worked for Auburn over the last decade to jump out to a 13-0 lead and then stop, slam on the clutch, shift gears and go with the spread.

It’s as if Tuberville said “I’ve got the first quarter and then the rest is yours Tony.”

The No. 21 Auburn Tigers cross country team continued its season’s success with individual and team victories in the Tiger Invitational at the Indian Pines golf course last weekend.

Elkanah Kibet, a junior in accounting and finance, won an individual title for the men.

The No. 21 ranked Auburn men’s team won a title of its own, putting up 31 points in the Mel Rosen Orange Race.