Power of Caring
  presented by CIGNA

Insert joke here

Instead of playing No. 1, Auburn faces I-AA on Saturday

Click here for more on this story

Posted: Tuesday August 31, 1999 07:33 PM

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- Tommy Tuberville didn't want to open his Auburn career at Florida State -- he said it would force the Tigers to relive last season.

School officials agreed and spent $500,000 to get out of the game with the No. 1 Seminoles. Now Tuberville and Auburn will open the season Saturday against Division I-AA Appalachian State, and the players are still hearing about the Florida State game that never was.

Tailback Heath Evans said Tuesday he often gets grief from students about Auburn backing out of the game. He said he ignores it.

"It was a coaching decision and this is the only coaching staff in town," Evans said. "Anyone who is smart knows the players had nothing to do with it and we didn't back down from anyone."

Florida State isn't so sure.

The Seminoles were scheduled to play Auburn this Thursday night on national television. Florida State would be led by Bobby Bowden and the Tigers would be coached by his son Terry Bowden.

But Terry Bowden is no longer at Auburn and Tuberville had no interest in honoring the deal.

After Auburn bought out the game, Florida State was left scrambling for an opponent. The Seminoles finally found Louisiana Tech, and beat the Bulldogs 41-7 last Saturday.

Auburn quickly snatched up Appalachian State, a tiny North Carolina school that has never before played a Southeastern Conference team.

For the Mountaineers it was the promise of a big payday -- about $300,000, or triple what they would make for a sold-out home game.

It was also the chance of a big upset.

Appalachian State receiver Darryl Skinner said it will take a perfect game from the Mountaineers to beat Auburn, but a win "would give us a payday to remember."

Tuberville expected Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore to use the Florida State deal to motivate his team.

"I know he's saying we dropped Florida State to pick up a team we could beat," Tuberville said. "That's not the case. We were just looking for a team to play."

Maybe so. But it was unlikely that Auburn, which went 3-8 last season, could have beaten Florida State. Scheduling -- and beating -- a Division I-AA lightweight could be just what the doctor ordered for a team struggling to regain its confidence.

"People are looking at this as just a little game for us," said Evans "It's not a little game for us, it's the first game after the worst season ever."

And Appalachian State isn't the lightweight fans may think. The Mountaineers were 10-3 last season and advanced to the second round of the Division I-AA playoffs. They return 20 starters from that team.

"We haven't even talked about them being a Division I-AA team," Tuberville said. "They are a football team. They'll put 11 on the field just like we do."

 

Related information
Stories
CNN/SI's Auburn team preview Ivan Maisel's College Football Mailbag: So much for predictions SI's Maisel: Second-string Booty still rusty at LSU Week at a Glance
Multimedia
Visit Multimedia Central for the latest audio and video
Search our site	Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day
	Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call your cable operator or DirecTV.