Ducks Drown in Defensive Dual

OreGONE!
The offense that took everybody to school in 2010 was slowed on Monday night. The Auburn Tigers outrushed and outlasted offensive-minded Oregon in the BCS National Championship in Glendale, Arizona last night. The Tigers improved to 14-0 with a 22-19 victory and brought the title home to Auburn for the first time in 52 years. Wes Byrum kicked his sixth career game-winning field goal as time expired to cap off the tussle between two unbeaten teams. Oregon was held 30 points below its number one nationally ranked scoring average. The Ducks’ star tailback, LaMichael James, was limited to 49 yards as the Tigers’ defense proved the difference in the game.
The first quarter was a scoreless battle as neither team could piece together sustaining drives. Rob Beard hooked a 26 yard field goal to begin the second quarter and give the Ducks an early 3-0 edge. Auburn started rolling offensively on the ensuing drive. Heisman Trophy winner, Cam Newtom, recorded the first touchdown pass of the 2011 BCS championship game. Newton passed for 265 yards and two touchdowns in leading the Tigers. Newton’s 35 yard gem to Kodi Burns with 12:00 left in the half gave the Tigers a 7-3 lead. Darron Thomas, who threw for a pair of touchdowns in the loss, orchestrated a 93 yard drive on just four plays to set up Oregon’s second quarter touchdown. Thomas hit Jeff Maehl in stride for 81 yards and followed the launch two plays later with an eight yard pass to James. The Ducks went ahead 11-7 on Beard’s two-point conversion. Maehl led all receivers with nine catches for 133 yards.
Safety Mike McNeil led the Tigers with 14 tackles and the Auburn defense picked off Thomas two times during the game. Defensive tackle, Nick Farley was dubbed the defensive MVP of the contest. Farley had one sack and a forced fumble. It was Mike Blanc who recorded a safety with 3:26 remaining the first half to cut the Ducks’ lead to two points. Emory Blake’s 30 yard catch after the two minute mark put the Tigers ahead 16-11 at the break. Blake finished with 54 yards, as did junior wideout, Darvin Adams. Auburn began the second half by running the ball on four straight plays as the Ducks plowed their way into the red zone again. The drive stalled after two incomplete passes by Newton. Auburn settled for three on Byrum’s 28 yard kick, to increase their lead to 19-11. Byrum’s kick was the only scoring by either side during the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was a seesaw of possession changes until Thomas connected with Maehl for ten yards with just under five minutes in regulation. Thomas found D.J. Davis on fourth-and-five for another 29 yards as the Ducks’ quarterback came out firing late in the fourth quarter. David Paulson’s seven yard grab was followed by James’ second touchdown catch. James’ two yard reception and another two yard conversion tied the game at 19-19 with 2:33 left in the game. Auburn returned the kickoff to the 25 yard line, giving Newton three-quarters of a field to work with on the final drive of the night. Newton hit Blake with a 15 yard strike and Michael Dyer rushed 37 yards for another Auburn first down. Dyer chewed up another twenty yards on two carries to bring the Tigers into field goal range. The speedy running back was splendid in the final quarter as the Tigers raced against the clock, and against the Duck defense. Byrum lined up for a 19 yard field goal attempt with two ticks remaining on the clock, and nailed it, to complete the 73 yard drive for Auburn.

Parting Points: Nice job by Boise State’s Chris Petersen in shunning Stanford to stay with the Broncos. It’s good to see a coach stick with the same team.

Bellotti's Bitter Boys Begin in Boise

My Thursday night and Saturday afternoons are officially booked from tonight until January. The college football season begins this evening with some interesting match-ups. The most intriguing game takes place at 10:15 EST when the consummate BCS-busters of Boise State battle Pac-10 contender, Oregon. The attractive match-up is a rematch of last year’s remarkable and memorable clash in Eugene. The Ducks were ranked 14th in the preseason polls but may suffer a drop off as Chip Kelly makes the demanding transition from coordinator to head coach. Former coach, Mike Bellotti, took the athletic director position after last season’s 10-3 regular season finish. Oregon’s offensive is a potent one, finishing seventh in the nation in scoring a year ago. Junior Jeremiah Masoli will have to grow up quickly as the team’s starting quarterback. Boise State is no cupcake on the Duck’s non-conference schedule. Masoli is looking to avenge Oregon’s 2008 loss against the Broncos. Last September, Masoli completed 3 of 4 passes against Boise State before leaving the game with a 6 point lead and a concussion. The Ducks went on to lose the game 37-32 in a shocker with redshirt freshman, Kellen Moore, guiding the Broncos to victory. Moore passed for over 3,000 yards and threw 25 touchdown passes for the 12-0, undefeated Boise State team. The Broncos were arguably one of the best teams in the nation last year, and some believed they should have been in the national championship game. Masoli endured a spectacular season for Oregon, ending in a Poinsettia Bowl victory. He is a keen and quick ball distributer and will be expected to dispense efficiently against one of the nation’s stingiest defenses. The secondary is probably the Duck’s weakest area this year, but Oregon has a strong linebacker core. Casey Matthews, Spencer Paysinger and Eddie Pleasant are the trio of versatile linebackers for Kelly. Their coverage will be key to the Ducks’ success on defense because the linebackers can take the pressure off the secondary in upsetting opposing offenses.
The Broncos have a 49 game regular season winning streak at home but the Ducks are predicting they will be the team to snap it. This is the biggest home game in Boise State history. Ticketless fans are encouraged to gather at the University’s basketball arena to share in the hype. The confident Oregon squad anticipates they will become the first to knock of Boise State at Bronco Stadium. If they succeed, the Ducks will be the road winners since December 28, 2005. It’s never an easy task facing Chris Peterson’s well-coached football team. The Broncos return 12 starters and are the heavy favorites to win their seventh WAC title in eight years. The schedule sets up nicely for a flawless season if the Broncos can first finish off Oregon. The game has serious implications in paving the path for a BCS bowl later on. Even if they lose tonight, the well-timed loss may not be a factor to the voters later in the season. The boys on the blue turf have a solid line and running game around their thriving quarterback. Moore is a year older and has natural athletic ability. Moore can scramble for yardage but his terrific pocket protection makes him a steady passer. He shouldn’t have a problem with the Ducks defense. Oregon is breaking in six new starters on defense but the Ducks tend to shine in the spotlight, and this is a nationally-televised game. The quarterbacks will be the focus of tonight’s game, especially since last season’s collision spawned comments from the Duck sideline. The pesky smaller school from Idaho will encapsulate what this year’s version of the Ducks will be like. Boise State is the first challenge for the high-profile Pac-10 Ducks, but they teams are about equal in talent. The Broncos have the lower ranking at 16 and are technically the underdogs. But is anyone BUT Boise State really an underdog on Bronco Stadium’s blue turf?

Parting points: What’s this about Jim Tressel coming to the defense of Rich Rodriguez??