Tuesday practice

[Saniflush]

AUBURN, Alabama --Auburn offensive line coach Jeff Grimes says the battle to be Auburn's starting center is still ongoing between Reese Dismukes and Blake Burgess.

"At this point, nothing has been officially declared," Grimes said after Tuesday night's practice.

Dismukes' father, Ed, reportedly said on a Mobile radio station Tuesday that his son was named the starter.

"I've not heard anything. That'd be news to be," Grimes said. "Reese did go with the first team today. Blake went with the second team at guard today. I haven't said anything like that to Reese."

Grimes said he's moving his linemen around so they can play multiple positions.

"I've got to cross train some guys," Grimes said.

Grimes said A.J. Greene, who missed more than a week with an undisclosed injury, returned to practice Tuesday.

**Running back Mike Dyer missed another practice day Tuesday with an undisclosed injury.

"He's beat up and banged up," coach Gene Chizik said.

Dyer was on the sidelines during a half-scrimmage in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Chizik said "I don't have any reason to doubt" that he'll be ready for the opener against Utah State on Sept. 3.

Running backs coach Curtis Luper said Dyer and fellow returning tailback Onterio McCalebb haven't played much in any scrimmages.

 "We've held the older guys out.  The last couple of scrimmages have been for my younger guys," Luper said.

Luper said big fullback Ladarious Phillips is "still a work in progress" and is just now recovered from the ankle injury he suffered a year ago.

**Defensive back coach Tommy Thigpen said he likes the progress of his players.

"We have a lot more depth than we had last year;  just don't have that experience," he said.

**Melvin Ray, who signed to play football at Alabama in 2008 but later signed a professional baseball contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, has enrolled at Auburn. He's a non-qualifier who is eligible to walk on for the 2012 season.

**Auburn graduate Jason Dufner was welcomed back home to a rousing welcome Monday. The runnerup at the PGA Championship on Sunday was surprised by the football team after he was invited to the athletic complex.

"I walked into one of the auditoriums and the whole team was in there and they gave me a standing ovation," Dufner said. "So that's pretty cool. I don't know a lot of those guys personally as far as the players go but... for them to take time out from their training to get ready for the season coming up in a couple of weeks and to hear them talking about how I was watching (the PGA). ..

"You wouldn't expect a 320-pound defensive lineman to be watching golf on Sunday but they were. And for the coaches to take time out from their meetings and their practice on Sunday to say, hey, we were checking text messages and watching when we could. That was a pretty neat experience. That was probably the biggest thing that stood out for me yesterday."