Speaking at the Alabama High School Athletic Association's football coaches banquet on Thursday night in Montgomery, Gene Chizik talked about how he wants to have the type of workplace environment at Auburn that his coaches enjoy being a part of and said he wants to see his assistants smiling, laughing and being upbeat when they are at work.
The group he was speaking to was quite aware that is a marked contrast in the management style compared to UAT coach Nick Saban, who has a reputation of being a pain in the butt to work for as an assistant coach or in any support personnel role.
Chizik pointed out how one of his assistants (Gus Malzahn) turned down millions of dollars to stay at Auburn. He said another coach turned down a high profile job (Jeff Grimes) to stay at Auburn. He also said another coach on the staff has said no to the NFL three times since arriving at Auburn.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Recruiting
This recruiting stuff will drive you crazy. You can't take it too seriously.
We are going to have another good class. No doubt about it. As is always the case, we won't know how good till down the road. Who would have thought a year ago the impact that Cam Newton would have? No way you could have predicted how that turned out.
We are going to have another good class. No doubt about it. As is always the case, we won't know how good till down the road. Who would have thought a year ago the impact that Cam Newton would have? No way you could have predicted how that turned out.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
It's Great to be an Auburn Tiger
I was able to see the end of the festivities at Jordan Hare yesterday. Got to see the trophy presente by Lloyd Nix and Coach Chizik's speech. Thank goodness for online streaming!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Great Auburn Article
An Auburn Perspective on Ducks, Tigers and Mea Culpas from the BCS Championship
By Kevin Strickland (Correspondent) on January 14, 2011 2,805
To all of those who were outraged and in shock when Gene Chizik was hired as head football coach—and despite the revisionist history displayed by many, we were legion—it’s time to admit that maybe judging the Auburn coach on his short history of non-success as Iowa State may have been either premature or misguided. I was as guilty as any.
Chizik masterfully steered his team, his coaching staff and the fanbase through tumult and drama—both on and off the field—that would have derailed a lesser man. His performance in 2010 was the stuff of legends. No argument here that he did an amazing job of keeping the entire Auburn family focused, and that by his sheer force of personality coerced every last one of us to go all in.
To all of those who pretend today that they were confident that Chizik could do in two years what neither Pat Dye nor Tommy Tuberville could do in 22 years combined and what Shug Jordan could do only once in 25 seasons, it’s time to stop kidding yourself. Only the freakishly optimistic—the kind who predict a perfect season every season and then crow to the rafters on the rare occasions when it comes to pass—can claim to have called it.
They’ll call it again next year. And the next. But that’s okay. You need those guys on the wall.
To every Oregon fan who brayed “Roll Tide” during three days in Arizona, congratulations. You lost to Auburn twice.
To every Alabama fan who cawed rooster crows prior to the SEC Championship Game and then frittered away his or her money on green and gold “Roll Ducks Roll” t-shirts, congratulations. You lost to Auburn three times.
To the Big Ten official who picked off Zac Etheridge on 4th-and-5 in the fourth quarter, allowing Oregon receiver D.J. Davis to skate to the Tiger 11 after a 29-yard pickup, congratulations. Your pick was the best play by a representative of the Big Ten conference during the bowl season.
To anyone who has ever written a scathing commentary on the influence banker Bobby Lowder allegedly has over the Auburn football program, here’s an idea for you. Take a look at Creepy Uncle Phil Knight and the tentacles he has intertwined in the Oregon football program. It’s not enough that he treats the team like his own set of poseable action figures (formerly known as dolls), even though he clearly borrows clothes from his sister’s Barbie Fashion Fest collection.
No, Creepy Uncle Phil is alleged to have a direct line to the sidelines, alleged to call plays, said to oversee private practices definitely engineered the ouster of former coach Mike Bellotti and the hiring of current coach Chip Kelly and removed an athletic director who wasn’t following his orders and had him replaced by a man without a college degree.
There’s your undue influence, although you’re more likely to see the national media pursue an expose on Santa Claus than you will see them take a long hard look at Creepy Uncle Phil and his day-glo uniform combos.
Speaking of creepy, if you know where to find one, please pick up a dictionary and hand it to Pete Thamel of the New York Times. Look up the word “obsession”, Pete. Your singular fixation on all things Auburn has exceeded the bounds of journalistic interest and extended several miles into what can best be described as perverted stalking.
In the real world there would be restraining orders in place. We all know the connections including who owns your paper and others, but your obsession is sick. Turn your sour yellowish glare on any other institution and see if it can withstand your scrutiny as Auburn has.
