Headlined by an athletic phenomenon at quarterback, a three-deep stable of talented running backs and an innovative coordinator, the Auburn offense is unlike anything Oregon will have seen this season.
Still, the Tigers expect the Ducks to show them what they’re capable of.
“They do a great job of moving around and trying to confuse the O-line,” offensive tackle Lee Ziemba said. “They’re very technique-sound and very disciplined in what they do.”
For all the talk about Cam Newton being a unique athlete in college football, Oregon has a couple football players the likes of which Auburn has not seen, particularly on the defensive line.
Ziemba, the senior left tackle, will be facing Kenny Rowe for much of the game. Ducks defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti has given Rowe a more versatile role this season, allowing him to both rush the quarterback and drop into coverage like a fourth linebacker.
“He’s a very hard-working player. Constantly working,” Ziemba said. “Guys that give the kind of effort he does always challenge us. We’ll just try to work hard to be as sound as we can.”
Additionally, senior defensive tackle Brandon Bair and junior defensive end Dion Jordan have wreaked havoc all season by blocking a quarterback’s vision with their 6-foot-7 frames and long arms.
“They definitely have taller guys. It’s one of things where they might use their long arms to their advantage,” offensive guard Mike Berry said. “Going into this game, we definitely expect that.”
Auburn’s bread and butter offensively is running the football — they average 287.15 yards a game on the ground, the fifth-best mark nationally. Its calling card is the versatility with which it goes about accumulating 6.2 yards per carry.
“We’re definitely a run-first team (with) a power-running game,” tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen said. “At midseason we were more of a power team, but we kind of realized what our personnel was, and we kind of turned into a speed team.”
The Ducks, marked as undersized and less physical, are no slouch statistically.
Oregon has allowed just 117.58 yards a game on the ground, good for 16th in the nation. Only two of Auburn’s opponents ranked higher — Alabama and South Carolina, their last two matchups of the season. (The Tigers themselves are ranked 10th nationally.)
The Crimson Tide and the Gamecocks, ranked ninth and 12th in the nation in run defense this season, allowed 346 yards rushing on 83 carries to the Tigers (4.17 average rush).
“They fly around the ball. They’re fast and they’re strong,” running back Mario Fannin said of the Oregon defense. “We have to make sure we do all the little things right.”
“You never usually see one guy make a tackle,” Lutzenkirchen said. “It’s usually a bunch of them. They like to blitz, too, so I think we’re going to have our hands full.”
Auburn’s blocking schemes are in capable hands with Ziemba and center Ryan Pugh, anchoring the offensive line and the less heralded Lutzenkirchen assisting on the outside. But the Tigers’ real strength lies in having four quality running backs — one being “a quarterback who’s also a huge running back,” as Lutzenkirchen described Newton, the team’s rushing leader.
Freshman Michael Dyer (73.1 yards per game) has emerged as a big play threat. Sophomore Onterio McCalebb is the most elusive, averaging 8.6 yards per carry. Fannin, a senior, brings experience along with top-end speed.
“Onterio has speed, Mike has speed and power, I have power and speed,” Fannin said. “It’s great to have all these guys around.”
All those guys will be important to Auburn getting off to a good start against the Ducks.
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Newton and Dyer will carry the load for Auburn
Daily Emerald
January 8, 2011
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