Interesting observation....

[flipflop]

.... by Gregg Easterbrook at ESPN

Trailing undefeated, second-ranked Alabama 26-21, Auburn took possession on its 25-yard line with 1:16 remaining, holding one timeout -- then for all intents and purposes did not try to score. The Tigers' first two snaps were super-short passes, then came two runs up the middle; until the last few seconds, Auburn did not hurry to snap the ball. Auburn managed only six plays (other than a spike), and just two were pass attempts down the field. A minute remaining, a touchdown beats an undefeated team, yet Auburn wasn't throwing down the field -- what sort of sense does this make?

On the last possession, Auburn coach Gene Chizik seemed to be playing to make sure the final score was close. Maybe he wanted to be able to say, "We only lost to Alabama by five and we were driving when the game ended." That looks good in Chizik's year-end review, especially if Alabama wins the BCS championship. Had Auburn tried aggressively to win in the final minute, it might have lost the ball or even given the Crimson Tide another score. As the final drive began, Chizik seemed to have mentally calculated, "Losing to Alabama by five is pretty good for the program, let's make sure the margin stays at five." Thus, absurdly, the team that was trailing was all but trying to run out the clock.