While you’re looking in the dictionary, check out a couple of words for your friends Pat Forde, Joe Schad and Thayer Evans. Try “hysterical’ and “credibility” and “source.” Now use them in a sentence: “Unless you have multiple verifiable sources, please refrain from hysterical commentary or you yourself will have no credibility.”
Being first with a story is only worthwhile if you get it right. Far too often—and not just in the breathless Auburn reporting you three vomited out this season—you clowns don’t get it anywhere close to right. Your “sources” sometimes make you look so foolish; one wonders if they aren’t sitting around laughing at you as you make fools of yourselves.
To all the Auburn fans who have endured equal doses of heartache and joy over the last 30-plus years, this season was sweet vindication.
It soothed the long-held ache that remained from a 1972 season that saw Auburn beat Alabama, finish 11-1 and still not earn the SEC title because the Tide played one more SEC game that season.
It lifted the should-have-been champions from 1983 on its shoulders.
Carnell Williams and the 2004 Tigers, unbeaten and uncrowned.
Chris Graythen/Getty Images It eased the disbelief of a 1988 Tommy Hodson miracle that denied Auburn a chance at a weak Notre Dame team with the title on the line.
It diminished the spurious exclusion of the 1993 team from championship contention due to probation when other schools—Alabama in 2009, for instance—were not similarly excluded.
And it vindicated the undefeated 2004 Tiger team.
Based on the unarguable domination of the SEC in the BCS era that team in retrospect clearly deserved at least a shot at the brass ring.
To the Alabama fans who were perplexed last season when the entire Auburn family didn’t line up behind your quest for the BCS title as a matter of state pride, the question today is where were you this year? We know the answer to that. Rushing down to CVS to get your “13” hats while they have them on clearance for $3.
You demanded our support last season and painted those who didn’t jump on your bandwagon as traitors to the state. Curious. Auburn’s bandwagon was noticeably absent of Bama fans as it rolled to Glendale. Traitors. We liked it that way.
To Pat Dye, who started this long train to the top of the mountain, God bless you. Thank you for your faith, passion and love since you became a part of the Auburn family in 1981. You led Auburn out of the desert of despair. It’s a shame that timing and the whims of fortune kept you from standing on this national championship stage yourself. Those of us who know Auburn history know we would not be here today without you.
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images To Tommy Tuberville, who gave Auburn 10 great years and brought now legendary Auburn men like Kodi Burns, Mario Fannin, Lee Ziemba, Ronnie Brown, Jason Campbell, Carnell Williams, Courtney Taylor, Marcus McNeill and hundreds of others to campus, God bless you as well. The 24 seniors who paved the way to this championship are Tigers because you and your staff recruited them. You will always hold a special place in Auburn history.
To those who insist on taking shots at Tuberville, ignoring his successes, focusing on his flaws and minimizing the impact he had on the program, you should take a look at where Auburn was when he arrived and where Auburn went under his leadership. Historical perspective isn’t a bad thing. Get some.
To Kodi Burns goes the undying admiration of Auburn fans everywhere. In you is exemplified what it truly means to be a team leader. You put Auburn ahead of yourself and were rewarded with a championship. How fitting that you scored your only receiving touchdown of the season in the biggest game of the year.
It is so easy to credit Cam Newton. He deserves every accolade thrown his way. His combination of speed, size, savvy and unbridled joy changed Auburn football forever. A year ago it was said that if nothing else, Gene Chizik had made Auburn football fun again. Cam seized that fun and made it his own. No other player, particularly one of his immeasurable talent, ever embraced the Auburn fans as Newton did. And they loved him right back.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images On a side note, Cam is reminiscent of another junior college athlete who made an indelible mark on Auburn before leaving after one season. Rudi Johnson arrived at Auburn in 2000 after a stint at Butler Community College. Auburn coaches were actually recruiting another player, discovered Johnson and quickly turned their attention to recruiting him. Sound familiar? Newton was discovered by Auburn coaches during a recruiting trip to see one of his receivers.
Johnson’s one season at Auburn was spectacular. He rumbled through, over, around and past the rest of the SEC. In Tommy Tuberville’s second season, Johnson led the SEC in rushing, powered the Tigers to the SEC Championship game and earned SEC Player of the Year honors. It was the beginning of a long and successful run for Tuberville and the Tigers. Newton’s star blazed even brighter than Johnson’s and his ultimate prize was exponentially greater, but the parallels are obvious.
Johnson opted to leave Auburn after one season. Newton will now do the same, officially declaring his intent on Thursday. Johnson went on to NFL success with the Bengals. His early departure from Auburn was credited as a significant factor in the recruitment of Carnell Williams, who became one of the anchors of Tuberville’s best teams in 2004. It remains to be seen whether Newton's brief, shining time on the Plains will have the same lasting effect.
