Tuberville insists rumors did not distract team during week

Tommy Tuberville denied it after Saturday’s 45-20 loss at Georgia.

He denied it again in his Sunday press conference.

But the questions keep coming: Were the rumors of Tuberville’s departure to Texas A&M - or elsewhere - a distraction? Did the talk of Tuberville packing his bags harm Auburn’s focus on the task at hand?

Tuberville’s answer was, once again, an unequivocal “no.“

“It wasn’t a distraction last week, and it won’t be this week,“ he said. “Our players don’t talk about it, our coaches haven’t talked about it.“

Tuberville has been linked to job openings before, including the LSU vacancy in ’04 and the Dallas Cowboys’ head job last year. But the coach, whose seven-year, $18-million AU contract runs through 2011 and includes a $6 million buyout this season, says such talk doesn’t bother his players.

It’s a foregone conclusion that the speculation about Tuberville’s future will continue, at least until all current and potential openings are filled. Tuberville and Auburn President Jay Gogue are scheduled to talk about the coach’s contract after the season, something Auburn officials say happens every year.

So far, Tuberville has refused to rule anything out until then - despite reports that the school plans to offer him a contract extension and a raise.

Whatever happens, Tuberville is confident his players won’t be affected.

“That’s all media talk, something for people to talk about during the week,“ he said. “Our players and coaches could care less about what the media thinks about.

“It’s their own agenda. It’s not ours.“

Tuberville didn’t elaborate on the media’s “agenda” for discussing his job prospects.

AU falls out of polls, still gets respect

Auburn, which entered Saturday’s game ranked No. 18 in the Associated Press poll, fell out of the top 25 this week.

But the AP voters are still impressed with the Tigers. AU is second among the “others receiving votes” outside the top 25, with 72 points. That makes Auburn the highest-ranked four-loss team in the nation.

The only other four-loss teams receiving votes are Mississippi State (which received six points), Arkansas (four points) and Alabama (one).

AU was in the same position in the Harris Interactive poll and third among the “others” in the coaches’ poll.

Injury report

Tuberville said Auburn suffered “no new injuries” against Georgia.

Left tackle Ryan Pugh, who started the game, played on a sore ankle and was eventually replaced by senior King Dunlap. Pugh’s status is unclear, as is exactly who will start Nov. 24 against Alabama.

Tailback Tristan Davis could be back in practice by the end of this week, according to Tuberville. That suggests the speedster, who has played in one game this season, will play against the Crimson Tide.

But it’s no guarantee. Davis rushed back from a preseason foot injury to play against Florida on Sept. 29, only to injure the same foot. Tuberville wants to be more cautious this time.

“He’s starting to look pretty good, but I want him to be 100 percent this time,“ Tuberville said. “Last time, he was about 95 percent. …We’re not going to rush him.“