With fall football camp reaching its dog days and the first game of the season quickly approaching, Auburn's offensive line is "getting better every day" under the direction of Coach J.B. Grimes, in hopes of being prepared for Sep. 5.
"Rome wasn't built in a day, and you don't get a cohesion of an offensive line done in one day," Grimes said. "As we can continue to stay healthy and really go out every day and work against Rodney Garner and Lance Thompson with that defensive line, we will see vast improvement every single day -- and that's the key."
Auburn held its first scrimmage Monday, August 10, in which the defense completely dominated the offense to the tune of three forced turnovers and two field goals. The overall performance of the offense was something concerning "especially in our league", according to new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.
When asked about the excitement of the offensive line for the first matchup of the season against Louisville, Coach Grimes was blunt. "We're not ready for that yet. Simple as that."
There is a need for the Tigers to get better in practice and the need for more cohesiveness on the line. "That takes time and we need that time right now. We're not ready to play yet," said Grimes. Until the line's technique improves, Grimes believes that they're not ready to take on an opponent. Hand placement, first step and rolling their hips are all things that are being listed under the "needs improvement" column.
Practicing against against guys like Carl Lawson can prove to be frustrating according to Grimes, but it helps improve the offensive line. "When I was at Virginia Tech we had a guy by the name of Cornell Brown that ended up winning the Outland and we had a guy by the name of Corey Moore that ended up winning the Outland. I think Carl Lawson is better than both of them," said Grimes. "He's like hitting an iron bar."
Overall, Grimes is satisfied with the tenacity and competition displayed in practice. The left and right tackles have shown continuous improvement throughout camp and "will get better because they want to." The competition, cohesiveness and depth are a common denominator with every championship team that Grimes has been associated with. "You're playing with the same five, six or seven guys, every Saturday. They develop that cohesion and in November they get really really good, when you have to be good," said Grimes.
Austin Golson, who has been expected to replace Rimington Trophy winner Reese Dismukes, may be up to the task, but simply needs to practice. "He's got to [practice] at a high level against good people day in and day out for him to be as affective as he will be, but he's got a chance to be a really good center for us."
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