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| Bringing the House illustration |
1. In Cam We Trust
A little over one week ago, I announced that I will cast my fictitious Heisman Trophy vote for Auburn quarterback Cam Newton. As I detailed in that post, Newton's gaudy numbers speak for themselves. My only worry was that the pending NCAA and FBI investigations regarding his eligibility would turn off some of the members of the Heisman fraternity, thus making LaMichael James's or Kellen Moore's Heisman bids more hopeful. With the controversy swirling above his head, Newton was asked to deliver in perhaps the biggest Iron Bowl match in the rivalry's long history. For the past several weeks leading up to this game, all the talk surrounded Alabama; the Crimson Tide was coming off of a Thursday game, which gave them one extra day to prepare for Newton's one-man show; the Crimson Tide was regarded by many as the most complete team in the nation; and surely, if there was one defense that could slow Newton down, it was the Tide. Add to those factors the home-field advantage that the Tide would have at Bryant-Denny Stadium, where Alabama had won 20 straight games coming into today, and it seemed as sure of an "upset" as one could possibly get.
At the end of the day, however, the Auburn Tigers had Cam Newton, and Alabama did not. Sure, the star quarterback got off to a rough start and turned in his least productive thirty-minute stretch of football this season; in the first half, Crimson Tide defenders were everywhere. Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart called all the right plays at the right times. Bama defenders played with discipline, did not miss any tackles, and flew to the football on every play. The defense was so dominant that if it was your first time watching Cam Newton play quarterback, you would have thought he was nothing special. Through two quarters, Newton had rushed 9 times for -10 yards. Negative ten! And through the air, Newton had only recorded 97 yards, giving him a net of 87 total yards. In his eleven prior games, Newton averaged 303 total yards of offense per outing. So at the half, he was quite a ways off from his normal production output.
But during halftime, Newton and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn (more on him later) must have done something to rejuvenate themselves because the Auburn leader was a completely different player. He was, well, his normal self. Against the same defense that had shut him down in the first half, Newton, in the second half, threw for 119 yards, including three touchdowns. He also added 49 rush yards and 1 rushing touchdown. While his total offense (255 yards) was down from his per game average, here is what you should focus on: Newton rebounded from an abysmal first half by reaching the end zone four times in the second half. He responded to adversity in a big way. And perhaps being overlooked is also the fact that for as bad as Newton played in the first half, he did not turn the ball over at all. If you are Auburn head coach Gene Chizik, you ought to have--and I am sure that he does--100% confidence in Newton in any situation in any game. Cam is that damn good.
2. Guz Malzahn and Ted Roof, Auburn's Unsung Heroes
As we all know, Auburn's first half went terribly; the offense looked overmatched and the defense looked confused. At the end of the first quarter, with Auburn trailing 21-0 and looking like they had lost all hope for a national championship, you could hear (or at least see in the Twittersphere), Tigers fans calling for the heads of Malzahn and Roof, especially the latter, the team's defensive coordinator. But like Newton, the two coaches kept their composure after Alabama delivered its best punches. They went into the locker room at halftime down 24-7 knowing, however, that there was still 30 minutes of football left to play.
On the offensive side of the ball, Malzahn knew that he would have to dial up the passing attack, at least open up a ground game that had been stifled up to that point, if they were to get back in the game. After opening the second half with a predictable read-option, Malzahn called for a deep ball to wide receiver Terrell Zachery. Newton, per usual, delivered a nice pass to his man and Zachery was able to haul it in despite an oncoming Alabama safety who should have intercepted the pass.
After that play, the field was effectively stretched and Auburn began running the ball as we are all used to seeing. On the scoring drive that brought the score to 24-21, Auburn rushed 5 times for 49 yards and the touchdown (Newton up the middle to break the single-season rushing touchdown mark previously held by Bo Jackson and Cadillac Williams--some decent company).
Then on the eventual game-winning drive, Auburn rushed 4 times for 32 yards, 10 of which came on Newton's longest run of the day. They did so while picking up the pace and putting the Alabama defense on its heels. While Auburn's 108-yard rush total is meager compared to their standard 300-yard performances, the run game made a difference in this contest regardless. But it was Malzahn's halftime adjustments to 1) use the pass to open up the run, and 2) speed up the pace of the game, that made the difference.
