BCS Championship Recap: Three Studs & Three Duds

The clock ticked zero and the #1 Auburn Tigers walked off the field with a slim 3-point victory over the #2 Oregon Ducks to be crowned the BCS National Champions. The yards were there (519 for Auburn and 449 for Oregon), but this was suppose to be shoot out, not the defensive battle it turned into.

Now, I was cheering for Oregon, but mostly, I was cheering for a good game, and that was exactly what we had. Even up until the end and Wes Byrum's eventual chip shot, I was hoping he would miss and we would see only the second overtime game in the BCS (The other, the 2001 Miami (FL) vs. Ohio State).

Here are my studs and duds of the 2011 BCS National Championship.

BCS Studs

The Auburn D figured out a way to slow Oregon

1. Auburn's Defense - They had two sacks and two interceptions. They held a Heisman Trophy runner-up and the Doak Walker Trophy winner LaMichael James to 44 yards rushing, 0 rushing touchdowns and only a long of 14 yards. When Oregon got into the red zone, they intercepted Darron Thomas once and stopped the Oregon offense on the 1-yard line. Oregon was averaging almost 50 points per game, and the Auburn defense held them to 19. Before the game, I said Auburn would have to control the tempo, and that was exactly what they did.

Keep running!

2. Auburn RB Michael Dyer - Dyer rushed for 142 yards and averaged 6. 5 yards per carry. He didn't have any touchdowns, but he pounded the ball when Auburn needed him the most, including two crucial plays at the end of the game. In the video above, you can see that Dyer thought he was down, but he wasn't, and he kept running for a 37-yard gain that basically clinched the game with Auburn's great kicker. But, he didn't stop there. When Auburn was just trying to get the ball in the middle of the field, he ran it again, up the middle, to the 1-yard line. While not flashy, Dyer had a great game.

Oregon lost, but Maehl had a great game

3. Oregon WR Jeff Maehl - Maehl had 133 receiving yards for an average of 14.8 yards per catch. He had a 81 yard play when Oregon was backed up against their own goal line. If he had been faster, he would have had a touchdown. Maehl also had the 2-point conversion that tied the game at 19 before Auburn's eventual game-winning drive. When Thomas needed a big pass, he targeted Maehl.

BCS Duds

Not a very good performance

1. Oregon RB LaMichael James - James only had 44 yards on the ground and zero rushing touchdowns. Especially in the second half, James could not run the ball up the middle for anything. He did catch two touchdowns, but both were less than 10 yards. A guys who is known for big play ability, his biggest play was only 21 yards. Also, he was sacked in the end zone to give Auburn two points. Now, this wasn't all his fault, but nonetheless, he didn't have a great statistical game.

Tackle, tackle, tackle

2. Oregon's Tackling - Oregon's defense had a pretty solid game, but when it mattered the most, they couldn't, and didn't, tackle. When every boy starts playing football, you are taught to play until the whistle. There was no whistle on Dyer's big run, but all the Oregon defenders stopped. And again, when all Auburn was trying to do was put the ball in the middle of the field, the Oregon defense allowed Dyer to rush up the middle to the 1-yard line. Tackling is key, and Oregon just couldn't do it late in the game.

He won, but that wasn't what we were use to seeing from Newton

3. Auburn QB Cam Newton - Yes, Newton won the game and the national title, but he didn't have a "Cam Newton" type game. Besides throwing one less interception, Newton was outshone by Oregon QB Thomas. He had a little over 300 total yards, but he just wasn't that impressive. I may be in the minority. Newton had a fantastic year. A late fumble forced by Oregon LB Casey Matthews almost caused overtime when Oregon capitalized with a touchdown and a two point conversion. When it matter most, Auburn got it's big plays from Dyer. Newton didn't have a bad game, but it was anything to write home about.