Auburn's Fannin could step in Saturday vs Ole Miss

Mario Fannin doesn’t have the jets of Onterio McCalebb, but he might be called upon to fill the void if the speedy freshman’s bum ankle isn’t good to go Saturday against Ole Miss.
“Certainly,” coach Gene Chizik said, “he’s prepared to do that.”
McCalebb remains “day by day” with an ankle injury he’s dealt with since the end of September, Chizik said. He said the Tigers will “literally be playing it by ear” as the days, hours and minutes melt away before Saturday’s 11:21 a.m. kickoff.
“You know it’s those ankles when you’re a running back,” Chizik said. “It’s just a slow process.”
Asked what McCalebb’s status was, running backs coach Curtis Luper responded with a question of his own.
“What did Coach Chiz say?”
Fannin carried the ball six times for 56 yards against LSU on Saturday, picking up the majority of work on Auburn’s final drive of the game. Recruited as a tailback, Fannin has bounced back and forth between running back and wide receiver, settling on H-back for his junior season.
He has 19 carries for 162 yards to go along with 24 catches and 255 receiving yards. Because of Auburn’s lack of production from its wide receivers behind Terrell Zachery and Darvin Adams, wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor has often referred to Fannin as the team’s third receiver.
“He’s a versatile guy, and we do ask him to do a lot of different things,” offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said. “I was very impressed with the way he finished the game and took some reps in some different areas. He’s one of our playmakers, and we’re continually trying to find ways to get him the ball.” The SEC Rocks!

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