AUBURN NOTEBOOK: Tigers still want Burns involved
AUBURN -- True freshman quarterback Kodi Burns' appearance on his hometown stage was limited to a few snaps when starter Brandon Cox was shaken up by a hard hit in the third quarter.
Kodi Burns, a native of Fort Smith, didn't get much to show his family and friends Saturday at Arkansas, and his role in the offense has steadily decreased since he briefly seized the starting job in Week 4.
Head coach Tommy Tuberville said coaches are still searching for the right moments to play Kodi Burns.
"We had a bigger role for him (at Arkansas), but we couldn't get ourselves out of a hole," Tuberville said. "We stayed in bad field position the entire second quarter. We were hoping to get him in more then."
Auburn's field position was better in the second half, but the game was so close and the game plan so conservative that Kodi Burns didn't see much action.
"We want to play him more. We definitely want to do that," Tuberville said.
--NO GAMBLING HERE: When Auburn converted a fourth-and-inches Saturday from its own territory, Tuberville said it wasn't much of a gamble.
A running team with a good offensive line should always be able to execute a quarterback sneak, Tuberville said.
"If you can't make six or seven inches, you might as well just give them the ball anyway," he said.
--WHITE OUT: Auburn has won 15 consecutive games in its all-white uniforms, but LSU will be wearing white this weekend.
Tuberville said decisions about uniforms are made before the season.
"They have to send you a letter, and the home team gets the pick now," Tuberville said.
SEC athletic directors instituted that procedure, Tuberville said, even though it doesn't jibe with NCAA rules on uniforms.
"It used to be, (the road team) had to agree with it, but now they get to pick," he said. "Obviously, (LSU) picked white at the beginning of the year."
--GOOD STARTING POINT: Tuberville made a savvy decision late in the game Saturday when he forced Arkansas to re-kick after the Razorbacks' first kickoff sailed out of bounds.
Auburn could have started from its own 35. Instead, the Tigers began their go-ahead drive from their own 48.
"I rolled the dice on that," Tuberville said. "We wanted Brad (Lester) to have the ball. I knew he kicked the first out of bounds. He wasn't going to kick the second one. He was going to be short. We just played the percentages and fortunately it worked, and we got 13 extra yards."
--GAME TIME SET: Auburn's game against Ole Miss on Oct. 27 at Jordan-Hare Stadium will start at 5 p.m. and be televised on pay-per-view, the school announced Monday.
The game will mark only the second time this season that the Tigers have not appeared on cable or network television. (Auburn's victory over New Mexico State Nov. 22 was also televised on pay-per-view).
The Tigers have played all but two of their home games this season in the evening. The other two games were morning kickoffs televised by Lincoln Financial Sports. Auburn's homecoming game Nov. 3 against Tennessee Tech will start at 1:30 p.m. and mark the first traditional afternoon kickoff of the season.
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