Auburn’s O-line shouldn’t be an issue in 2009

By Robert Rousseau  |   Monday, March 16, 2009  |  Comments( 1 )

Auburn Tigers
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The Auburn Tigers haven’t exactly been revving it up on offense the past two seasons.

Their offensive line was horrid at the beginning of the 2007 season, which was one of the reasons why then-quarterback Brandon Cox just couldn’t get anything going. In fact, it got so bad that Kodi Burns was brought in early to try and give the offense a boost.

Last season, offensive coordinator Tony Franklin got the boot midseason. Even without Franklin, though, the Tigers performed poorly on offense.

That said, the offensive line has been getting better over the past two seasons. And if Auburn once again sputters on offense in 2009, it will not be because of this unit and new O-line coach Jeff Grimes.

It all stars with potential star offensive tackle Lee Ziemba -- a CollegeFootballNews.com freshman All-American two seasons ago and a hyped recruit coming to the Tigers previous to that. He has the kind of talent that could net him All-SEC honors in 2009. Beyond Ziemba, there’s a list of slated returners with starting experience like Mike Berry (OG), Byron Isom (OG) and Ryan Pugh (C). The only probable starter without experience is the sole senior in the group, tackle Andrew McCain.

To be sure, Grimes could use more depth on the line But whenever a unit returns four players with starting experience, it should be in good shape. What’s more, those four experienced players are all juniors, some of whom have played more than one position. That should help any depth-related problems. In addition, there are multiple players with the capability of becoming all-conference-caliber performers before their careers are over with the Tigers on the line.

Fans should expect more-than-solid line play in '09. And that usually translates to wins for teams. Unfortunately for the Tigers, it’s not just the line they have to worry about. Over the past two seasons, their quarterbacks have had a difficult time, playmakers on offense have been scarce, and even their running backs haven’t necessarily done as well as past performers. So, newcomers Gene Chizik (head coach) and Gus Malzahn (O-coordinator) have their work cut out for them.

Barring injuries, though, the line won't be a problem.
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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or ...
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