Tonight in Glendale, Arizona, the NCAA crowns its champion. The contenders are, Auburn (13-0) representing the SEC, and Oregon (12-0) out of the PAC-10 conference.
There is little doubt that this game will be a shootout. Auburn’s staggering 43 points per game is good for 4th in the FBS. On the other side, Oregon boasts the nations highest scoring team averaging a shade less than 50 points per game (49.3). The catalyst offensively for both teams is their ground game. Auburn averaged 287 yards on the ground this year, however, that number pales in comparison to Oregon’s number 1 rushing attack. The Ducks averaged an overwhelming 303 rushing yards during the regular season.
Heisman winner, Cam Newton, leads Auburn in both rushing and passing and tallied nearly 4,000 yards of total offense this year. The junior quarterback drew much attention when speculation arose with regards to his transfer from Florida. By now most people have heard the story about his father being involved in a possible “cash for cam” situation, allegedly Cam Newton Sr. wanted $200,000 from potential universities for his son’s talents. However, nothing could be directly tied back to the younger Newton and he was able to complete his season without facing any penalty from the NCAA.
The Auburn offense is run through Newton. The vast majority of Auburn’s play calls involve Newton in the shotgun with a running back at his side. Once the ball is snapped he has the choice of handing the ball off to the back, dropping back and passing, or keeping the ball and using his legs to pick up yards. This style of offense calls for Newton to have nearly as many rushing attempts (242) as it does passing attempts (246). His 49 touchdowns this year (28 passing, 20 rushing, 1 receiving) left Heisman voters with a relatively easy decision to make. Newton ended his regular season on a roll, defeating conference rivals, Alabama and South Carolina. In those two games, he tallied 663 total yards scored 9 touchdowns and did not commit a turnover.
While Cam Newton has generated the most buzz going into the National Championship game, do not be surprised to see his counter part steal the show. Darron Thomas, Oregon’s sophomore quarterback, had a spectacular regular season tallying over 3,000 yards of offense with 35 total touchdowns. Certainly not as gaudy as Newton’s statistics, however, Thomas’ numbers are far from pedestrian.
Oregon runs what many people believe to be a “pro style offense.” The balance between their passing and rushing attacks is similar to the style seen in most NFL systems. Part of the reason why Oregon is able to remain balanced is do to the play of sophomore running back, LaMichael James.
James ran wild this season, he totaled 1,682 rushing yards in 11 games, averaged 6.0 yards per carry, and found the endzone 21 times. It comes as no surprise that James was a finalist for the Heisman trophy. Although he was not able to secure the award for nation’s top college player, he received the 2010 Doak Walker award for the country’s best running back. James won the award with little competition despite missing the first game of the season because of a domestic violence arrest.
The SEC is a perfect 6-0 in national championship games. They have won 5 out of the last 7, including a streak of 4 consecutive victories, which Auburn will look to perpetuate tonight. Interestingly enough, Heisman trophy winners are just 1-3 in the past five years in the National Championship game. The sole winner, Mark Ingram, led Alabama to a title last season.
The PAC-10 has only had one national champion since the introduction of the BCS in 1998. USC won the title in 2004 however; the trophy was vacated in lieu of the Reggie Bush scandal. Oregon is only the second team to represent the PAC-10 in the national championship.
Look for a high scoring battle between these two offensive powerhouses. The winner may not be decided until the final drive. Although both teams appear to be unstoppable, I like Auburn at a neutral stadium. I think Cam Newton will once again elevate his play in a big game, and bring the title back to the state Alabama for a second consecutive season.
Auburn 35 Oregon 31
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