On the defensive side of the ball, Roof got his boys to play arguably their best half of the season. After Alabama ran its first play of the second half, I immediately noticed a difference in Auburn's defense; in my notes, I wrote "Auburn defense looks faster, more energized, and determined." The Tigers made big hits, deflected passes, and swarmed the football. Check out the following half-by-half statistics of Alabama:
A little over one week ago, I announced that I will cast my fictitious Heisman Trophy vote for Auburn quarterback Cam Newton. As I detailed in that post, Newton's gaudy numbers speak for themselves. My only worry was that the pending NCAA and FBI investigations regarding his eligibility would turn off some of the members of the Heisman fraternity, thus making LaMichael James's or Kellen Moore's Heisman bids more hopeful. With the controversy swirling above his head, Newton was asked to deliver in perhaps the biggest Iron Bowl match in the rivalry's long history. For the past several weeks leading up to this game, all the talk surrounded Alabama; the Crimson Tide was coming off of a Thursday game, which gave them one extra day to prepare for Newton's one-man show; the Crimson Tide was regarded by many as the most complete team in the nation; and surely, if there was one defense that could slow Newton down, it was the Tide. Add to those factors the home-field advantage that the Tide would have at Bryant-Denny Stadium, where Alabama had won 20 straight games coming into today, and it seemed as sure of an "upset" as one could possibly get.
At the end of the day, however, the Auburn Tigers had Cam Newton, and Alabama did not. Sure, the star quarterback got off to a rough start and turned in his least productive thirty-minute stretch of football this season; in the first half, Crimson Tide defenders were everywhere. Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart called all the right plays at the right times. Bama defenders played with discipline, did not miss any tackles, and flew to the football on every play. The defense was so dominant that if it was your first time watching Cam Newton play quarterback, you would have thought he was nothing special. Through two quarters, Newton had rushed 9 times for -10 yards. Negative ten! And through the air, Newton had only recorded 97 yards, giving him a net of 87 total yards. In his eleven prior games, Newton averaged 303 total yards of offense per outing. So at the half, he was quite a ways off from his normal production output.
But during halftime, Newton and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn (more on him later) must have done something to rejuvenate themselves because the Auburn leader was a completely different player. He was, well, his normal self. Against the same defense that had shut him down in the first half, Newton, in the second half, threw for 119 yards, including three touchdowns. He also added 49 rush yards and 1 rushing touchdown. While his total offense (255 yards) was down from his per game average, here is what you should focus on: Newton rebounded from an abysmal first half by reaching the end zone four times in the second half. He responded to adversity in a big way. And perhaps being overlooked is also the fact that for as bad as Newton played in the first half, he did not turn the ball over at all. If you are Auburn head coach Gene Chizik, you ought to have--and I am sure that he does--100% confidence in Newton in any situation in any game. Cam is that damn good.
2. Guz Malzahn and Ted Roof, Auburn's Unsung Heroes
As we all know, Auburn's first half went terribly; the offense looked overmatched and the defense looked confused. At the end of the first quarter, with Auburn trailing 21-0 and looking like they had lost all hope for a national championship, you could hear (or at least see in the Twittersphere), Tigers fans calling for the heads of Malzahn and Roof, especially the latter, the team's defensive coordinator. But like Newton, the two coaches kept their composure after Alabama delivered its best punches. They went into the locker room at halftime down 24-7 knowing, however, that there was still 30 minutes of football left to play.
On the offensive side of the ball, Malzahn knew that he would have to dial up the passing attack, at least open up a ground game that had been stifled up to that point, if they were to get back in the game. After opening the second half with a predictable read-option, Malzahn called for a deep ball to wide receiver Terrell Zachery. Newton, per usual, delivered a nice pass to his man and Zachery was able to haul it in despite an oncoming Alabama safety who should have intercepted the pass.
After that play, the field was effectively stretched and Auburn began running the ball as we are all used to seeing. On the scoring drive that brought the score to 24-21, Auburn rushed 5 times for 49 yards and the touchdown (Newton up the middle to break the single-season rushing touchdown mark previously held by Bo Jackson and Cadillac Williams--some decent company).
Then on the eventual game-winning drive, Auburn rushed 4 times for 32 yards, 10 of which came on Newton's longest run of the day. They did so while picking up the pace and putting the Alabama defense on its heels. While Auburn's 108-yard rush total is meager compared to their standard 300-yard performances, the run game made a difference in this contest regardless. But it was Malzahn's halftime adjustments to 1) use the pass to open up the run, and 2) speed up the pace of the game, that made the difference.
