Auburn vs. Tennessee Contest Raises QB Questions for Both Teams

Article courtesy of SEC Sports Hub

Crompton has struggled mightily since taking over as the starting quarterback for the Volunteers.

In what amounted to a defensive battle last Saturday between the Volunteers and the Tigers, both teams enter the week with questions at quarterback.

Following the game, Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer stated that the quarterback position for the Volunteers was an open competition.

Tennessee faces Northern Illinois at home next week, before a tough road trip to face the Georgia Bulldogs.

Fulmer ideally would like to have a quarterback decided on before the game against the Bulldogs, but Crompton isn’t making things easy on him.

The junior quarterback has had several key turnovers in the past few weeks, including a botched exchange against Florida inside the five yard line, as well as a drive ending interception in the endzone against the Gators, also inside the five.

Crompton fumbled near his own five yard line last weekend and Auburn recovered in the endzone for what turned out to be the game-winning score.

He will now likely face competition from Nick Stephens and B.J. Coleman this week, both of whom are likely to see more reps in practice as a result of Crompton’s poor performance and Fulmer’s indication that the starting quarterback position is open.

Burns has provided a spark to the offense, but he is still behind Chris Todd on the depth chart.

Auburn, on the other hand, has continued to struggle offensively adapting to new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin’s new system.

Quarterback Chris Todd has looked good at times, but he lacks the ideal running ability that makes Franklin’s offense work.

Coach Tommy Tuberville maintained that Todd would be the starter this week when Auburn faces a 4-0 Vanderbilt team in Nashville, but many Auburn fans wonder just how long that will last.

Kodi Burns is exactly the type of running option that the Tiger offense needs and he has consistently provided a spark for the Tigers when given the opportunity.

Tuberville and Franklin took a lot of heat following the loss to LSU because Burns did not see many touches.

Unfortunately, Burns hasn’t proven reliable in a passing capacity yet, so the Auburn staff is limited in what they can ask him to do when he is in there.

In any case, both teams have plenty of questions to answer at the position and this weekend’s contest between the two greatly reinforced that.

Crompton is fighting to save his job, while Chris Todd and Kodi Burns are fighting to prove they deserve theirs.