BCS Championship Game 2011: Auburn and Oregon a Comprehensive Comparison

For Auburn fans, the time is finally drawing near.

The media is over run with misinformation and myths about Auburn and Oregon. After waiting and collecting every tidbit of information available on the preparation for this game, it is time to share some information.

Physical Conditioning

Few Auburn fans were concerned with physical conditioning, but some uneducated or misinformed media types predicted this to be a problem. To prepare for this game the Auburn scout team has pushed the tempo well past any possible on the game field.

There has been no real information on the play count, but it has been well in excess of the speed that Oregon has ever operated in a game. The players not participating in the play were often engaged in cardio training on the sideline while waiting to rotate in. There is no chance that any game pace will surprise the Auburn defense.

The Auburn offense started bowl preparation with a practice that showed negative effects of the time off. Since that time, they have steadily progressed back into and beyond the efficient execution Auburn fans last witnessed in the SEC Championship game.

Win or lose, Auburn fans can expect the best effort from their team. This is not a team that will show up intimidated or ill prepared. The many rumors of doom for the team are simply false.

Cameron Newton has continued to progress and improve. The extra practice time and off time has given him time to heal and work on more efficient execution. It is possible that he might have a bad day, but a bad day of the current Cameron Newton is better than a great day for the Cameron Newton that started the year.

Oregon is a team in excellent cardiovascular condition, but they are not immune to the type of physical wear and tear that they will face in this game. In games where this Oregon team faced a somewhat physically dominant offense, their defense broke down to a large degree. Their physical conditioning program does not offer a solution to this aspect of the upcoming game.

Oregon has not faced an offense as physical as that of Auburn. While Stanford was a physical offense, they lacked the offensive depth and speed necessary to take advantage of the slowing Oregon defense in the final two quarters of that game.

Outlook

Auburn has done an exceptional job of preparing for anything Oregon has executed on the field in the last two years. They are as prepared on defense as they can be for what is ahead.

The unknown is the preparation by the Oregon team. The Oregon staff made the assessment that Oregon would be best served by adding some new wrinkles for this game. By many accounts, they spent an entire week putting in some new surprises for this occasion.

Fans can expect Oregon to come out crisp and refreshed. They will not be conservative and shall attack from the first play. They will execute some plays that are unexpected and will take some risk in an attempt to pull ahead early. There could be some very big plays early in this game if these plans work.

The Auburn offense is executing as well or better than it has all season. It is unlikely that fans will see anything that they have not previously witnessed this season. Auburn will come out and attack with power and precision. It is very likely that the scheme will be balanced in nature.

Points

Auburn fans should now realize that the schedule faced this year might not have been as difficult as some imagined. After watching South Carolina’s poor performance against Florida State and Georgia’s pathetic performance against Central Florida, it should be apparent that some teams on the schedule were well over rated.

Oregon fans should now realize exactly how good the defenses Auburn has faced have been. Both Florida State and Central Florida were held well below their seasonal offense output in these games. Auburn had few offensive problems with either team.

Auburn fans should realize that Oregon’s defense held Washington to 263 total yards late in the season. This was the same Washington team that just put up 340 yards in a dominant defeat of Nebraska. Nebraska was ranked 10 in total defense in the nation this year.

Interesting Statistics Side by Side

(Season Totals for Both Teams 13 games for Auburn, 12 games for Oregon)

Statistic	Auburn	Oregon
Passing Attempts	261 plays	354 plays
Passing Yards	2737 yards	2804 yards
Passing Touchdowns	29	29
Completion Percentage	66.67 percent	62.14 percent
Yards Gained Per Attempt	10.49 yards	7.92 yards
Pass Plays Defended Total	474 plays	454 plays
Pass Completions Allowed	297 plays	243 plays
Completion Percentage Allowed	62.7 percent	53.5 percent
Passing Yards Allowed	3256 yards	2568 yards
Yards Allowed Per Attempt	6.87 yards	5.66 yards
Passing Touchdowns Allowed	15	13
Rushing Attempts	602 plays	597 plays
Rushing Yards	3733 yards	3646 yards
Rushing Touchdowns	41	42
Yards Per Attempt Rushing	6.2 yards	6.11 yards
Rushing Attempts Defended	416 plays	424 plays
Total Rushing Yards Allowed	1452 yards	1411 yards
Yards Allowed Per Play	3.49 yards	3.33 yards
Rushing Touchdowns Allowed	16	11
Total Offensive Plays	863 plays	951 plays
Total Offensive Yards	6470 yards	6450 yards
Average Yards Per Play	7.5 yards	6.78 yards
Touchdowns Total	73	79
Punt Returns Total Plays	22 plays	37 plays
Punt Returns Average	6.18 yards	18.19 yards
Punt Returns Touchdowns	0	5
Punt Returns Total Yards	136 yards	673 yards
Total Punts	37	38
Average Punt	37.5 yards	42.5 yards
Punt Returns Allowed	8	12
Punt Return Yardage Allowed Total	44	110
Punt Return Touchdowns Allowed Total	0	0
Average Return Allowed	5.5 yards	9.17 yards
Kick Returns Total	58 plays	42 plays
Kick Returns Yardage Total	1390 yards	919 yards
Average Per Return	23.97 yards	21.88 yards
Touchdowns	1	0
Total Kick Returns Defended	86	90
Kick Return Yards Allowed	1707 yards	1740 yards
Average Return Allowed	19.85 yards	19.33 yards
Touchdowns Allowed	1	0
Penalties Total Yards	698 yards	761 yards
Penalties Total	74	87
Third Down Conversions	77 plays	78 plays
Third Down Totals	145 plays	170 plays
Third Down Conversion Percentage Successful	53.1 percent	45.88 percent
Third Down Conversions Allowed	63 plays	65 plays
Third Downs Defended	168 plays	194 plays
Percentage Successfully Defended	62.5 percent	66.49 percent
Fumbles Lost	9	15
Interceptions Thrown	6	7
Passes Intercepted	10	20
Fumbles Recovered	10	15
Tackles For Loss	88	90
Tackles For Loss Allowed	67	68
Sacks	33	31
Sacks Allowed	21	8
First Downs Gained	316	322
First Downs Allowed	276	227
Time of Possession	29:01 minutes	27:59 minutes
Red Zone Offense Percentage	87 Percent	84 percent
Red Zone Pass Touchdowns	15	12
Red Zone Rush Touchdowns	29	30
Red Zone Field Goals	11	11
Red Zone Passing Touchdowns Allowed	10	9
Red Zone Rushing Touchdowns Allowed	15	8
Red Zone Field Goals Allowed	10	8
Scoring Offense	555 points	592 points
Touchdowns Total	73	79
Field Goals Total	15	12
Scoring Defense	318 points	221 points
Touchdowns Allowed	40	25
Field Goals Allowed	13	15
Fourth Down Conversion Percentage	71.43 percent	64.52 percent
Fourth Down Conversion Percentage Allowed.	43.83 percent	23.81 percent

It is likely fans of both teams will be surprised at how closely matched they are statistically. So much has been hyped on certain perceived advantages. There is nothing in the statistics that points to any huge advantage in any area.

Auburn has been maligned for their poor pass defense though they have allowed only two more passing touchdowns in 13 games than Oregon has in 12 games. Although Auburn’s rushing defense has been hyped as better, it has allowed five more touchdowns in 13 games than Oregon’s has in 12.

Hopefully this article and this previous article dealing with a comparison of the two teams against quality competition will provide fans with a good general knowledge base going into this game.