A First Look at the Auburn Tigers

Oregon can save college football a lot of embarrassment. Auburn rose to number one on a Hail Mary and a deal with the devil, and there were several answered prayers along the way. They've wriggled out of trouble on the field and off. Their quarterback, a scintillating talent with a captivating smile, might be the highest earner college football who isn't a head coach or a top assistant. The USA Today reported at least 66 assistants make $300,000 or more; Newton's rumored deal bought his father ten trucks and remodeled a condemned church. Follow the money, a sage once said. But be careful where it leads.

Let's stay on the field, where the score is kept more carefully. Auburn is tough and fast. Watching back the recording of the SEC championship game, their defensive line regularly gets stifling pressure with a four-man rush, led by defensive tackle Nick Fairley, #90, who piledrives opposing quarterbacks to the very limit of the rules. He's fiercesome on the bull rush, sometimes tossing off two blockers to deliver a hit. The Auburn offense employs multiple formations and shifts, very deceptive with a variety of weapons. Newton can create his own play action with a shoulder feint into the line; other times they use two ball fakes before springing a long pass downfield. The receivers are fast but prone to drops. South Carolina got them peeking over their shoulders with a couple of big hits.

They'll use a Veer and the Spread and the read option. They'll put Newton behind center with an offset fullback, motion the tailback into place just before the snap. Last weekend Oregon State faked the ball to Rodgers inside and got the tight end open behind the Duck secondary. Halahuni one-handed a slightly overthrown ball, incomplete. Auburn has the same play, and they'll score a touchdown if the coverage isn't better. Juron Criner got Cliff Harris flat-footed with a double move. Newton can throw the ball 70 yards in the air, and throw a clothesline strike for 35. Nick Aliotti and John Neal will put in long nights.

Newton has a gliding running style. He isn't quick like Denard Robinson or Jeremiah Masoli but he shrugs off shoulder tackles and is very elusive in the pocket. He'll roll out of pressure and give himself all kinds of time to create a play. He'd be very hard to contain with a three-man rush. He's not as fast as Pryor but far more dangerous. He runs and cuts better, and can make a greater variety of throws.

A lot of what Auburn does will look familiar. They run no-huddle and an up-tempo spread. Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn won the Broyles Award this year as the nation's top assistant. The CBS team in the booth, Vern Lundquist and Gary Danielson, related that Malzahn told them his goal is to run 80 plays a game. They asked him how often he'd lost, in games he made that goal. "Never," he told them. Here are the play counts for Oregon's conference opponents this year: Arizona State 99, Stanford 77, WSU 76, UCLA 70, USC 85, UW 65, Cal 59, Arizona 81, OSU 71. All but two neared the 80-play mark, and ASU and USC shattered it.

To beat Auburn, Oregon has to get the Auburn offense off the field. That means punts, turnovers, and field goals. Early in the season, Mississippi State and Clemson held the Tigers to 17 and 27 points. LSU kept them to 24, and Alabama to 28. They can be contained. It just hasn't happened very often.

Defensively, the apparent vulnerability for Auburn is the secondary. South Carolina got behind them on several occasions, but Garcia had trouble delivering the ball. He was hit early and often. Just before half he found Marcus Lattimore on an underneath route out of the backfield, a crossing pattern for 27 yards down to the two. The Gamecocks had success with slant and fade routes to their talented, tall outside receiver Alshon Jeffery. Lavasier Tuinei, if he gets healthy, would have a similar size advantage out wide. The Ducks are a run-first operation, particularly in the red zone, but it's another tool in the kit. Maehl, Huff and Davis should find room to operate against this group, which ranked 75th in pass efficiency defense this season, giving up 3256 yards through the air, 250 yards a game. The Ducks need Darron Thomas to be composed and crisp. He has to deliver to his open targets, and avoid passes that sail high, particularly early in the intense excitement of a big game.