To every Alabama fan who whipped out “Got 13” as if it were some magical kryptonite that would ward off what Auburn has accomplished, guess what? It doesn’t. It won’t. It can’t. Because you don’t. Your hallowed magic number is a fantasy dreamed up by former Alabama Sports Information Director Wayne Atcheson, who arbitrarily yanked a number out of thin air and added it to the Crimson Tide media guide. It was never true, but some of you latched on to that as if it was the Holy Grail.
Thirteen is a fantasy, but at least it's marked down. Why Atcheson chose that number and not some equally ridiculous total like “durfteen” (kudos to iCarly) is the only real mystery here. If Acheson had tossed out eleventy thriven kobullion as his numerical pick, you’d see a ton of houndstooth laden merchandise adorned with ETK+ boldly emblazoned on it today. For amusement, here’s a link to Brother Wayne’s shameless confession.
To the decrepit Oregon fan at the sidewalk café who kept trying to trip Auburn patrons with his cane? People saw you. You and a flock of others like you are the reason many Auburn fans left Arizona determined to cheer for Beavers, Trees, Huskies and Bruins against your team in the future. People like you are why many of us will put aside our regional differences and support a Bayou beatdown when LSU travels to Uncle Phil’s Camp for Day Glo Children to open next season.
Here’s a hint to Oregon fans. When your team has a signature win under its belt (and we’re not talking just this season, we’re talking historically); when your team isn’t staring at a 2-7 bowl record over the last nine seasons with the only wins coming in the Holiday Bowl and Sun Bowl; when you’ve beaten a handful of top 25 teams in the same season, then maybe you can run non-stop smack. Until then, perhaps you could tone it down a little.
Here’s another hint to Oregon fans. Get some new cheers. Shouting “Ooooooooo” through your hands and then chanting “Let’s Go Ducks” is weak and grows repetitive. Like Virginia Tech (which only has the hokey pokey and the “Let’s Go Hokies, clap clap clap-clap-clap" cheers) you need some better material if you’re going to be on the big stages. Come up with three or four different options to break the monotony.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images To the Oregon fans who tried to explain the great fan atmosphere at Oregon games, were you aware you were cooking on a Foreman Grill? In the south, gameday grills are the size of your Prius. Burgers aren’t made of carrots and beans. Animals have to die in order to make a real burger.
To the Oregon fans who boasted about consecutive sellouts of their home games, do you know what you call 55,000 people at an SEC stadium? A spring game.
To the Oregon fans who boasted about their awesome Pac-10 schedule, do you know what people in the South call games against Portland State, New Mexico, Washington State and Arizona State? Homecoming 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
To the Oregon fans and players who think you beat yourselves in the championship game, congratulations. Add another team to the list that would beat the Ducks. So far we’ve got Auburn, LSU, Florida, Alabama, Oregon and maybe Arkansas, Mississippi State and South Carolina.
To the poor guy who decided to play a drinking game during the replay of the BCS Championship and down a shot every time Brent Musberger or Kirk Herbstreit said the words “tempo” or “speed” during the broadcast, please enjoy the flowers sent to your hospital room. When you passed out with five minutes still remaining in the first quarter and fell to the floor, we were all a little worried. Thirty-seven shots is a lot.
To the Oregon fan who wondered aloud why the Ducks looked so slow against Auburn and why receivers and backs were consistently run down from behind, here’s a hint for you: It wasn’t the turf. It wasn’t the hideous shoes. It wasn’t a mirage.
Despite all the talk, all the hyperbole, your team just isn’t that fast relative to the SEC. Auburn’s Onterrio McCalebb was just as fast as any of the Duck backs and he was, amazingly, bigger than most. In the SEC we combine size and speed. It’s a lethal cocktail. Auburn was just as fast or faster at every position on the field. On top of that, the Tigers were significantly bigger.
To John Canzano of OregonLive, who wrote a snarky pregame article in which he denigrated Auburn fans for their accents, apparel and faith in their team, here’s a nice steaming cup of shut the hell up. Hope you enjoyed the game. Hope you left for the restroom in the third quarter and returned to find your Ducks still sitting on 11, having failed to move a mountain with their “quickness.”
We. Just. Don’t. Get. It? No, John, we do. It’s you who were without any get. Uss’n ol Auburn fayuns hope you get it loud and clear today, ya heah? War Eagle, Johnny boy. War Damn Eagle. Hope you didn’t mind hearing it a few times as the victorious Tiger fans departed.
