The Auburn Tigers football team beat the heat Friday night as they geared up for the first practice in shells and shorts at the Athletic Complex practice fields.
"Day three was interesting," head coach Gene Chizik said. "It was our first day in shorts, pads and helmets, and we got some help from the weather tonight. The focus was definitely there. They really wanted to come out and try to practice correctly with each other. They didn't have full pads on, so they did not try to take them to the ground or any of that stuff. We are trying to make it a physical practice, but still take care of your teammates."
The Tigers practiced using a split practice plan for the third straight day to allow for more individual attention to help newcomers learn the system.
"We out there trying to get better and just take it day by day while helping the incoming freshman," said senior running back Mario Fannin.
Joining Fannin in the backfield will be freshman running back Ladarious Phillips from Handley High School in Roanoke, Ala.
"He's 290 and can stand flat-footed and turn a back flip," running back coach Curtis Luper said Thursday. "He can dunk a basketball. Yeah, he's different."
The 6-foot, 290-pound back rushed for 1,145 yards and 16 touchdowns on 141 carries while guiding his team to the state semifinals in his senior season.
"He's a guy that is going to shock a lot of people because he is so big, but at the same time very athletic," Fannin said.
Auburn comes in ranked 23rd in the preseason USA Today Coaches' Poll along with five other Southeastern Conference teams who enter the season in the top 25, including No. 1 Alabama, No. 3 Florida, No. 16 LSU, No. 19 Arkansas and No. 21 Georgia.
"It's a good thing, but as any coach will tell you that's all window dressing and you have to see where you are at the end of the year," Chizik said.
The Tigers return to the practice fields at 7 p.m. Saturday before taking the day off on Sunday.
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