BCS National Championship: Why the Oregon Ducks Can Become BCS Champs
The BCS National Championship game is one day away, as the stage in Glendale, Arizona is all but set for what should be an exciting, high scoring affair between the top team in the Pac-10, the Oregon Ducks, and the top SEC dog, the Auburn Tigers.
Auburn sits atop the BCS standings ahead of the game, making them the number one ranked team in the nation, and they head into the BCS National Championship as the oddsmakers' favorites as well. They have an explosive offense led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Cam Newton and a defensive line capable of stuffing the run.
But they've yet to face a team as imposing as the Oregon Ducks, their opponents in the BCS National Championship and a team wholly capable of knocking off Newton and the powerful Tigers.
What does Oregon have to do in order to pull out a win and hoist the Coaches Trophy tomorrow night as undefeated BCS National Champions? Here we'll go over 10 specific areas Oregon can exploit in order to stop Auburn and become champions of college football.
Stick With LaMichael James Throughout the Entire Game
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Auburn's strength on defense is their run defense, as they limited opposing runners greatly throughout the season and ended up with the nation's 11th best running defense. However, they are facing off against one of the nation's best offensive lines, backed up by the nation's leading statistical rusher in LaMichael James.
What can you say about James' season, other than wow? He missed the first game of the year due to a suspension, but still managed to lead the nation in rushing yards with 1,682, while also posting a national-high 21 rushing touchdowns.
Auburn will no doubt be game planning to stop James, but Oregon needs to be stubborn on this front. Yes they have a talented quarterback, but their most talented offensive player is James. Even if the holes aren't there early, Oregon needs to keep handing it to James and trying to work him into space. If he gets an opening, his blinding speed will be a big difference maker for Oregon. Their persistence with the run could be the deciding factor in the game.
Offensive Line Must Protect Darron Thomas
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One of Auburn's strengths on defense is getting to the quarterback, as they're ranked 20th in the nation in terms of sacks per game. They have a strong pass rusher in defensive lineman Nick Fairley, who put up some big sack and tackle for loss numbers in a very strong campaign. The defensive line is Auburn's biggest strength on defense and what they'll hope to lean on in order to disrupt Oregon's offensive speed and skill.
For the Ducks, they must get a big performance out of their offensive line and keep their quarterback, Darron Thomas, from being harassed and forced into turnovers or bad decisions. Oregon was very good at taking care of the ball all year long, but you can draw a connection between that and the fact that they allowed the fifth fewest sacks in all of college football. If Oregon's o-line overpowers Auburn's d-line, the Ducks will have a great chance to pull out a win in Glendale.
Keep Cam Newton's Down Field Passing Options Covered
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Cam Newton lives for the big play, be it with his feet or by having one of his receivers get open deep down field for a big throw. One area where Oregon could fluster and frustrate Newton would be to take away his deep options in the passing game, and the Ducks have the personnel that's capable of pulling it off.
Oregon has one of the fastest secondary groups in the NCAA, and they've limited their opponents to only 5.7 yards per pass, which is an impressively unimpressive amount of yardage. The Oregon pass defense is ranked sixth in the nation in pass defense efficiency, and they were led by a great year from second team All-America cornerback Cliff Harris.
If Oregon can use their speed to keep with Newton's receivers on their long routes, the Ducks' defense will have a great chance of limiting the damage done against them by Auburn's passing game.
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Continue Forcing Turnovers, While Also Protecting the Ball
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When the Oregon Ducks win, they do so by both holding onto the ball and forcing their opponents to unwillingly give it back via interceptions or fumbles. This is something that Oregon will absolutely have to continue if they're to walk away with the BCS National Championship tomorrow night.
Oregon produced 20 interceptions on defense, the sixth most in all of college football. The previously mentioned Cliff Harris produced five picks on his own, and he's the team's best coverage corner.
But another big thing to consider is that Auburn has done a great job avoiding turnovers, only throwing six interceptions all season themselves. The difference, however, is Auburn doesn't force turnovers at the same rate as Oregon, not even close. Auburn only had 10 interceptions on the year, good for 76th in all of college football.
Oregon is a very strong defense, and they may be capable of grabbing the ball away from Cam Newton either via fumble or interception. Their offense will have to continue to hold onto the ball as well, and the team will need to live up to its very solid turnover ratio in order to win the national title.