By Kevin Strickland (Correspondent) on January 14, 2011 2,805
To all of those who were outraged and in shock when Gene Chizik was hired as head football coach—and despite the revisionist history displayed by many, we were legion—it’s time to admit that maybe judging the Auburn coach on his short history of non-success as Iowa State may have been either premature or misguided. I was as guilty as any.
Chizik masterfully steered his team, his coaching staff and the fanbase through tumult and drama—both on and off the field—that would have derailed a lesser man. His performance in 2010 was the stuff of legends. No argument here that he did an amazing job of keeping the entire Auburn family focused, and that by his sheer force of personality coerced every last one of us to go all in.
To all of those who pretend today that they were confident that Chizik could do in two years what neither Pat Dye nor Tommy Tuberville could do in 22 years combined and what Shug Jordan could do only once in 25 seasons, it’s time to stop kidding yourself. Only the freakishly optimistic—the kind who predict a perfect season every season and then crow to the rafters on the rare occasions when it comes to pass—can claim to have called it.
They’ll call it again next year. And the next. But that’s okay. You need those guys on the wall.
To every Oregon fan who brayed “Roll Tide” during three days in Arizona, congratulations. You lost to Auburn twice.
To every Alabama fan who cawed rooster crows prior to the SEC Championship Game and then frittered away his or her money on green and gold “Roll Ducks Roll” t-shirts, congratulations. You lost to Auburn three times.
To the Big Ten official who picked off Zac Etheridge on 4th-and-5 in the fourth quarter, allowing Oregon receiver D.J. Davis to skate to the Tiger 11 after a 29-yard pickup, congratulations. Your pick was the best play by a representative of the Big Ten conference during the bowl season.
To anyone who has ever written a scathing commentary on the influence banker Bobby Lowder allegedly has over the Auburn football program, here’s an idea for you. Take a look at Creepy Uncle Phil Knight and the tentacles he has intertwined in the Oregon football program. It’s not enough that he treats the team like his own set of poseable action figures (formerly known as dolls), even though he clearly borrows clothes from his sister’s Barbie Fashion Fest collection.
No, Creepy Uncle Phil is alleged to have a direct line to the sidelines, alleged to call plays, said to oversee private practices definitely engineered the ouster of former coach Mike Bellotti and the hiring of current coach Chip Kelly and removed an athletic director who wasn’t following his orders and had him replaced by a man without a college degree.
There’s your undue influence, although you’re more likely to see the national media pursue an expose on Santa Claus than you will see them take a long hard look at Creepy Uncle Phil and his day-glo uniform combos.
Speaking of creepy, if you know where to find one, please pick up a dictionary and hand it to Pete Thamel of the New York Times. Look up the word “obsession”, Pete. Your singular fixation on all things Auburn has exceeded the bounds of journalistic interest and extended several miles into what can best be described as perverted stalking.
In the real world there would be restraining orders in place. We all know the connections including who owns your paper and others, but your obsession is sick. Turn your sour yellowish glare on any other institution and see if it can withstand your scrutiny as Auburn has.
While you’re looking in the dictionary, check out a couple of words for your friends Pat Forde, Joe Schad and Thayer Evans. Try “hysterical’ and “credibility” and “source.” Now use them in a sentence: “Unless you have multiple verifiable sources, please refrain from hysterical commentary or you yourself will have no credibility.”
Being first with a story is only worthwhile if you get it right. Far too often—and not just in the breathless Auburn reporting you three vomited out this season—you clowns don’t get it anywhere close to right. Your “sources” sometimes make you look so foolish; one wonders if they aren’t sitting around laughing at you as you make fools of yourselves.
To all the Auburn fans who have endured equal doses of heartache and joy over the last 30-plus years, this season was sweet vindication.
It soothed the long-held ache that remained from a 1972 season that saw Auburn beat Alabama, finish 11-1 and still not earn the SEC title because the Tide played one more SEC game that season.
It lifted the should-have-been champions from 1983 on its shoulders.
Carnell Williams and the 2004 Tigers, unbeaten and uncrowned.
Chris Graythen/Getty Images It eased the disbelief of a 1988 Tommy Hodson miracle that denied Auburn a chance at a weak Notre Dame team with the title on the line.
It diminished the spurious exclusion of the 1993 team from championship contention due to probation when other schools—Alabama in 2009, for instance—were not similarly excluded.
And it vindicated the undefeated 2004 Tiger team.
Based on the unarguable domination of the SEC in the BCS era that team in retrospect clearly deserved at least a shot at the brass ring.
To the Alabama fans who were perplexed last season when the entire Auburn family didn’t line up behind your quest for the BCS title as a matter of state pride, the question today is where were you this year? We know the answer to that. Rushing down to CVS to get your “13” hats while they have them on clearance for $3.
