Auburn has rolled out a number of jazzy catch phrases for the 2010 season, but the most appropriate one might just be “Go hard, and then go home.”

Gene Chizik and his coaching staff have attacked the practice schedule with a different mindset this year. Instead of front-loading the schedule with a seemingly endless string of two-hour practices, Chizik has implemented a number of “off days,” once every fifth day, where players simply attend meetings.

Chizik hasn’t gone soft on his players, though. The Tigers are just scrimmaging more, making the times where they actually hit the field a sterner test and a better learning experience.

“We had a lot of teaching up front,” Chizik said. “We’re trying to throw all of what we were teaching into the scrimmage so that the scrimmages were close enough they could retain back-to-back knowledge on how to play in that stadium, how to get the calls from the sideline, try to build a little more continuity instead of having them so spread out.

“Part of the madness of that is making sure they stay healthy and not beat them down too much.”

Auburn’s scrimmage Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium will be its fourth in 11 days. In return, though, Sunday will primarily serve as a walk-through “learning day” and Monday is off.

“It’s good physically and mentally for those guys,” Chizik said. “They get that day where this is a day it’s going to be more mental than physical for those guys.”

Auburn’s blossoming freshman class, Chizik said, has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the change. The speed of the game for some, he said, is slowing to a pace where things are finally starting to feel normal for the players he constantly says have “their heads swimming.

“We’re starting to see the progress of some guys where some of the reps are building up and we’re starting to understand a little more,” Chizik said. “But again, there’s a lot for a young guy to process. We’ve got to continue on this track and continue to evaluate these guys.”

Freeman, Bonomolo banged up
Linebacker Eltoro Freeman (turf toe) wasn’t able to practice at full capacity Thursday, but donned a uniform and some special, fitted shoes and headed to the James H. Watson fieldhouse.

There is no timetable for Freeman’s return, but he has already lost the boot he was forced to wear last week.

“He’s had an absolutely fantastic camp,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “I’ve been really pleased with him ... We’ll see what happens.”

Defensive end Joel Bonomolo, a junior-college transfer, stretched with his teammates, but then jogged into the fieldhouse Thursday.

Chizik didn’t specify what was wrong with Bonomolo, but acknowledged that there was a minor injury of some sort.

“He’s just got to stay into it mentally and stay focused and learn all this stuff,” Chizik said. “With him being a little bit dinged up right now ... it’s just something that can obviously put you behind.”

Down to 3?
Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said the battle at right tackle features “three guys in the mix,” which is presumably one less than the number of candidates assumed to be battling for the position.

Malzahn said A.J. Greene, John Sullen and Brandon Mosley are still in the running. Roszell Gayden, meanwhile, has been hampered by a knee injury.

“We’re starting to have a good idea but we want to give it one more scrimmage, just to be completely sure before we set some kind of order,” Malzahn said. “But it is good. We’re gathering more information, and that’s what we need to do.”

Senior center Ryan Pugh said he wished there was the same type of competition at all the offensive line positions as there is at right tackle.

“There’s a lot of urgency at that position right now,” he said. “To do that, you’ve got to work every day.”

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