Auburn’s Darvin Adams was named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list on Tuesday. (Photo courtesy Auburn Unv. Athletic Dept.)

Contributed
(August 11, 2010)

AUBURN - The Auburn football team had a pair of two-hour practice sessions Tuesday, one beginning at 9:55 a.m. and the other at 7:10 p.m., in the first two-a-day practice of the 2010 fall campaign.

The workouts marked the completion of the first week of practice, leading up to the season opener Sept. 4 against Arkansas State. The first practice was in shoulder pads and shorts, while the team went to full pads for the second workout.

The Tigers worked on all facets of the game in both practices, spending much of the first half working on individual and position drills, with much of the latter half concentrating on team drills. Special teams work was also included in both workouts.

Following the morning practice, head coach Gene Chizik stated that he was pleased with the improved performance from prior practices that his squad displayed.

"I thought we had a much better practice this morning as far as tempo, effort and energy," said Chizik. "Obviously we’re going to be very demanding of that and make sure they get that every day, and yesterday we didn’t and I thought we took a step back. But this morning, I think we accomplished what we needed to accomplish for half the day."

After the second practice, assistant head coach Trooper Taylor said that the increased energy from the morning practice carried over into the evening.

"The guys were kind of chomping at the bit," said Taylor. "We’re paying attention to the little details - guys sprinting on and off the field, if guys aren’t lined up properly. Every little thing to make sure they’re taking care of their business as far as alignment and assignment and effort are concerned, we’re paying close attention to. It was fun to see those guys fly around."

The Tigers will hold their first scrimmage of the fall on Wednesday inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. The workout will begin at 6 p.m. CT and is closed to the public.

Adams, Bynes named to watch list

Junior wide receiver Darvin Adams and senior linebacker Josh Bynes were named Tuesday to watch lists for a pair of national football awards. Adams was named to the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, while Bynes was named to the Bednarik Award watch list.

The Biletnikoff Award is presented annually by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation to the top receiver in college football, while the Bednarik Award is awarded by the Maxwell Football Club to the nation’s top defensive player.

Adams set an Auburn single-season record with 60 receptions last year, and his 997 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns ranked third best in school history. He ranked second in the SEC in total receiving yards and TD catches, and his 60 catches were third most.

Adams set an Auburn bowl game record with 12 catches in the Outback Bowl victory over Northwestern, and finished the season with back-to-back 100-yard receiving games, collecting 138 yards vs. Alabama and 142 vs. the Wildcats.

Bynes led Auburn in tackles and ranked sixth in the SEC last year, totaling 104 stops on the season (61 solo, 43 assists). He had six tackles for loss and recovered two fumbles while also breaking up seven passes and intercepting another.

Bynes enters his senior season with 167 career tackles and with a streak of 21 consecutive starts. He has four career double-digit tackle games, including back-to-back games with 10 tackles each against Alabama and Northwestern to close the 2009 season.

The selection committee for the Biletnikoff Award will trim the initial list to 10 semifinalists on Nov. 15 and from there, three finalists will be announced on Nov. 22. Semifinalists for the Bednarik Award will be announced on Nov. 8 and three finalists for the award will be announced Nov. 22. The winners of both awards will be announced on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 9.