I know some of you are still having a hard time coming to the reality that Tuberville and Auburn have parted ways after a decade on the Plains, and how could any Tiger fan not be disturbed by what's occurred over the last few days. To say that the situation got out of hand is putting lightly. However, my take on this situation is a little different from some (or most) of you in that I believe Tuberville ultimately had a major flaw that he just couldn't overcome. Coach Tubs inability to find consistency with the offense during his tenure (despite his ability to almost always have strong defenses) became a troubling problem that he never seemed to have an answer for. I know guys, at this time most of you are hurt by what has transpired in Auburn, but his flaw was eventually going to lead him to this day (whether this year, next year or 5 years from now). I came across this article this evening on Scout.com and thought I would share with the rest of you Tiger fans.

Tommy Tuberville: A Dollar Short

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Where does our program go from here? I wanted to be optimistic this week thinking that cutting lose Franklin would bring our team together and all focus would be on kicking lowly Arkansas's butt. Instead, we just got embarrassed by another inferior team. By the way, here's a stat that shows why we shouldn't have even been in this game...Arkansas outgained Auburn 416 to 193 yards tonight. I also ask this, can Tuberville survive this type of season?

Good evening (morning), Auburn fans. Yes, that sick feeling in your stomach is well justified after watching our Tigers accomplish something Auburn hadn't done since 1955...lose to the Vanderbilt Commodores. Unfortunately, I was there to witness the historic win (loss) in person. First off, let me congratulate the Dores on finally beating my Tigers for the first time since before my parents were even born. Their coaches wanted it more, and their team wanted it more. Heck, their fans wanted it more. And in a way, I wish I couldn't say that this loss is a huge surprise. Honestly folks, we've had to endure watching 6 games of an under-performing offense and pathetic (ignorant, bush-league, horrible) play-calling. So, what happened this evening at Vandy Stadium was...in a way...inevitable.

At the beginning of the game our team looked prepared and determined to win this game, and our offense moved the ball very well. Of course, we were running that "3 yards and a cloud of dust" offense instead of the spread formation. However, Franklin's play-calling showed very early signs of ineptitude when AU failed to score despite being inside the 5 yard line for 4 full plays. I was 8 rows up from the end zone and watched in amazement as Ben Tate was pounded up the middle on pretty much the same play on 1st down, 2nd down, 3rd down, and even 4th down. Franklin's lack of creativity in that situation was absolutely mind-blowing. As much speed and versatility that our many backs have, Franklin chose the "stuff it down their throats" maneuver with no success.

And so after a stop by our defense, we got the ball back for another shot. We managed to move the ball well very well with a 9 play, 49 yard march ending with a Rod Smith TD reception. Game on! And before we knew it, the AU defense picks off a pass by Nickson giving the ball right back to the offense again. The AU offense takes advantage by only taking 2 plays to score on the Dores. At that point all I could think about it is how much better our offense looks, and even thought that the rout of the Dores was on its way. Then...Wes "sophomore blues" Byrum misses a simple extra point. What? Really? Well, the way our offense looks, I don't think one point will matter. With 3:09 left in the 1st Quarter that should have been a justified thought, however it would be the last time Auburn got the opportunity to put points on the board.

What we saw tonight was more confusing than any loss should have been. How does an offense go on a 1st quarter tear to 13-0 (should've been 21-0) and then completely drop off the map? They simply didn't show up once Byrum missed that extra point. Why? Well, I will admit that the players made some mistakes and missed several opportunities to gain the momentum back, but this was a loss predicated by the offensive coaching. There was a change in philosophy at some point where Franklin was allowed to switch back to his spread formation and the Auburn offense never found rhythm once that switch was made. That is why we as a fan base are truly justified in questioning the competency of Tony Franklin. This guy really has no clue...

I do agree that our offense has been in decline since the 2005 season, and Tuberville most definitely deserves to shoulder some blame for this team's performance to date. However, the Al Borges days seem like a dream compared to what we had to endure tonight. I've never seen a coach misuse so much talent as Tony Franklin has done this season. At this point I believe we may have just witnessed the end of his career at Auburn, although Tubs may keep him around until season's end. So where do we go from here? Does Auburn return to the Power-I offense and begin to fully utilize the talented running backs? Does the Chris Todd era officially come to an end as well? I'm at a loss when thinking about where the Auburn season goes from here, but Tubs needs to take full control before this completely tears the team apart.

What makes it all worse is that I call Nashville home, and must endure some of the weirdest and most humbling taunts from a fanbase ever...from Vandy fans. Ouch!