You demanded our support last season and painted those who didn’t jump on your bandwagon as traitors to the state. Curious. Auburn’s bandwagon was noticeably absent of Bama fans as it rolled to Glendale. Traitors. We liked it that way.
To Pat Dye, who started this long train to the top of the mountain, God bless you. Thank you for your faith, passion and love since you became a part of the Auburn family in 1981. You led Auburn out of the desert of despair. It’s a shame that timing and the whims of fortune kept you from standing on this national championship stage yourself. Those of us who know Auburn history know we would not be here today without you.
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images To Tommy Tuberville, who gave Auburn 10 great years and brought now legendary Auburn men like Kodi Burns, Mario Fannin, Lee Ziemba, Ronnie Brown, Jason Campbell, Carnell Williams, Courtney Taylor, Marcus McNeill and hundreds of others to campus, God bless you as well. The 24 seniors who paved the way to this championship are Tigers because you and your staff recruited them. You will always hold a special place in Auburn history.
To those who insist on taking shots at Tuberville, ignoring his successes, focusing on his flaws and minimizing the impact he had on the program, you should take a look at where Auburn was when he arrived and where Auburn went under his leadership. Historical perspective isn’t a bad thing. Get some.
To Kodi Burns goes the undying admiration of Auburn fans everywhere. In you is exemplified what it truly means to be a team leader. You put Auburn ahead of yourself and were rewarded with a championship. How fitting that you scored your only receiving touchdown of the season in the biggest game of the year.
It is so easy to credit Cam Newton. He deserves every accolade thrown his way. His combination of speed, size, savvy and unbridled joy changed Auburn football forever. A year ago it was said that if nothing else, Gene Chizik had made Auburn football fun again. Cam seized that fun and made it his own. No other player, particularly one of his immeasurable talent, ever embraced the Auburn fans as Newton did. And they loved him right back.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images On a side note, Cam is reminiscent of another junior college athlete who made an indelible mark on Auburn before leaving after one season. Rudi Johnson arrived at Auburn in 2000 after a stint at Butler Community College. Auburn coaches were actually recruiting another player, discovered Johnson and quickly turned their attention to recruiting him. Sound familiar? Newton was discovered by Auburn coaches during a recruiting trip to see one of his receivers.
Johnson’s one season at Auburn was spectacular. He rumbled through, over, around and past the rest of the SEC. In Tommy Tuberville’s second season, Johnson led the SEC in rushing, powered the Tigers to the SEC Championship game and earned SEC Player of the Year honors. It was the beginning of a long and successful run for Tuberville and the Tigers. Newton’s star blazed even brighter than Johnson’s and his ultimate prize was exponentially greater, but the parallels are obvious.
Johnson opted to leave Auburn after one season. Newton will now do the same, officially declaring his intent on Thursday. Johnson went on to NFL success with the Bengals. His early departure from Auburn was credited as a significant factor in the recruitment of Carnell Williams, who became one of the anchors of Tuberville’s best teams in 2004. It remains to be seen whether Newton's brief, shining time on the Plains will have the same lasting effect.
To every Alabama fan who whipped out “Got 13” as if it were some magical kryptonite that would ward off what Auburn has accomplished, guess what? It doesn’t. It won’t. It can’t. Because you don’t. Your hallowed magic number is a fantasy dreamed up by former Alabama Sports Information Director Wayne Atcheson, who arbitrarily yanked a number out of thin air and added it to the Crimson Tide media guide. It was never true, but some of you latched on to that as if it was the Holy Grail.
Thirteen is a fantasy, but at least it's marked down. Why Atcheson chose that number and not some equally ridiculous total like “durfteen” (kudos to iCarly) is the only real mystery here. If Acheson had tossed out eleventy thriven kobullion as his numerical pick, you’d see a ton of houndstooth laden merchandise adorned with ETK+ boldly emblazoned on it today. For amusement, here’s a link to Brother Wayne’s shameless confession.
To the decrepit Oregon fan at the sidewalk café who kept trying to trip Auburn patrons with his cane? People saw you. You and a flock of others like you are the reason many Auburn fans left Arizona determined to cheer for Beavers, Trees, Huskies and Bruins against your team in the future. People like you are why many of us will put aside our regional differences and support a Bayou beatdown when LSU travels to Uncle Phil’s Camp for Day Glo Children to open next season.
Here’s a hint to Oregon fans. When your team has a signature win under its belt (and we’re not talking just this season, we’re talking historically); when your team isn’t staring at a 2-7 bowl record over the last nine seasons with the only wins coming in the Holiday Bowl and Sun Bowl; when you’ve beaten a handful of top 25 teams in the same season, then maybe you can run non-stop smack. Until then, perhaps you could tone it down a little.
