NCAA Football FanHouse

Spread Attack: Tony Franklin Explains Why Auburn Flopped

Clay Travis — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Auburn, Middle Tennessee State, Troy, Coaching

Tuesday, we coined the term trophy coordinators, applied to college football's answers to trophy wives, hotshot coordinators hired to be paraded around on the arm of a head coach in need of a boost.

So what does a trophy coordinator think about the term? How hard is it to come into a new team with the expectation of turning around a program? We caught up with former Auburn coordinator and current Middle Tennessee State offensive coordinator Tony Franklin to find out.
Franklin started the 2008 season as Auburn's new offensive coordinator, bringing with him the spread system he launched at Troy that won two consecutive Sun Belt titles. He lasted six games at Auburn and became a cautionary tale for both college football fans and hopeful coordinators.

So, what's the most important detail when it comes to installing a new offense after arriving as a heralded coordinator?

"I think it depends on whether your head coach is really committed to the system," Franklin told FanHouse. "I've had two experiences with head coaches now, Larry Blakeney [at Troy] was committed to it all the way. Tommy Tuberville (at Auburn) wasn't. On the one hand, a coach was patient, didn't meddle, and was willing to eat crow until it worked. On the other hand, the coach wasn't willing to give it time."

Asked to assess Tommy Tuberville's offensive options at Auburn, Franklin said there were two.

"You either sit tight with your offense, stay on board with what you're doing and fight like hell or you go get something that's shiny and new and hope like hell it works. But you can't do both."

Unlike Tuberville, who fired Franklin after six games, head coach Larry Blakeney at Troy took the second path and remained committed to the spread offense. Even when it didn't run smoothly at first.
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"Early on with the offense, we lost to Nebraska 56-0 and then we lost to UAB 21-3. The offense was awful. After the UAB loss we went into the locker room and the defense had played well. And if the defensive staff had been bitching, moaning, griping, or complaining it could trickle down to the players. Then the players start to do it and you can start to have an issue. Coach Blakeney stood up in the locker room and he was really direct and he said, 'We're going to do this and it's going to work.' "

"Then, Elbert Mack, who's now a corner for the Tampa Bay Bucs, stood up and said he believed in what we were doing on offense. That did it. From there we won seven of our next eight. We got better each week."

In the game at Nebraska, the Troy offense put up just 140 yards on 51 offensive plays and scored no points. By the final game of the season, a bowl win against Rice, the Trojan offense was a well-oiled machine, cranking out 376 yards and 41 total points.

In 2007, Troy played three SEC teams on the road, scoring 26 against Arkansas, 31 against Florida, and 34 against Georgia. They also scored 41 points to beat Oklahoma State by 18.

Tuberville took note of this success against SEC defenses -- Troy's offense outperformed Auburn's against similar opponents -- and brought Franklin to Auburn.

From there, disaster ensued.

"I don't blame anybody for jumping ship," says Franklin, "that's human nature and self-preservation is the rule of the game. But if Larry [Blakeney] had been at Auburn it would have worked."

At his new location, Middle Tennessee State , Franklin is optimistic success will come quickly.

"It's going to be easier and faster here," he says. "We have a lot of quality receivers. They've been recruiting for it here. At Auburn we had a lot of tight ends and fullbacks on scholarship and you can't really use those guys in the offense unless they're good receivers as well, like Tommy Trott at Auburn. Not unless you have a really great quarterback. If you've got a really great quarterback anything can happen overnight."

Asked to assess the pressure that comes if a head coach installs a new offense like Auburn and Tennessee did last year, Franklin acknowledges that the SEC doesn't allow as much time for things to get working.

"They feel pressure to win every game. Even if it means that you aren't as good down the road as you could be. Both of those coaches [Tuberville and Fulmer] are good at what they do and have had a lot of success, but they didn't have time to let a new offense work. The best way one of these new offenses can work at a big school is if the head coach is installing it himself, like Rich Rodriguez at Michigan. Otherwise there's probably going to be griping."

Franklin explains that arriving as an offensive savior comes with pressure, even if he's not sure the trophy wife and trophy coordinator correlation works completely.

"I don't know if it's like a [trophy] wife. These guys are trying to save their jobs. Human nature is about saving your job. If you need a trophy to do it, I guess you'll do it."

Spread Attack: Tony Franklin Explains Why Auburn Flopped originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DeAndre Brown Suffers a Brutal Leg Injury

Chris Burke — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 21:32:00 EST

Filed under: Southern Miss, Troy, Injuries, Bowl Games

Southern Miss' super freshman wide receiver DeAndre Brown had a very impressive debut season -- but it ended on Sunday night in about the worst way possible. While running a deep route to the end zone in the New Orleans Bowl, Brown stumbled and his left leg gave out on him, apparently snapping about halfway down the shin.

