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 transition to his spread offense.
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 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.
