Auburn’s O-line going back to its roots

By Robert Rousseau  |   Thursday, April 02, 2009  |  Comments( 1 )

Auburn Tigers
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The Auburn Tigers, when successful, have always been a run-first type of team. Recently, they've been less successful on offense and have gotten away from what they've always done best: lining big blockers up and plowing over enemies with good running backs.

Current Tiger Ben Tate is a solid back, and there are some younger guys waiting in the wings behind him. But under ex-coordinator Tony Franklin's spread offense last year, the linemen were asked to play a different game. That game included losing weight. Now, with offensive line coach Jeff Grimes and coordinator Gus Malzahn, Auburn is back to its roots. Grimes asked the line to gain some weight and the blockers have responded. In fact, many Auburn linemen have gained 30 pounds or more.

"Do I notice it? Sure," Tate recently said. "Those guys are getting back off the ball again. I tell them, 'You guys came in as freshmen, and you guys were vicious. You were getting off the ball and getting down field, and (now) everybody's doing that again.' I'm loving it. That's getting me excited, too."

The Tigers are back to their roots. Further, they have a significant amount of talent and experience on their O-line. If they're able to find a playmaking wide receiver and get some consistency from at least one quarterback, expect them to make plenty of progress this season.
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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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