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Alabama offense versus the Auburn defense
For all of the ink the Auburn offense has gotten under the leadership of head coach Gus Malzahn, there are interesting facts to consider this week as the nouveau riche Tigers face off against the Once and Future King from Tuscaloosa.
For instance, Alabama's offense is not far off of the explosive offense fielded by the Tigers in their run-first, fast-paced spread attack. In regard to overall scoring offense, Auburn ranks 28th, the Tide is 29th. Despite the chatter that has bubbled from talking heads since Malzahn rose to prominence, there's no dividing sea between the two teams, at least not on paper.
The Tiger offense, which relies heavily on converting third downs to employ its race-car strategy, ranks second in the NCAA, converting on 54.73 attempts. The Tide offense, again, follows closely behind, ranking 4th in the nation in third down conversions. Very similar output despite the dissimilar input.
Possibly the most intriguing misconception is that the Tigers have a far more productive offense than the one employed by Alabama under first-year coordinator Kiffin. The Tigers, for all the hype, rank highly in total offense at 22nd. But Alabama comes in at 20thin the same category.
Perception...it can be misleading. While the man-on-the-street would give Auburn's offense the nod in terms of explosiveness and efficiency, the truth of the matter is that Alabama stands toe-to-toe with the Tigers in overall offensive statistical categories. While their methods of achieving those results may differ dramatically, the fact remains that there is no tilting deck offensively that leans in Auburn's favor. If anything, this will be a prize fight between equally matched heavyweights, with both possessing knockout power and a chipping, persistent jab.
Rollbamaroll preview.
For all of the ink the Auburn offense has gotten under the leadership of head coach Gus Malzahn, there are interesting facts to consider this week as the nouveau riche Tigers face off against the Once and Future King from Tuscaloosa.
For instance, Alabama's offense is not far off of the explosive offense fielded by the Tigers in their run-first, fast-paced spread attack. In regard to overall scoring offense, Auburn ranks 28th, the Tide is 29th. Despite the chatter that has bubbled from talking heads since Malzahn rose to prominence, there's no dividing sea between the two teams, at least not on paper.
The Tiger offense, which relies heavily on converting third downs to employ its race-car strategy, ranks second in the NCAA, converting on 54.73 attempts. The Tide offense, again, follows closely behind, ranking 4th in the nation in third down conversions. Very similar output despite the dissimilar input.
Possibly the most intriguing misconception is that the Tigers have a far more productive offense than the one employed by Alabama under first-year coordinator Kiffin. The Tigers, for all the hype, rank highly in total offense at 22nd. But Alabama comes in at 20thin the same category.
Perception...it can be misleading. While the man-on-the-street would give Auburn's offense the nod in terms of explosiveness and efficiency, the truth of the matter is that Alabama stands toe-to-toe with the Tigers in overall offensive statistical categories. While their methods of achieving those results may differ dramatically, the fact remains that there is no tilting deck offensively that leans in Auburn's favor. If anything, this will be a prize fight between equally matched heavyweights, with both possessing knockout power and a chipping, persistent jab.
Rollbamaroll preview.
