Auburn-Oregon Preview: Special Teams

Welcome to the eighth of 17 — yep, 17 — BCS National Championship Game preview pieces here on OGS. Each day until Jan. 10, we'll take a comparative look at Auburn and Oregon. Today's eighth topic examines the special teams.

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

We've already mentioned both Cliff Harris and Josh Huff, and we haven't even talked about special teams. On paper, Oregon looks to have a significant advantage in this area.

Harris returned four punts for touchdowns this year, and averages a staggering 19.5 yards each time. Kenjon Barner — doesn't he just sound fast? — also has a punt return for a score in limited touches. Overall, the Ducks average 18 yards per punt return, double what they allow in coverage.

But before you go handing the national championship trophy over to Oregon just yet, remember that on Jan. 10, we'll basically be watching the two best offenses in the country. Neither team will be punting much.

Josh Huff, meanwhile, is a dangerous kickoff returner, averaging 25 yards a touch. He has an 80-yard return on his 2010 resume, and rounds out an impossibly speedy return trio that could very well make a big play or two. Where there won't be many punts, there will definitely be many, many kickoffs in this game, and putting the ball in the hands of Oregon's superior athletes with room to run is no doubt a risky proposition.

Auburn's punt returners, on the other hand, are ranked 91st in the country, averaging only 6.18 yards. Quindarius Carr has the team's best return this year: 18 yards.

The Tigers aren't bad on kickoff returns, as regular Demond Washington has a 95-yard touchdown to his credit, and Onterio McCalebb returned one 99 yards.

The field position battle would seem to fall in favor of Oregon, but with these prolific offenses, I'm not sure how much that matters. Maybe it just means Auburn will have to earn one more first down than Oregon on each of these teams' many scoring drives.

Auburn's Wes Byrum made 75 percent of his field goals this year, as did the Eric Solis-Rob Beard tandem for Oregon.

Edge: Oregon

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More Auburn-Oregon Previews:

+ The Quarterbacks
+ The Running Backs
+ The Receivers
+ The Offensive Lines
+ The Defensive Lines
+ The Linebackers
+ The Defensive Backs