Tiger coach Tommy West received expected, but welcome, news on the running back front Tuesday.

University of Miami transfer Charlie Jones was given the green light by the NCAA to play for the Tigers this fall. Jones is the first player the Tigers have had who is taking advantage of a 2006 NCAA rule in which the NCAA grants a waiver to student-athletes who have graduated and enrolled at a school in a graduate program not offered by their previous school.

Jones is the no-nonsense veteran the backfield needs with junior T.J. Pitts, the team’s returning rushing leader, sidelined until likely next month. Jones runs with power and speed and is a complement to the quicker, lighter Curtis Steele, who is running with the No. 1 offense.

The Tigers conducted their first full-pads scrimmage of the preseason Monday and the outcome, like most of these endeavors, was mixed.

Defensively, there was intensity and a number of punishing blows. Defensive back Alton Starr struck receiver Duke Calhoun so violently on a quick slant that Starr had the breath knocked out of him. Calhoun was okay.

Offensively, the disappointing thing for Tiger coach Tommy West had to be the play of his offensive line and quarterbacks. The offensive line, a veteran group, is expected to help a team with a first-year QB (Arkelon Hall) and first-year running backs (Curtis Steele, Charlie Jones and Gregory Ray) have time to develop and acclimate themselves to the spread offense. But West was critical of the line and the play of the U of M quarterbacks.