On the defensive side of the ball, Roof got his boys to play arguably their best half of the season. After Alabama ran its first play of the second half, I immediately noticed a difference in Auburn's defense; in my notes, I wrote "Auburn defense looks faster, more energized, and determined." The Tigers made big hits, deflected passes, and swarmed the football. Check out the following half-by-half statistics of Alabama:
- ALA Total Yards (1st): 379
- ALA Total Yards (2nd): 67
- Greg McElroy (1st Half): 19-for-23, 335 yards, 2 TD
- Greg McElroy (2nd Half): 8-for-14, 42 yards, 0 TD
- Julio Jones (1st): 7 catches, 174 yards, 1 TD
- Julio Jones (2nd); 3 catches, 25 yards, 0 TD
- ALA Rushing (1st): 16 carries, 44 yards, 1 TD
- ALA Rushing (2nd): 14 carries, 25 yards, 0 TD
The defensive turnaround was the biggest story of the game in my book. With Auburn trailing at the half, it was irrelevant, to a certain extent, how many points Newton could put up in the second half if Auburn's defense continued to surrender big plays and clock-eating drives to the Crimson Tide. Roof found a way to get the job done and, as a result, his job should be secure.
3. Nick Fairley, the Next Warren Sapp
Critics call Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley's style of play dirty and overaggressive; advocates call it hard-nosed and passionate. Say what you want to about Fairley--the guy is a monster and a game-changer on the interior line.
On Alabama's third drive of the game, Fairley rushed through the middle of the offensive line and sacked McElroy. On that play, Fairley was actually lined up as a linebacker, which showed his great versatility as a defensive player. Fairley was then called for excessive celebration--a call which I did not agree with. Fairley, whether justified or not, has had, and will have, a target on his back. The call gave Bama a 4th and 4, which the coaching staff seized as an opportunity and the players subsequently converted. Not only was the call very questionable, but it was a big momentum shifter. Fairley had given the Tigers a big stop on third-down, but that loss of yardage was negated.
On the Crimson Tide's fifth drive from scrimmage, when the Tide was at the Tigers' goal line, Fairley made an amazing play on running back Trent Richardson. Fairley, from his knees, crawled as fast as he could and managed to trip up Richardson to prevent a touchdown. Not only was it a great hustle play and a show of his athletic ability, but it was a big stop for the Tigers in that it prevented the Tide from reaching the end zone; they held Alabama to only three points.
On Alabama's next drive, Fairley caused a huge turnover in, yet again, the red zone. He ran right past Alabama's guard and leveled McElroy, who coughed up the football. Fairley then had the awareness to scurry to the football and cover it up to retain possession. It was incredible.
We have all seen just how much of a difference that a dominant defensive tackle can make in a game. At the pro level, Warren Sapp, also known as the QB Killa, was best known for dominating in the middle. This season, we have seen the Detroit Lions' rookie Ndamukong Suh provide a lot of stability in the middle of their defensive line. Fairley will do the same for an NFL team someday.
3. Nick Fairley, the Next Warren Sapp
Critics call Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley's style of play dirty and overaggressive; advocates call it hard-nosed and passionate. Say what you want to about Fairley--the guy is a monster and a game-changer on the interior line.
On Alabama's third drive of the game, Fairley rushed through the middle of the offensive line and sacked McElroy. On that play, Fairley was actually lined up as a linebacker, which showed his great versatility as a defensive player. Fairley was then called for excessive celebration--a call which I did not agree with. Fairley, whether justified or not, has had, and will have, a target on his back. The call gave Bama a 4th and 4, which the coaching staff seized as an opportunity and the players subsequently converted. Not only was the call very questionable, but it was a big momentum shifter. Fairley had given the Tigers a big stop on third-down, but that loss of yardage was negated.
On the Crimson Tide's fifth drive from scrimmage, when the Tide was at the Tigers' goal line, Fairley made an amazing play on running back Trent Richardson. Fairley, from his knees, crawled as fast as he could and managed to trip up Richardson to prevent a touchdown. Not only was it a great hustle play and a show of his athletic ability, but it was a big stop for the Tigers in that it prevented the Tide from reaching the end zone; they held Alabama to only three points.
On Alabama's next drive, Fairley caused a huge turnover in, yet again, the red zone. He ran right past Alabama's guard and leveled McElroy, who coughed up the football. Fairley then had the awareness to scurry to the football and cover it up to retain possession. It was incredible.
We have all seen just how much of a difference that a dominant defensive tackle can make in a game. At the pro level, Warren Sapp, also known as the QB Killa, was best known for dominating in the middle. This season, we have seen the Detroit Lions' rookie Ndamukong Suh provide a lot of stability in the middle of their defensive line. Fairley will do the same for an NFL team someday.
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