The old saying is "speed kills." Sometimes, it can shoot you in the foot.

Erik Ainge said his pacing was too quick in last Saturday's 17-10 victory against UAB. The sophomore quarterback said the way he handled himself contributed to an erratic performance that included two interceptions.

"I just thought I was trying to play too fast," said Ainge, who completed 5 of 14 passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. "I thought I was trying to make everything happen a little sooner than it needs to."

Ainge said he spent Tuesday's practice trying to slow down and let his talent take over.

"I've got plenty quick feet and more than enough arm," said Ainge, who lost his starting position Tuesday to senior Rick Clausen. "I don't have to try to use my arm on every single play, just make the play that needs to happen on time. Coach (Randy) Sanders said it looked like I was playing real fast."

Ainge said last Saturday wasn't the first time he struggled with his pacing. The problem actually cropped up during the last month of pre-season practice.

"It's usually when I'm thinking too much," Ainge said.

Ainge said he found himself out of his rhythm as he tried to make plays to stay in the game. UT inserted Clausen on the third series against the Blazers, a plan Fulmer indicated he would do before the game.

"You want to stay on the field so you try to make plays happen instead of just taking what the defense gives you," Ainge said.

Long Distance: Senior tailback Gerald Riggs Jr. said he saw signs against UAB that UT's offensive line could be a dominant group this season. UT rushed for 138 yards Saturday against the Blazers.

"I thought it was OK," Riggs said of his 113-yard effort. "Not great by any means, I could have done a lot better. I think I ran hard. I ran with some authority and broke a lot of tackles.

"We've got to be able to pop some of those runs out of there for more than 15 yards. I'd like to see some of those go 20, 30 or maybe farther than that."

Riggs said he could have done a better job reading his keys and that patience would have yielded longer runs.

Riggs disagreed with those who said he was slowed by a lack of pre-season scrimmage snaps.

"Personally, for not having the scrimmage time, I think I ran pretty good," he said. "There were other things I could have done differently that had nothing to do with (practice) time."

Junior offensive tackle Aaron Sears said UT's run blocking will improve with better chemistry and communication. UT was forced to change its approach in the middle of the pre-season when senior center Richie Gandy suffered a knee injury and junior center David Ligon suffered an ankle injury.

Junior Rob Smith was moved from left guard to center and freshman Ramon Foster played at Smith's old spot.

"We had all the linemen blocking really hard," Sears said. "It was just one player here and one player there that was messing up. We've really got to stay on the same page, all five at one time. We've got a long way to go after you really look at the film."

The chemistry didn't likely improve based off Tuesday's practice. Smith did not practice because of a sinus infection. Freshman backup center Anthony Parker did not practice after having his wisdom teeth extracted early Tuesday. Foster suffered a sprained foot and is expected to return later this week.

Gandy returned to practice on a limited basis and is better than 50 percent to be available for the Florida game on Sept. 17. Ligon will likely make the travel squad at least as an emergency player.

Honored Again: Junior defensive tackle Justin Harrell scored his second honor in as many games. Harrell was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week after registering a third quarter interception just as UAB was threatening to score deep in UT territory. Harrell also had four tackles.

"He played a great game, one of the best I've seen him play," senior defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona said of Harrell.

Harrell was named the defensive MVP in UT's 38-7 win over Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl.

Drops: Tight ends coach Greg Adkins was happy with his group's showing against UAB but couldn't forget two dropped passes, one by senior Justin Reed, the other by sophomore Chris Brown.

"I was really pleased with their effort," Adkins said. "The two things I was disappointed with were the two drops we had. Both of those guys have been very reliable catching the ball and making the tough catches.

"I was happy with what they did in the run game, which was something I've been emphasizing with them."

Adkins said Brown showed the same ability to get open that he has shown in pre-season practice. Adkins said he intended to get sophomore Brad Cottam more snaps in the future.

Injury Report: Senior linebacker Jason Mitchell (knee) did not practice. He was riding a bike during Tuesday's drills. Sophomore wide receiver Robert Meachem practiced Tuesday after suffering a minor ankle injury against UAB. Both are expected to play against Florida.