What once was a proud tradition, Auburn's defense has fallen on hard times recently. Last year's squad became one of the worst in the history of the program.

There are two things you can always count on when it comes to Auburn football, being known as Running Back U. and for having a tough, hard-nose defense. Lately, the defensive unit hasn't lived up to what fans have witness for decades, a defense that shuts down opponent's running game, creates turnovers and keeps games close to give the offense a chance to win. In all four years of the Gene Chizik era, the defense seemed to not care about being out on the field with poor tackling and surrendering huge chunks of yards. Last year's unit gave up a school record 420.5 yards per game. Against SEC opponents last year, the defense failed to show up which resulted in several blowouts. Georgia and Alabama scored a combined 87 points while Texas A&M put up 63. The 671 yards of total offense gained by the Aggies is the most ever allowed by an Auburn defense at Jordan-Hare. Veteran defensive coach Ellis Johnson was first to be hired by new head coach Gus Malzahn. Malzahn brought in Johnson as the defensive coordinator because he knew Johnson could rebuild Auburn's defense. He has done it before at several other SEC schools. Johnson, 61, was defensive coordinator at Alabama from 1997-2000, at Mississippi State from 2004-2007 and was in charge of South Carolina's defense from 2008-2011. In his final season with the Gamecocks, his defense ranked third nationally, allowing just 268 yards per game. Under Johnson, South Carolina finished in the Top 15 nationally in total defense three times. With the help of defensive line coach Rodney Garner, the unit has a chance to see significant improvement in 2013. Garner returns to the Plains after being the defensive line coach, assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator at Georgia the last 15 seasons. He played at Auburn from 1984-88 and was with the coaching staff from 1993-95. Johnson and Garner know if the Tigers want to get back to being a stingy defense, it starts up front on the line. With 18 defensive linemen on Auburn's roster for the fall, depth won't be an issue. Finding four starters and backups to keep his starting linemen fresh shouldn't be a problem for Garner, either. Dee Ford (Photo courtesy of AUTigers.com) Dee Ford will hold down one of the defensive end positions after being the team leader in sacks in 2012 with 6.5. He'll be Auburn's primary pass rusher after Corey Lemonier left early for the NFL. Listed as Ford's backup is Craig Sanders. Sanders has been an excellent special teams player throughout his career at Auburn, and will probably see most of his playing time with that unit in the fall. At the other end position, Ken Carter will start after a strong spring. Appearing in all 12 games last season, Carter had 17 tackles and one tackle for a loss. He will need to become more consistent as a pass rusher since he's expected to fill the spot left by Lemonier. Carter could be challenged by Nosa Eguae in preseason practice since Garner said he views the pair as similar players. Eguae started only four games in 2012 after a career-best 13 starts and 38 tackles in 2011. Jeff Whitaker (Photo courtesy of AUTigers.com) At one of the tackle spots, Jeff Whitaker is penciled in to start after a consistent spring. Whitaker has been a starter the past two seasons but made just 12 tackles last season. Known for making big plays in the backfield at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, junior college transfer Ben Bradley is behind Whitaker on the depth chart. Bradley was on campus for spring practice and should have an advantage over the other newcomers to contribute in the fall. After being in the playing rotation his first two seasons, Gabe Wright is listed as the No. 1 starter at the other tackle spot. Wright came on strong at the end of last season starting the last five games and ended up with 19 tackles including 4.5 for loss and one sack. Angelo Blackson is behind Wright on the depth chart after being limited in the spring with a shoulder injury. He started 10 games last year and had 26 tackles with seven for loss, a sack, two forced fumbles and recovered one. Newcomers Montravius Adams, Carl Lawson, and Elijah Daniel could all push for playing time when Auburn's season begins Aug. 31 against Washington State. Phil Marion Next week: Linebackers Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers Running Backs Offensive Line