A very experienced and talented offensive line paved the way for Auburn's national championship run last season. With four starters gone because of graduation, the 2011 unit will likely go through some growing pains early in the season.

Last year, Auburn's offense was a well-oiled machine thanks to seniors Lee Ziemba, Ryan Pugh, Mike Berry and Byron Isom. The line helped the offense light up the scoreboard with 577 total points, smashing the old school single-season record of 433 points set in 2009. The Tigers scored at least 50 points in six different games last season, which is the most in one season in school history. It isn't likely that Auburn will come anywhere near the same offensive output during the upcoming season, but the Tigers are in pretty decent shape with two players returning who have experience as starters, several key reserves, and newcomers who are ready to make a push for playing time. In the offseason, offensive line coach Jeff Grimes flirted with leaving for the same position at Texas but decided he's very happy with how things are going on the Plains. Grimes' decision to stay is a huge plus given his track record as offensive line coach at other schools and in two seasons at Auburn. He has a knack for getting his players to perform up to their potential, including current linemen A.J. Greene and Brandon Mosley. A.J. Greene (Photo courtesy of AUTigers.com) Greene's time at Auburn has been rocky. He arrived on campus in 2007 as a defensive lineman. After being redshirted and moved to the offensive line by the previous coaching staff, Greene struggled to learn his new position which kept him from seeing playing time. It all started to come together for Greene when Grimes was hired to coach the line in 2009. Even though he still only saw playing time in two games that season, Greene finally felt he was ready to compete for a starting job because of what he learned from Grimes. After a lot of hard work in the offseason and stiff competition in preseason practice last August, Greene won the job at right tackle. He suffered a setback in game three vs. Clemson when a leg injury kept him sidelined for the rest of the season. Despite not quite being 100 percent, Greene is projected to start in Ziemba's old spot at left tackle. Brandon Mosley (Photo courtesy of AUTigers.com) Mosley was thrown into the fire when Greene went down for the season. Mosley surprisingly held his own considering the junior college transfer had never played a snap as an offensive lineman before coming to Auburn. Mosley settled in nicely as Greene's replacement for the remaining 11 games. He was reliable and durable when Auburn didn't really have any other options. Now a senior, Mosley is set to start at right tackle. He'll provide the line with leadership since he has more starts under his belt than any of the other linemen. While both tackle spots look promising for the Tigers, who will start at the two guard positions and at center is dicey. Senior Jared Cooper and junior John Sullen are projected to be the two starting guards while center is down to sophomore Blake Burgess and true freshman Reese Dismukes. Cooper has practiced at guard throughout his career at Auburn but has never been a starter. The only action he's seen on the field has been on special teams. Sullen earned one start in 2009 and saw limited action as a reserve last year. Burgess played in every game in 2010, primarily on special teams. He'll see competition from Dismukes, who enrolled at Auburn in January and participated in spring drills. Redshirt freshmen Ed Christian, Eric Mack, Chad Slade and Tunde Fariyike, along with true freshmen Thomas O’Reilly, Christian Westerman and Greg Robinson will get opportunities. Phil Marion Next week: Defensive Line Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers Running Backs