SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) – The expected scoring spree in the BCS championship game didn’t materialize in a turnover-filled first quarter.
Cam Newton was sacked twice and intercepted once by No. 2 Oregon and Auburn’s Demond Washington and Zac Etheridge each intercepted passes as the top-ranked Tigers and Ducks went scoreless in the first 15 minutes Monday night.
In a game featuring two teams that combined for 92 points and more than a 1,000 yards per game, both teams started with strong defensive series.
Auburn forced a three-and-out on Oregon’s first possession and Ducks defensive end Kenny Rowe sacked Newton and knocked the ball loose from the Heisman Trophy winner, which led to a Tigers punt.
Washington turned in the game’s first takeaway. The senior cornerback cradled in a tipped ball at the Oregon 47 at 9:19 of the first quarter after Kenjon Barner couldn’t come up with a high pass from Darron Thomas .
Two plays later, Newton fired down the middle into double coverage and Cliff Harris intercepted it right back for Oregon, returning the ball to near midfield.
The Ducks drove down to the Auburn 20, but Tigers All-American Nick Fairley broke through the line unblocked and pressured Thomas into his second turnover, this time an interception by Etheridge at the 10.
Another sack of Newton, this time by Zac Clark, who slammed the 250-pound quarterback to the turf, led to a second Auburn punt.
Auburn was making its first appearance in the BCS championship game and trying to become the fifth straight SEC team to win it in coach Gene Chizik’s second season as coach.
It would also be two in a row for the state of Alabama. The Crimson Tide won its seventh AP national title and first BCS championship last year.
Oregon, the first Pac-10 team other than Southern California to play in the BCS title game, was looking for its first national championship.
The Tigers and Ducks brought two of the most-prolific offenses in the nation into the first football game Oregon and Auburn have played.
Ducks coach Chip Kelly’s quick-strike, fast-paced spread offense averaged 537 yards in the regular season and helped Oregon become the highest-scoring team in the country at 49 points per game.
Behind Newton, the first SEC player to run for 1,000 yards and pass for 2,000, Auburn averaged 42 points and 497 yards per game.
The 13th BCS national title game turned out to be one of the hottest tickets in recent sports history, with some going for as much as $7,000 on some of the online resale websites.
A snow storm across the Deep South, however, left at least a few Auburn fans who had planned to fly in the day of the game, unable to get out of Alabama.
Before the game, a moment of silence was held for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the other victims of the mass shooting in Tucson, about 125 miles south of Glendale.
Add A Comment