Brown immediately grabbed for his leg and began writhing on the ground. Southern Miss' trainers raced out to him and eventually put his leg into a giant air cast and carted him off the field.

As Brown sat up on the cart, the New Orleans Bowl crowd started chanting "DeAndre! DeAndre!" which Brown responded to by flapping his arms like a bird for the Eagles faithful.

The 6-foot-6 receiver was expected to be a top pro prospect down the road. Brown was a highly-touted recruit for Southern Miss, and proved why in 2008 -- he chalked up 66 catches for 1,108 yards and 12 touchdowns during the regular season, including a 221-yard, four-TD explosion versus Rice.

Video of the injury is after the jump, but be warned that it's very graphic.

DeAndre Brown Suffers a Brutal Leg Injury originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 21:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Turkey Legs to Go: New Orleans Bowl Travel Guide, Southern Miss vs. Troy

Will Brinson — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:29:00 EST

Filed under: Southern Miss, Sun Belt, Troy, Conference USA, Campus, Fans, Bowl Games

Turkey Legs to Go is FanHouse's complete travel guide for all of the 2008-2009 college bowl games. Here, we cover the New Orleans Bowl (New Orleans, Louisiana), which pits Troy against Southern Miss.

Overview / Matchup: Southern Mississippi, Brett Favre's alma mater, will have a short drive to the game; Troy, which won the Sun Belt with a win over Arkansas State in the league's championship game, won't have much further to go from in its campus in southern Alabama. The two teams meet down in the Byaou on Christmas Eve.

Hotels: The stadium is close enough to the center of New Orleans that you could stay anywhere in the French Quarter or central downtown and only be a short cab ride away. The Omni Royal Orleans Hotel features a rooftop pool that's open year round. Even if you're not much of a swimmer, the views are worth a trip topside. The Hilton New Orleans Riverside is located just across from the Harrah's and the Riverwalk Festival Marketplace. It offers the best all around value for bowl travelers. Budget-minded fans should consider the Chateau Dupre French Quarter. The Chateau has nice accommodations for the price and is adjacent to the House of Blues.

Restaurants: Our only advice about visiting New Orleans... eat, eat and eat some more. New Orleans is one of the only cities in America with a truly unique blend of cultures and cuisines you can't find anywhere else in the world. Bon Ton Café serves great Creole food, specifically crab, crawfish, redfish and bread pudding.

Brennan's Restaurant is a New Orleans landmark. The trout Almandine and shrimp Sardou are particularly superb. For dessert the Bananas foster is a must. For lunch, try a muffuletta at Central Grocery. They're spectacular and a half sandwich is more than enough for one person.

Nightlife: As for drinking, if you want a little southern decadence enjoy a cool cocktail on the porch at Columns Hotel. If it's a rowdier time you're after, head straight for Pat O'Brien's. Supposedly the New Orleans landmark sells more rum than any other bar in the world. Other than that, you shouldn't have much trouble going out in NOLA -- simply head for Bourbon Street and indulge in the general disarray and public excitement.

Turkey Legs to Go: New Orleans Bowl Travel Guide, Southern Miss vs. Troy originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LSU Has More Than a Post-Loss Hangover Going With Troy

Chas Rich — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 21:54:00 EST

Filed under: LSU, Sun Belt, Troy, SEC

My colleague, Chris Burke, noted Penn State's struggles in the first half against Indiana coming off their loss to Iowa. If LSU was merely struggling with Troy after last week's gut-wrenching loss to Alabama it would be a similar hangover.

It is nothing like that. At halftime, Troy has a 24-3 lead over LSU in Tiger Stadium. This game was originally supposed to be played back in September but was postponed because of Hurricane Gustav. Apparently the Tigers weren't told of the new day because LSU has simply been a no-show for this game.

The Tiger offense has 63 yards and the defense has allowed Troy to throw for over 200 yards in the first half. The Trojans also intercepted a Jarrett Lee pass (who hasn't this season) and returned it for a touchdown.

LSU still has a whole 30 minutes to pull out a win. They have the far superior talent. The questions are: did they dig too big a hole and do they have those cliched intangibles to actually do it?

LSU Has More Than a Post-Loss Hangover Going With Troy originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 21:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LSU, SEC Football Goes Navajo on the Radio

Brian Grummell — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:03:00 EST

Filed under: LSU, New Mexico State, Troy, SEC

Unusual find in my Google Alerts inbox today -- Saturday's LSU game against Troy will be broadcast in Navajo. It will be the first SEC football game every broadcast in the Navajo language. (No word yet on whether if the remaining several hundred imperial Japanese listening will be as stumped translating as they were during World War II.)

Cuyler Frank of Albuquerque, N.M., will provide play-by-play description in the Navajo language of the LSU-Troy football game on the radio and on LSUsports.net Saturday night from Tiger Stadium.

