TRIPLE THREAT: Fannin showcases skill in new formation

The War Eagle Formation?

Really?

How about the Super Mario Formation? Doesn’t it just sound better?

Mario Fannin thinks so.

Actually, for the sophomore wide receiver/running back and now part-time quarterback, it doesn’t really matter what it’s called, as long as it’s his number.

“I’ll play whatever they tell me to play,” said Fannin.

Indeed.

Saturday against Tennessee, Auburn unveiled a new wrinkle into Tony Franklin’s ever-changing “spread” offense, putting Fannin in the shotgun to receive direct snaps. Kind of like what Darren McFadden made famous while he was at Arkansas, running the “Wild Hog” formation.

It’s a way to give Fannin, one of Auburn’s best athletes, a chance to make more big plays. It’s also a way to try and spark a sputtering offense, which has only scored three touchdowns in three SEC games.

Fannin used to play quarterback at Lovejoy (Hampton, Ga.) High, but played running back last year as a redshirt freshman, rushing for 448 yards on 84 carries and five touchdowns, before being moved wideout after a shoulder injury.

Taking snaps and having the freedom to make plays is just something the sophomore knows how to do.

And Saturday, he tried to take full advantage in the War Eagle Formation.

“It worked out pretty good,” Fannin said. “We picked up 4 or 5 yards every time we ran it. We’ve basically just got to hit the hole better and just get better at it.”

The Tigers ran the formation three times in the first half Saturday, all on Auburn’s only offensive scoring drive of the game, proving that it could add a shot in the arm to the offense.

And it was just a natural fit for Fannin, who head coach Tommy Tuberville said would most likely move back to tailback after a stint at wideout.

“It’s kind of like you just pick where you want to go,” he said. “It’s a set hole, but at the same time, that hole might not be there. So you just got to make a play happen. Just got to basically pick and choose where to go.

“You know it’s kind of just like high school. Just basically, it actually gives you more blockers. You can see where the blocks are going to take place better. It’s just like high school to me.”

Fannin said he was first approached about running the set by Franklin prior to the Tennessee game.

“He came to me and told me we were going to try it,” Fannin recalled. “We tried it in practice that one time, and just kept running it.”

Franklin, who isn’t afraid to point out his own shortcomings as an offensive coordinator, said putting Fannin behind center was just another way to get the ball into the hands of a playmaker.

“It’s another sign of me not being smart enough — I hadn’t gotten him the ball,” Franklin said after Saturday’s win. “So I figured if I lined him up and snapped it to him, he’d have the ball and I wouldn’t have to think as much.

“If I snap it to him, he gets it, he runs. It’s pretty easy.”

Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville likes the idea, and says it’ll happen more as the season goes on.

“Mario will give you an extra dimension in the back field,” Tuberville said. “He can throw the ball and he played this position in high school when they played this formation.

“He’s too good of an athlete not to get the ball in his hands and play more. He’ll start to play a little bit more as we go along. Everybody looks to get more plays in with their best players.”

And Fannin likes the sound of that.

“It makes me feel great,” Fannin said. “Coaches trust me in that aspect of the game and that’s big to me. I’m just going to work hard at it and try to get better each time.”

No matter what the formation’s called.

mszvetitz@oanow.com | 737-2513