🏈 Orgeon vs Auburn BCS National Championship Game

[Colin]

Lets be honest. The SEC will eventually lose a NC game. We'll also eventually just not go to the NC game. This year however, we do have a team in this game...but it's not my team. GO DUCKS!

 

[Hoos4Tide]

The whole "Go SEC" thing is way too overrated, whoever the SEC team is in the NC game, no matter if its Auburn or Kentucky (I was trying to think about the most neutral team towards Alabama in the SEC), they recruit against us, therefore Rammer Jammer GO DUCKS!!

 

[Colin]

I agree with that sentiment. However, I did cheer for LSU and Florida in previous years...but I will NEVER, EVER, root for Auburn or Tennessee in the NC game. NEVER.

 

[Nospoweredram]

Roll Ducks Roll

Im a Alabama Crimson Quack fan untill Jan 11.

 

[kc]

Meh, I do not care if they win it or not... Probably will not even watch it.....

 

[BigAl]

Im a quacker backer all i got to say is go ducks.

 

[ExiledTidefan]

Oregon is going to do something that only the teams that have given Auburn the best run for the money have been able to do: get the ball out in space. I don't think you're going to line up and smash mouth Auburn on either side of the ball. Their OL is too good for that, and their Dline is doing a good job in it's own right. So you can't just line up and do them in for 4 quarters, and especially not Oregon.

I expect Oregon to use some of the awesome speed to just outrun Auburn in coverage and beat them to the corners on the ground.

Oregon needs to try to have sustained drives. I know they score quickly usually, but if they get in an outright shootout with Auburn, Auburn will win the time of possession, hold the ball at the end, and score last. In fact, that will very well be how this game could end: whoever scores last.

 

[psychojoe]

I know the Aubies practice against no huddle all the time, but I wonder how well they will handle the speed with which Oregon gets back to the LOS each play. Conditioning will be an issue.

 

[Duder]

I know the Aubies practice against no huddle all the time, but I wonder how well they will handle the speed with which Oregon gets back to the LOS each play. Conditioning will be an issue.

It will be tough. Malzahn has shown the ability to press, but obviously backed off quite a bit this year. We have a month to improve conditioning but there is just no way our scout team can simulate their pace and speed. It will obviously be a challenge no matter how much we prepare for it. I'm glad that it is our front seven that we will need to rotate the most often--clearly we have ZERO depth in the secondary.

Although, Lache Seastrunk (the jackass the called out Saban at Big Cat Weekend) seems to think he (a redshirt) and their back-up tailback are better than our runners and that their SCOUT TEAM receivers are better than anyone we will throw out there. I guess we're doomed!

 

[psychojoe]

It will be tough. Malzahn has shown the ability to press, but obviously backed off quite a bit this year. We have a month to improve conditioning but there is just no way our scout team can simulate their pace and speed. It will obviously be a challenge no matter how much we prepare for it. I'm glad that it is our front seven that we will need to rotate the most often--clearly we have ZERO depth in the secondary.

There are just some things a scout team can't do. In 2007 an unsuspecting reporter asked Saban which sout team player was going to simulate McFadden before the Arkansas game. CNS commented that if we had anyone who could simulate McFadden we'd be playing him.

Duder, the flip side of the speed up is that no one has tried to play fast on Oregon's defense either, and I know Malzahn does that when he wants to. It will be a very interesting from a coaching strategy point of view.

 

[UAgrad93]

I think that Oregon actually goes at a faster pace than what most no huddle teams do if its possible. They will have to utilize their speed offensively to wear down the front 7 and then throw over the top to burn the Barn secondary. I could see Malzahn actually Slowing it down to control the clock and limit possessions for the Ducks. If a team gets down 2 scores, I think it's over. Oregon will try and push the pedal to the metal while the Barn will try and deflate the clock and ball. First team to 50 wins!!!

 

[Duder]

Joe--you bring up a good point about Malzahn countering speed with speed. If both teams try that, if one defense starts to break too much that team will HAVE to slow down in order to rest their guys otherwise they're inviting the blowout. But you are dead-on, neither team can accurately simulate the other with scout teamers. If either team could, I'd be damn impressed and question the coach's sanity for not having played those guys sooner.

uagrad93, Oregon runs WAY faster than any team running a no-huddle, at least that I've seen. Their speed is obviously going to present a problem. I have no delusion that we can shut them down completely. However, a lot of James' runs have come between the tackles--that isn't happening this game. No way they manhandle our defensive line the way they have other teams on their schedule. Granted, we haven't faced anyone with THAT much speed and they will obviously have a plan to use it. Let me preface this by saying I'm not at all making a comparison talent-wise, clearly there is no comparison--but Florida had a plan to utilize all their speed when they met you guys in Atlanta last year also. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth (thank you, Mike Tyson). The line I'm drawing is that Florida hadn't faced a team that physical and had no idea what to do with it. I don't think Oregon has faced a front seven as physical as we will be. Now if we just had a secondary....

Their offensive performance will come down to how well they keep the pressure off of Thomas. He's played great but he's still a freshman. If we can get to him and rattle him early--and I have no reason to believe Fairley and Carter won't get to him, and we can force them to rely on running the ball more we can take advantage of that. If we let him build his confidence early and he has the opportunity to prey on our secondary, we'll make him look like Mike Vick.

Call me arrogant, but I think if Saban and Smart couldn't scheme to stop us from scoring, Oregon won't be able to. I (admittedly) don't know much about their coaching staff but I know a good deal about the defensive mind of Saban and Smart and if they couldn't take everything away, I just don't see Oregon, with their relatively under-sized defense, being able to do anything to shut it down. I also don't buy into the stuff I've heard from friends locally that Bama provided a blueprint for Oregon. I don't think the athletes are comparable. Call me an in-state homer, I suppose, but I'd take Bama's D over Oregon.

 

[Colin]

Let me put this question on the table...who has the better defense? Has anyone watched oregon on defense? What type of defense they run? etc.

 

[cartag]

You guys probably know more abut this than I do. But I'm going to say this anyhow. All of Oregon's opponents this year, except Stanford, lost at least five or six games during their seasons. Some lost all but one game and some lost 7 or 8 games. So Oregon made its way to the top by beating a handful of teams that weren't winning anyway and by spoiling Stanford's season.

It seems to me that Oregon's "strength" or weakness of schedule should have impacted their place in the standings. Auburn is probably going to whup up on Oregon. There is no way an Oregon or a Boise State (in another year) can compete with an SEC team.

Just my opinion, and I could be wrong.