Mr. Frank provides play-by-play in Navajo of New Mexico State University football games, and it was there that he met current LSU Chancellor Dr. Michael Martin. When Chancellor Martin came to LSU, Mr. Frank expressed interest in broadcasting an LSU game in Navajo.

Nice gesture by Dr. Martin. It's doubtful this is much of a moneymaking enterprise, especially in tough economic times, but LSU has found a way to utilize its connection to an unusual resource and expanded college football's influence on yet another segment of American culture.

One can't help but embrace hearing "Jarrett Lee throws another pick-six" in more than one language. Plus, there's a decent chance it'll be more understandable to non-native tongues than the assistant coach in The Waterboy.

LSU, SEC Football Goes Navajo on the Radio originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blame Tuberville, Not Tony Franklin

Brian Cook — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:36:00 EST

Filed under: Auburn, Troy

Mark Hasty notes that Tony Franklin just got axed, and thus ends the most botched coordinator hire since people started paying attention to who the coordinators were.

Last year, Tony Franklin was riding high, master of a top 20 offense despite taking the Troy Trojans of Troy (We're From Troy!) into battle against foes far superior to his own. The Trojans put up 34 points on Georgia -- only Tennessee exceeded that -- and went 8-4, tying for the Sun Belt championship.

Then he got hired by Auburn and this happened:

Category	Ranking	Avg
Rushing Offense	60	148.50
Passing Offense	103	160.67
Total Offense	104	309.17
Scoring Offense	103	18.67

No doubt the Auburn fanbase celebrates at Franklin's demise, but the invaluable Smart Football points out that Tony Franklin never got the opportunity to run his Air Raid offense, which is closer to Texas Tech's spread than the awful melange of whatever Auburn threw out there. Instead, Franklin was forced to use Auburn's ponderous power back on zone stretch plays time and again, to sit Kodi Burns on the bench despite his suitability for the offense, and generally run nothing from his actual playbook.

What's the point of even having him around? You hire a guy, then refuse to let him run his offense, then fire him halfway through his first season. Yeah, Franklin didn't work out but if I was an Auburn fan I'd be pointing the finger at the head coach, not the scapegoat.

Blame Tuberville, Not Tony Franklin originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome To Last Week: Beanie Wells Won't Play Against Trojans

Brian Cook — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:19:00 EST

Filed under: Ohio State, Troy

OH MY GOD HEAD FOR THE HILLS CHRIS "BEANIE WELLS" IS OUT AGAINST THE TROJANS.

... Wait just a darn minute. I remember this panic. It started last week, snowballed into a 35-3 loss, and ended with the destruction of Lehman Brothers and government takeover of AIG. Or something like that.

In one breath today, OSU coach Jim Tressel said that running back Beanie Wells is improving but he is also out for Saturday's game against Troy and there's no guarantee that he'll play against Minnesota the following week.

Ohhhhhhh. Oh. Those Trojans. The Troy Trojans of Troy (We're From Troy! (But Not That Troy)). Nevermind. Carry on with your lives.

Welcome To Last Week: Beanie Wells Won't Play Against Trojans originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:19:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oklahoma Says Player Kicked Off the Football Team Is Actually a Transfer

Chas Rich — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:16:00 EST

Filed under: Oklahoma, Sun Belt, Troy, Big 12, General CFB Insanity

When last we heard from rap impresario Josh Jarboe, he was being dismissed from the Oklahoma football team for having bad timing, questionable rapping skills, and a moron of a friend who posted the rap video on YouTube. Fine, Oklahoma felt they took a chance on the kid after an arrest for having a firearm. He showed more bad judgment in rapping about more firearms and using foul language, embarrassing the school and football program. Okay, time for everyone to move on.

Well, Jarboe did. He decided to go play for Troy in the Sun Belt Conference. Closer to home. Less attention. In a way, it makes sense as Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops in the announcement that Jarboe was dismissed from the football team said, "We hope he can move forward in a positive manner."

Probably not a bad idea. Of course, Oklahoma isn't making it that easy.

According to Troy coach Larry Blakeney, Trojans wide receiver Josh Jarboe currently is not eligible to play this season after transferring from Oklahoma earlier this week.

Because OU told Troy officials that they didn't refuse him admission for the fall, Blakeney said, Jarboe is now being treated as a transfer student by the NCAA, with this season being his sit-out year.

Nice. Technically the NCAA rules are the problem, and Troy is appealing to the NCAA. After all,the NCAA is so reasonable about these things.

Still Oklahoma doesn't seem too interested in making it easy for Jarboe to "move forward in a positive manner." They dismissed him from the team -- which means losing the scholarship -- but also says since he was admitted, he is a transfer.

Again, he was dismissed from the football team. He didn't quit the team. No scholarship. Left Oklahoma before the fall semester as expected. So, now he's a transfer. Kafka sends his regards.

Oklahoma Says Player Kicked Off the Football Team Is Actually a Transfer originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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