This Is Part I of a Two-Part Series Leading Into Saturday's SEC Championship Game In Atlanta
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South Carolina plays the biggest game in school history Saturday night when the Gamecocks take on Auburn in the SEC Championship game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. We have 10 questions (11 with the bonus question) that we're asking with kickoff only a couple of days away. Part I contains the first five questions:
1. What Did USC Learn From The First Game Against Auburn?: Secondary coach Lorenzo Ward admitted earlier this week USC did not take Auburn QB Cam Newton's running ability as seriously as they should have when they were preparing for the first game back in September. The previous week, Newton beat Clemson mostly with his arm, and that's what USC emphasized during the week of practice leading up to the Sept. 25 game. At that point in the season, USC believed Newton was the second coming of former LSU QB JaMarcus Russell based on what they had seen on film, and the game plan featured dropping linebackers into coverage to guard against the pass.
Big mistake. When Newton broke off a 54-yard TD run, everything changed. By the time the game ended, Newton had 176 yards rushing and 158 yards passing. Auburn was never the same after that. This time, USC will be ready. Ellis Johnson is rarely fooled twice. USC probably also learned that Auburn doesn't have anybody in their secondary capable of covering WR Alshon Jeffery on-on-one. Jeffery finished with eight receptions for 192 yards.
2. What Does USC Have To Do To Win The Game?: Besides the scoreboard (35-27), three numbers stand out from the previous meeting between USC and Auburn. The first is 79, the number of rushing yards USC had in the game. The second is 334, Auburn's rushing yardage total. The third is four, the number of turnovers committed by USC in the fourth quarter. USC must get Marcus Lattimore (season-low 33 rushing yards in first meeting) involved in the game early and often and establish the running game right from the opening kickoff.
If USC struggles in the ground game again, the Gamecocks will be in trouble. USC is 8-1 when they rush for 100+ yards this season. USC must also keep Auburn under 150 yards rushing to have a chance. If USC can force a stalemate in the rushing department, that would be a positive sign for the Gamecocks. In addition, USC can't afford turnovers. The good news is QB Stephen Garcia hasn't thrown an interception in four weeks and USC is plus-9 in turnover margin in the past three games. That trend must continue. USC must win the turnover battle to have a realistic chance.
3. In What Ways Are The Two Teams Similar?: As we've said before, it's not a mistake that the top two teams in rushing defense are squaring off in the SEC championship game. The reason both teams have shown a knack for stopping the run is they possess outstanding defensive fronts. USC doesn't have a dominating presence like Auburn's DT Nick Fairley, but Travian Robertson, Ladi Ajiboye, Cliff Matthews, Devin Taylor and Melvin Ingram have been quite solid all season. USC also leads the SEC in sacks with 39. Offensively, the best running backs on both teams are true freshmen - Marcus Lattimore (1,114 yards) for USC and Michael Dyer (886 yards) for Auburn.
Both teams also feature reliable kickers with USC's Spencer Lanning and Wes Byrum being two of the best in the SEC. Their field goal percentages are very close with Byrum (15-19, 78.9 pct) edging out Lanning (15-20, 75.0 pct). However, if the game comes down to a last-second field goal, both teams are confident in their guy. Lanning was clutch in both the Florida and Clemson games. Finally, neither team has defended the pass well, though USC has done a better job lately with the last three opponents failing to surpass 200 yards passing. Auburn, of course, has led in games most of the year, so they've had teams throwing on them all season while trying to rally. The strategy hasn't worked yet.
4. Will The Cam Newton Situation Steal The Spotlight?: Are they really kicking off a football game Saturday at 4 p.m.? Sorry, couldn't tell. Once it does, all the noise over Cam Newton, his father and his eligibility will finally take a back seat for about 3-1/2 hours. But you can bet CBS will devote a chunk of time talking Newton's case during the broadcast and the controversial NCAA decision handed down Wednesday which pointed the finger at Cecil Newton, Cam's father, and held his son blameless. That's the reason he was held to be 'immediately eligible' to play. Hopefully, CBS will respect the game enough to focus on that between 4 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Next week, though, you can be sure the spotlight will return to Newton and his situation. One of the intriguing questions is whether Auburn will make Newton available to talk to the media following Saturday's game. I know CBS tried to get an interview with Newton for their broadcast but had no luck. The SEC has threatened to fine Auburn if Newton is not made available to reporters per conference rules. Hopefully, once Newton speaks, the story will die on the vine. But that might be wishful thinking.
5. Besides Newton, Which Auburn Offensive Players Should USC Fear The Most?: Some recruiting services had Michael Dyer ranked ahead of Marcus Lattimore during the 2010 recruiting cycle. Just like Lattimore, Dyer has enjoyed a sensation freshman season and should surpass the 1,000-yard rushing mark by the time Auburn's bowl game is over. He had exactly 100 yards against USC in September. Onterio McCalebb has 733 rushing yards, yet he's only the third leading rusher on his own team.
The Tigers feature two nice wide receivers in Darvin Adams (41 receptions for 692 yards) and Terrell Zachery (36 receptions for 555 yards), but neither is as potent as Alshon Jeffery. Auburn's biggest threat inside the red zone is tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen, who has five TD catches among his 12 receptions. He caught a TD pass from Newton in the September win over USC when the Gamecock defense inexplicably left him uncovered in the end zone. Left tackle Lee Ziemba has 50 career starts and is the leader of a very experienced Auburn offensive line.