Here’s another hint to Oregon fans. Get some new cheers. Shouting “Ooooooooo” through your hands and then chanting “Let’s Go Ducks” is weak and grows repetitive. Like Virginia Tech (which only has the hokey pokey and the “Let’s Go Hokies, clap clap clap-clap-clap" cheers) you need some better material if you’re going to be on the big stages. Come up with three or four different options to break the monotony.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images To the Oregon fans who tried to explain the great fan atmosphere at Oregon games, were you aware you were cooking on a Foreman Grill? In the south, gameday grills are the size of your Prius. Burgers aren’t made of carrots and beans. Animals have to die in order to make a real burger.
To the Oregon fans who boasted about consecutive sellouts of their home games, do you know what you call 55,000 people at an SEC stadium? A spring game.
To the Oregon fans who boasted about their awesome Pac-10 schedule, do you know what people in the South call games against Portland State, New Mexico, Washington State and Arizona State? Homecoming 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
To the Oregon fans and players who think you beat yourselves in the championship game, congratulations. Add another team to the list that would beat the Ducks. So far we’ve got Auburn, LSU, Florida, Alabama, Oregon and maybe Arkansas, Mississippi State and South Carolina.
To the poor guy who decided to play a drinking game during the replay of the BCS Championship and down a shot every time Brent Musberger or Kirk Herbstreit said the words “tempo” or “speed” during the broadcast, please enjoy the flowers sent to your hospital room. When you passed out with five minutes still remaining in the first quarter and fell to the floor, we were all a little worried. Thirty-seven shots is a lot.
To the Oregon fan who wondered aloud why the Ducks looked so slow against Auburn and why receivers and backs were consistently run down from behind, here’s a hint for you: It wasn’t the turf. It wasn’t the hideous shoes. It wasn’t a mirage.
Despite all the talk, all the hyperbole, your team just isn’t that fast relative to the SEC. Auburn’s Onterrio McCalebb was just as fast as any of the Duck backs and he was, amazingly, bigger than most. In the SEC we combine size and speed. It’s a lethal cocktail. Auburn was just as fast or faster at every position on the field. On top of that, the Tigers were significantly bigger.
To John Canzano of OregonLive, who wrote a snarky pregame article in which he denigrated Auburn fans for their accents, apparel and faith in their team, here’s a nice steaming cup of shut the hell up. Hope you enjoyed the game. Hope you left for the restroom in the third quarter and returned to find your Ducks still sitting on 11, having failed to move a mountain with their “quickness.”
We. Just. Don’t. Get. It? No, John, we do. It’s you who were without any get. Uss’n ol Auburn fayuns hope you get it loud and clear today, ya heah? War Eagle, Johnny boy. War Damn Eagle. Hope you didn’t mind hearing it a few times as the victorious Tiger fans departed.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Still Sinking In
It's still sinking in what happened last night. I was at Dick's Sporting Goods around Auburn people snapping up the sweatshirts and stuff and how wonderful it was to be around my people. It's certainly starting to sink in that Auburn has just won the National Championship.
So Many Posts!
AUBURN WINS THE NATIONAL TITLE
Posted on January 10, 2011 by ">Jay G. Tate
Todd Van Emst/Auburn U.
Hey everyone.
What a game, huh? Amazing theater. Cam Newton nearly blows it with a fumble and tailback Mike Dyer changes everything with a miraculous, 37-yard run that prefaces Wes Byrum’s game winner.
And the wait ends. No more wondering what the heck happened in 1957. You saw it happen tonight.
Here’s a collection of stuff:
Gene Chizik makes his defining statement: “You know, it’s not about my arrival. That’s not how I live my life. I live my life trying to do the right thing and guide 18- to 22-year-olds to do the right thing and to go from good to great. We try to give them everything they can have on the field, off the field, spiritually, in the classroom, as a student. And that’s how we live our life. We are going to do it the right way. We always have done it the right way. It is not about how I arrived or how I leave, it is not about Gene Chizik. It is about the Auburn family and it is about those, I don’t know, 30- or 40,000 fans that came into that stadium tonight and probably another 10,000 that were outside and probably another 10,000 that wanted to come back home but couldn’t get here. Don’t get any satisfaction in look at me or “told you so,” none of that. This is for these players and this Auburn family and the people that care about Auburn and carry the Auburn flag. It is as simple as that.”
Chizik on why Mike Dyer didn’t play early: “Don’t read anything into it. There is no rhyme or reason for that. One of the reasons that I think Michael was stronger as the game went on is because, you know, number one, that’s kind of his forte. That’s what he does. But he was fresher probably from the beginning of not playing quite as much in those first few series.”
