Strange: Clawson, Franklin stumble along : govolsxtra.com

Eight years ago Dave Clawson ran into Tony Franklin at a coaching clinic in Washington. The main topic was Xs and Os.

Next time they run into each other at a clinic they'll have a broader shared experience to discuss. For instance, they can commiserate about the growing pains of 2008, when both were new SEC offensive coordinators.

First, however, Clawson and Franklin will be in different booths at the same press box Saturday in Auburn. They won't be matching wits, at least not head-to-head, but they'll be essentially in the same boat:

Trying to get their respective offenses on track after an uneven start at a high-profile program with high-profile expectations.

Clawson left a head-coaching job at Richmond to come to Tennessee as David Cutcliffe's replacement. He's the first "outsider" hired for the job since 1983.

Franklin also left a small pond for a big one. He was putting up prolific numbers as offensive coordinator at Troy before Tommy Tuberville hired him to replace Al Borges.

Clawson and Franklin are among five new offensive coordinators in the league this year. There's also Kent Austin at Ole Miss, Jim McElwain at Alabama and Paul Petrino at Arkansas.

Under Austin, the Rebels are averaging 10 more points a game than last year. McElwain has improved Alabama's third-down conversion rate significantly. Petrino is helping his brother, Bobby, transform the Razorbacks from a running team to a passing juggernaut.

For a variety of reasons, things haven't gone exactly as either Clawson or Franklin drew them up on the board.

If you think Clawson was frustrated by nine three-and-outs at UCLA or to come up empty on 14- and 11-play drives to the goal line against Florida, Franklin can top that.

Well, almost. Imagine if Auburn hadn't kicked a field goal and would have lost 2-0 to Mississippi State.

A Birmingham News headline after the 3-2 Auburn win read, "You mean Auburn fired Borges for this?"

"The product is not good right now, and that's my fault,'' Franklin told the New York Times last week.

The product got some better in a 26-21 loss to LSU last Saturday. Auburn managed 320 yards and scored two offensive touchdowns.

Still, Auburn is last in the SEC in third-down conversions (28.1 percent) and 11th in red-zone offense (68.8 percent).

Tennessee is slightly ahead of Auburn in most SEC offensive stat rankings. But if it weren't for dreadful Mississippi State, the Vols and Tigers would be at the bottom in a couple of categories.

Like Franklin, Clawson is dealing with the nuances of breaking in a new starting quarterback. That still doesn't explain all the mistakes and botches. Tuesday, Clawson said he's addressing the issues the same as he did when he was a head coach.

"Every job I've been at,'' he said, "at some point you're coaching a team that's not playing as well as it should.

"The challenge of turning it around, no matter what your position, is the same.''

Most UT fans expected a faster start. Some wonder if Clawson is struggling to adjust to life in the bigger pond. Receivers coach Latrell Scott, who came with Clawson from Richmond, doesn't buy it.

"Dave is Dave,'' Scott said. "He's not putting any undue pressure on himself. There's not any more nerves than if he was getting prepared for James Madison.

"Dave was one of the brightest offensive minds in college football. We believed that when he got here and we still believe it.''

Auburn fans are asking some of the same questions about Franklin, who installed a spread offense at a program that needed to upgrade its passing attack.

Franklin is scrambling to solve Auburn's problems. He worked the first three games on the sideline, then went up to the press box against LSU.

Clawson hated to leave the heartbeat of the sideline when he came to UT, but said Tuesday he still feels the press box helps him see the field better.

As Franklin would agree, what he wants to see more than anything is one of his guys crossing a goal line on a regular basis.

"The bottom line is we need to put points on the board,'' Clawson said. "That's the job of an offense.''

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strangem@knoxnews.com.