While Auburn's offense is expected to light up the scoreboard during the upcoming season, the defense remains questionable after a rough start in Ted Roof's first year as defensive coordinator.

Last year as the offense flourished and set several school records, the Tigers struggled on the defensive side of the ball. There was plenty of blame to go around with the defensive line taking some of it for not being able to stop the run, especially in a conference like the SEC where teams thrive by running the football. During a crucial three-game stretch midway through the season, the Tigers allowed 221 rushing yards to Arkansas, 282 to Kentucky, and 122 to LSU. Auburn came out on the short end in all three contests. Allowing SEC opponents to rack up that kind of yardage on the ground spells disaster, and also kills your chances of having a shot at winning an SEC title. Stopping the run will be key for the Tigers if they want to improve on their 3-5 conference mark from a year ago. It all starts up front with a defensive line that should be better in 2010. Even though the defensive line will have to replace two starters from last year, position coach Tracy Rocker feels he has a nice mix of size, athleticism, and experience to make up for the loss of Antonio Coleman and Jake Ricks. Coleman's replacement will have big shoes to fill after he led the SEC with 10 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss in 2009. Antoine Carter (Photo courtesy of AUTigers.com) Senior Antoine Carter will start in Coleman's spot at defensive end. Last year, Carter showed signs that he's ready to be the star of the defensive line. Despite playing hurt, Carter had 30 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 4.5 tackles for loss in 10 games. Carter's solid spring is further proof that he should be a dominant player on the field for Auburn in the fall. He was named Defensive MVP at A-Day after recording five tackles, including a team-best 2.5 quarterback sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. The other end spot will be handled by either senior Michael Goggans or redshirt freshman Nosa Eguae. Goggans made six starts last season but nagging injuries caused his production to drop off and he lost the starting job to Carter. In fall camp last year, Eguae was making a push for playing time but doctors discovered a stress fracture in his foot a few days before the first game and he was forced to be redshirted. Eguae feels he's ready to make an impact this season after having the year off to learn the defense. Senior Mike Blanc and junior Nick Fairley will man the two defensive tackle spots. Blanc started 11 games last year and registered 44 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss. Fairley was a nice surprise last year as a key back up and spot starter. The former junior college transfer appeared in 13 games with two starts. He ended the year with 28 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. Senior Zach Clayton and sophomore Dee Ford will be in the two-deep rotation as the top reserves on the defensive line. Although Clayton missed seven games due to an ankle injury, he did see playing time in six games, making seven tackles and a tackle for loss. Ford saw playing time in every game as a true freshman, making 12 tackles, a sack and an interception. Phil Marion Next week: Linebackers Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers Running Backs Offensive Line