Auburn and Oregon Display Innovation To Get to the BCS Championship Game

The future is now.  

Auburn defeated Oregon 22-19 to win the BCS national championship last night.  The game was not the high scoring track meet many predicted.  However, it did provide many exciting moments and a view of what college football and professional football will be like in the future.  This season each team became known for innovation and had designed two of the most cutting-edge offenses in college football.  This innovation led to their epic meeting in Glendale, Arizona for the title.  

Auburn's Offensive Coordinator Guz Malzahn, who was also innovative when he was at Arkansas, was responsible for making the now famous "wildcat" formation into something that even NFL teams were willing to emulate. At Auburn, Malzahn's offense scheme has fluorished and led to a record-breaking season.  This offense also made the most of Cam Newton's skills and help him to win the Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding college football player of the year.   

Due to his innovative mentality, Auburn head coach Chizik was hired after he compiled a losing 5-19 record in two seasons at Iowa State.  Chizik made the most of his second chance, with the help of Malzahn's innovative offensive schemes, and is now a championship coach.

Oregon's head coach Chip Kelly designed a fast-paced offense perfected by equally fact-paced practice sessions.  NBA teams have studied Kelly's offense because it is so cutting edge. Using blown-up pictures pasted on poster boards that are used for game-time signals in his highly risk-taking and  innovative play calling, Kelly has developed a program that has risen to the top of the college football world.    

Now is his second season at Oregon, Kelly was given a chance by then Oregon Head Coach Mike Bellotti, and he made the most of it with his cutting-edge offensive formations, schemes, and game plans.

These successful college football programs are models for innovation and creativity.  

How is your organization or business using innovation, creativity and risk-taking to rise to the occasion?  

Do you foster an environment of innovation?  Do you hire others that have an innovative approach?  Will you rise to the top of your industry like Oregon and Auburn through cutting-edge thinking and execution?

Will you be able to unleash your teams' talent for a championship-worthy performance?  

  

Cam Newton Displays Mental Toughness

"Cameron Newton is physically and mentally as tough as I've ever seen," Auburn coach Gene Chizik said. "Period."

Despite allegations surrounding his eligibility and an NCAA investigation related to alleged irregularity in his recruitment, Auburn

 quarterback Cam Newton led the Tigers to a victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday.  

The Crimson Tide already had a 21-0 lead by the time the Tigers got their initial first down in the game.  Ultimately, coming from 24 points down to end Alabama's 20-game win streak in Tuscaloosa,

the #2 national ranked team beat the defending national champions.  

Pressure is nothing new to the Tigers.  Trailing in eight games this season, coming back is no problem for Cam Newton and the 12-0 Tigers.

Also, Newton retained his lead in the USA Today Heisman Trophy poll for the fifth straight week.  He earned 48 points and eight out of a possible 10 first-place votes from those who participated in USA Today’s survey.

Newton finally got Auburn on the board with a 36-yard touchdown pass to Emory Blake, cutting the deficit to 24-7. On the second play of the second half, Newton lofted a 70-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Zachery.  He later scored from the 1-yard line to cut Alabama's lead to 24-21.

After Alabama kicked its second field goal, Newton drove the Tigers for the winning score. He completed a crucial fourth-down pass to Darvin Adams along the sideline to keep the possession alive. Finally, he rolled to his right and threw back across the field to a wide-open Philip Lutzenkirchen for a 7-yard TD with 11:55 remaining in the game.

Newton finished the game 13-of-20 passing for 216 yards and three TDs; 22 rushes for 39 yards and one TD in 28-27 win over Alabama.  

No player has meant more to his team's success than Newton, who has kept the Tigers unbeaten throwing for 2,254 with only 6 interceptions and rushing for another 1,336 yards while accounting for an incredible 40 touchdowns. He’s the leading rusher in the SEC and has the second-best quarterback rating in the country next to Kellen Moore of Boise State., 

In four games vs. Top 25 teams, Newton has been responsible for nearly 70 percent of the Tigers' total yards and has thrown for five TDs and run for nine more. This week he gets a second crack at South Carolina in the SEC Championship Game against whom he amassed 334 yards and five TDs on Sept. 25.

The 250-pound Newton was at his best when the Tigers defeated South Carolina, 35-27, as three-point home favorites. Newton rushed for 176 yards and three touchdowns, while also passing for two more additional touchdowns.   In a recent game against the University of Georgia, Newton scored four total touchdowns – two passing and two rushing – in a 49-31 victory.. 

“That type of focus will go a long way in convincing NFL scouts that he ... has the mental toughness to thrive under the microscope.” 

--CBS Sports’ Rob Rang praising Newton’s ability to overcome the off-field scrutiny that has surrounded him in recent weeks, following Newton’s performance against Georgia.

A win by the Tigers against South Carolina would surely put them in the national championship game, possibly against the University of Oregon (who have one more game against Oregon State).

Excerpts from www.thecelebritycafe.com (November 17, 2010), www.nbcsports.com (November 27, 2010), www.sportsillustrated.cnn.com (November 29, 2010), www.donbest.com (November 29, 2010).

For more on performance psychology and the Peak Performance System, click on The Handbook of Peak Performance and, the smartphone app, Mindfuel.