Nick Fairley on his chat with Oregon tailback LaMichael James after the game: “I just walked up to him, told him he had a great season and don’t get his head down. His team played — like I told him, we played a good team. You know, it was out on the end. We had a good talk after the awards, so we became kind of, you know what I’m saying, distant friends. Out there on the field we were talking mad junk.”
Cam Newton on his injury: “I’m okay. It was worth it. I got the better deal out of the whole thing. It wasn’t just one hit that made my back go out. But I am a blessed individual. It wouldn’t have got done without these guys sitting on the left and right of me. I’m not up here to take up all the time. I don’t want nobody to feel sorry for me because throughout this year didn’t nobody feel sorry for Auburn. We got the last laugh.”
Chizik on his defense: “About five weeks ago we challenged our defense, and I think they had about all they wanted to hear about the speed and the tempo. And we made it so fast in practice that I think tonight — and maybe they can speak differently. But I thought tonight with the way we practiced it was much slower than we practiced. I think that helped.”
Auburn set a season high for plays with 85. Oregon, which allegedly has the fastest-paced offense ever, finished with 73 plays.
Never before has Auburn won 14 games in a season.
There is no doubt which team is best. Auburn has beaten seven teams currently ranked in the BCS standings.
Mike Dyer, the games Offensive MVP, finishes the season with 1,093 yards.
Cam Newton had 329 yards of offense, pushing his season total to 4,327 yards. That’s breaks the SEC record previously held by Tim Tebow.
Onterio McCalebb finished the season averaging 8.53 yards per carry, which set a new Auburn record. The previous leader was Tommy Lorino’s 8.44 ypg during the 1956 season.
Posted on January 10, 2011 by ">Jay G. Tate
Todd Van Emst/Auburn U.
Hey everyone.
What a game, huh? Amazing theater. Cam Newton nearly blows it with a fumble and tailback Mike Dyer changes everything with a miraculous, 37-yard run that prefaces Wes Byrum’s game winner.
And the wait ends. No more wondering what the heck happened in 1957. You saw it happen tonight.
Here’s a collection of stuff:
Gene Chizik makes his defining statement: “You know, it’s not about my arrival. That’s not how I live my life. I live my life trying to do the right thing and guide 18- to 22-year-olds to do the right thing and to go from good to great. We try to give them everything they can have on the field, off the field, spiritually, in the classroom, as a student. And that’s how we live our life. We are going to do it the right way. We always have done it the right way. It is not about how I arrived or how I leave, it is not about Gene Chizik. It is about the Auburn family and it is about those, I don’t know, 30- or 40,000 fans that came into that stadium tonight and probably another 10,000 that were outside and probably another 10,000 that wanted to come back home but couldn’t get here. Don’t get any satisfaction in look at me or “told you so,” none of that. This is for these players and this Auburn family and the people that care about Auburn and carry the Auburn flag. It is as simple as that.”
Chizik on why Mike Dyer didn’t play early: “Don’t read anything into it. There is no rhyme or reason for that. One of the reasons that I think Michael was stronger as the game went on is because, you know, number one, that’s kind of his forte. That’s what he does. But he was fresher probably from the beginning of not playing quite as much in those first few series.”
Nick Fairley on his chat with Oregon tailback LaMichael James after the game: “I just walked up to him, told him he had a great season and don’t get his head down. His team played — like I told him, we played a good team. You know, it was out on the end. We had a good talk after the awards, so we became kind of, you know what I’m saying, distant friends. Out there on the field we were talking mad junk.”
Cam Newton on his injury: “I’m okay. It was worth it. I got the better deal out of the whole thing. It wasn’t just one hit that made my back go out. But I am a blessed individual. It wouldn’t have got done without these guys sitting on the left and right of me. I’m not up here to take up all the time. I don’t want nobody to feel sorry for me because throughout this year didn’t nobody feel sorry for Auburn. We got the last laugh.”
Chizik on his defense: “About five weeks ago we challenged our defense, and I think they had about all they wanted to hear about the speed and the tempo. And we made it so fast in practice that I think tonight — and maybe they can speak differently. But I thought tonight with the way we practiced it was much slower than we practiced. I think that helped.”
Auburn set a season high for plays with 85. Oregon, which allegedly has the fastest-paced offense ever, finished with 73 plays.
Never before has Auburn won 14 games in a season.
There is no doubt which team is best. Auburn has beaten seven teams currently ranked in the BCS standings.
Mike Dyer, the games Offensive MVP, finishes the season with 1,093 yards.
