How FSU Can Put An End to Auburn’s Cinderella Story

Auburn boasts one the top ranked rushing attack in the NCAA. They have also won nine games in a row heading into the BCS Bowl, including a win over the formidable Alabama.

It is a bit of a surprise that Auburn finds itself as an underdog according to the odds, an 8.5 point underdog to be exact. Then again, Auburn has been an underdog all season and continue to defy the odds.

Florida State will be a part of the ending of Auburn”s Cinderella story. Whether Auburn gets a happy ending or a sad one rests on the shoulders of the Seminoles.

The Key for FSU winning is going to be stopping or at least slowing down running back Tre Mason and quarterback Nick Marshall. Alabama could not find an answer for these two and lost, as did Missouri and Georgia.

Auburn’s offense has three players that can take off the ball on any given play. The key will be finding a way to defend that, and it is a fairly simple concept.  Just put more player to defend against the run.

Tasking more players to watch the run will open up Auburn’s passing game, but FSU needs to make Auburn beat them through the air and rely on their defense to make some big playing during the game.

Teams playing defense with a fear of getting burned on a deep pass is exactly how Auburn’s running game ran all over everybody this season.  If the Seminoles do not want to be the next victim to another upset Auburn win, they may get burned down the field a couple of time, but they will need to slow the run above all else.