So, you thought Auburn and Oregon's high-octane offenses and their Heisman heroes were going to dominate the BCS championship game, did you? Well, of course: Everyone did. But after one quarter of play, the two most celebrated attacks in the country have combined for a lot of woe:On its first possession, Oregon went three-and-out, followed by a shanked punt. On its next two, quarterback Darron Thomas – looking generally uncomfortable with the ball in his hand in the pocket and on the zone read – rifled back-to-back interceptions to the Auburn secondary.
But it was no victory for the Tigers, who were forced to punt with their first series after übermensch quarterback Cam Newton was hit harder than he's been hit all season by Oregon defensive end Kenny Rowe. Newton followed that with a brutal, unforced interception to Ducks cornerback Cliff Harris, and then another punt. The grand total for the Auburn offense: 22 yards on two first downs.
Finally, Oregon is on the board on the second play of the second quarter, courtesy of a 26-yard field goal by kicker Rob Beard – but only after the Ducks blew a chance to score on third-and-2 from inside the Auburn 5-yard line, when Thomas missed a routine read and was sacked for a 6-yard loss. They'll come around eventually, I think, but so far, the gunslingers in this shootout have been lassoed.
[UPDATE, 9:35 p.m. ET] How long did the defensive struggle last? Four minutes and two seconds into the second quarter, both offenses have driven the length of the field for quick-strike touchdowns – the Ducks even added a 2-point conversion for good measure to go up 11-7 with 10:58 to play in the second. And they're off to the races.
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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
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