Throw All Over the Weak Auburn Pass Defense
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Auburn's biggest weakness as a team all season long was their pass defense. Their pass defense was ranked 105th in all of college football, and they allowed an average of 250 passing yards against per game. Quarterbacks enjoyed good days throwing the ball all season long against Auburn, and Oregon, while doing much of its damage on the ground behind Heisman Trophy candidate LaMichael James, who will need to turn to the passing game to put Auburn away.
Wide receivers like seniors Jeff Maehl and Lavasier Tuinei will have to step up and take advantage of Auburn's issues in the secondary. So, too, will quarterback Darron Thomas, a dual threat between run and pass. Thomas will need to have a big day throwing the ball down field in order for Oregon to put as big a dent as possible in Auburn's defense, especially if the Ducks have any issues running the ball against a strong Auburn run defense.
Limit Cam Newton's Yards Per Rush
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Cam Newton managed to average 10 yards per rushing attempt during the season as a quarterback. His two-way skills are undeniable, and his running is what makes him a particularly tough quarterback to guard against. Oregon doesn't have the best linebacker corps in the nation, as they rely more on their secondary to disrupt offensive plays by opposing offenses.
For Auburn, they rely on big plays from Newton, and Oregon has to be prepared as best they can to avoid him for breaking off big chunks of yardage. I've already discussed what they could do through the air by sticking tight on Newton's down field receivers, but a big game from linebackers Casey Matthews and Spencer Paysinger is also needed.
The two veteran 'backers need to step up and make open field tackles on Newton to try and limit his rushes and keep him from carving up big chunks on the ground. If he can't find lanes running the ball, Newton might be forced into bad throws instead, and that plays right into Oregon's strength.
Blitz From the Edges
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Oregon has had success on defense all season by bringing pressure from their secondary on the pass rush. This will again need to happen in the BCS National Championship game, as it's the best possible way to come at Cam Newton from unorthodox angles and potentially confuse his reads and force him into mistakes. You could argue that it would be risky to deploy corner or safety blitzes, given Auburn's ability to air it out deep down the field and hit home runs in the passing game.
But Oregon would have to trust the speed and deep coverage abilities of their remaining corners and safeties while also actually getting their blitzes home successfully resulting in sacks or quarterback rushes.
Keep the Offense In Attack Mode All Game Long
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Auburn's defense is prone to getting off to sluggish starts in games, digging a deep hole for Cam Newton and the Tigers' offense to dig out from.
If the BCS National Championship game follows this same script, the onus will fall to Oregon to avoid easing their foot off the gas pedal and letting Auburn back into the game in the second half, should Oregon have a lead.
Auburn's defense has played its best in the second half of games, which has been part of the reason why Newton has been able to orchestrate some big second half comebacks. The best defense for Oregon could be a continued high-pressure, attacking offense. It's a general plague when teams take big leads: they ease off on offense and choose to try and drain clock and methodically move down field.
Nothing Oregon does is ever methodical, and they'll need to avoid taking that approach at any point in this game, because Auburn is too explosive to ever feel comfortable against.
Exploit Auburn's Weakness On Special Teams
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Auburn is not a great tackling team, and one of their weaknesses is the fact that they have had little to no success pinning opponents deep in their own territory via punts. Auburn ranked 92nd in the nation in net punting, meaning their kicks either don't travel very far or are returned for decent chunks of yardage.
Oregon has so many skill players that they'll need to get at least one big play on special teams. While not necessarily needing a kick return for a touchdown, a big return is always a good way to spark a team, and Oregon has to see a weakness in Auburn's special teams coverage.
A punt return seems the most likely special teams area to exploit for Oregon, so they should have their best plans in place to go at Auburn's punt team full bore.
Win the Second Half
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Both Auburn and Oregon are noticeably second half teams, thriving late when opposing defenses are worn down and eating up yardage via big plays.
The difference needs to be that Oregon needs to wear down Auburn early in the game so that Auburn's defense isn't capable of their usual second half surge. Oregon might be the perfect offense to accomplish that, given that they play at a quick tempo and have serious speed coming out of the back field in LaMichael James and even Darron Thomas.
No matter what happens early in the game, Oregon needs to outpace Auburn when halftime ends and play resumes. The nerves will be gone, and it will become just another game (in theory). Third and fourth quarters will crown a national champion, and I think it will be the Oregon Ducks, thanks to their multi-faceted attack and all around solid play on offense and defense.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