Cam Newton had 329 yards of offense, pushing his season total to 4,327 yards. That’s breaks the SEC record previously held by Tim Tebow.
Onterio McCalebb finished the season averaging 8.53 yards per carry, which set a new Auburn record. The previous leader was Tommy Lorino’s 8.44 ypg during the 1956 season.
Final Polls
When the 2010 college football season started, a team from the state of Alabama sat atop the Associated Press preseason poll. When it ended, there was still a team from the state at No. 1.
It was just the other one.
Auburn, which opened the year ranked No. 22 after an 8-5 2009 finish, claimed the No. 1 spot in both polls after Monday night's 22-19 BCS championship game victory over Oregon.
The top spot in the USA Today coaches' poll automatically goes to the winner of the BCS title game, and the AP followed suit with Auburn (14-0) earning 56 first-place votes. Second-place TCU, which finished 13-0 after beating Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl, earned three first-place votes.
Oregon (12-1), dropped to third, followed by Orange Bowl champ Stanford (12-1), Sugar Bowl champ Ohio State (12-1) and Fiesta Bowl champ Oklahoma (12-2). Wisconsin (11-2) was sixth, followed by LSU (11-2), Boise State (12-1) and Alabama (10-3), as the preseason No. 1 finished 10th after whipping Michigan State 49-7 in the Capital One Bowl.
Three other SEC teams also finished in the final rankings: Arkansas (13), Mississippi State (15) and South Carolina (22). The Bulldogs and Gamecocks had been unranked at the beginning of the season, and it was MSU's highest finish in the polls since 1999.
Six SEC teams were included in the preseason AP poll: Alabama (1), Florida (4), Arkansas (17), LSU (21), Auburn (22) and Georgia (23). The same six teams also made the USA Today preseason poll: Alabama (1), Florida (3), LSU (16), Arkansas (19), Georgia (21) and Auburn (23).
The final USA Today coaches' poll also included six SEC teams: Auburn (1), LSU (8), Alabama (11), Arkansas (12), Mississippi State (17) and South Carolina (22).
Auburn also received 56 first-place votes in the USA Today poll. While the coaches' poll, which is calculated into the BCS rankings, has an agreement to vote the BCS champ No. 1 at the end of the year, one voter chose TCU, which placed second.
Final AP poll (w/first-place votes, record, total votes):
1. Auburn (56) 14-0 -- 1472
2. TCU (3) 13-0 -- 1392
3. Oregon, 12-1 -- 1379
4. Stanford, 12-1 -- 1300
5. Ohio State, 12-1 -- 1220
6. Oklahoma, 12-2 -- 1108
7. Wisconsin, 11-2 -- 1055
8. LSU, 11-2 -- 1051
9. Boise State, 12-1 -- 1031
10. Alabama, 10-3 -- 961
11. Nevada, 13-1 -- 866
12. Arkansas, 10-3 -- 863
13. Oklahoma State, 11-2 -- 833
14. Michigan State, 11-2 -- 696
15. Mississippi State, 9-4 -- 578
16. Virginia Tech, 11-3 -- 577
17. Florida State, 10-4 -- 502
18. Missouri, 10-3 -- 477
19. Texas A&M, 9-4 -- 359
20. Nebraska, 10-4 -- 334
21. UCF, 11-3 -- 225
22. South Carolina, 9-5 -- 169
23. Maryland, 9-4 -- 144
24. Tulsa, 10-3 -- 128
25. North Carolina State, 9-4 -- 119
Final USA Today poll (w/ first-place votes, record, total votes):
1. Auburn (56) 14-0 -- 1424
2. TCU (1) 13-0 -- 1336
3. Oregon, 12-1 -- 1333
4. Stanford, 12-1 -- 1254
5. Ohio State, 12-1 -- 1197
6. Oklahoma, 12-2 -- 1096
7. Boise State, 12-1 -- 1012
8. (tie) LSU, 11-2 -- 1007
8. (tie) Wisconsin, 11-2 -- 1007
10. Oklahoma State, 11-2 -- 883
11. Alabama, 10-3 -- 860
12. Arkansas, 10-3 -- 818
13. Nevada, 13-1 -- 734
14. Michigan State, 11-2 -- 676
15. Virginia Tech, 11-3 -- 636
16. Florida State, 10-4 -- 506
17. Mississippi State, 9-4 -- 505
18. Missouri, 10-3 -- 473
19. Nebraska, 10-4 -- 354
20. UCF, 11-3 -- 328
21. Texas A&M, 9-4 -- 277
22. South Carolina, 9-5 -- 181
23. Utah, 10-3 -- 156
24. Maryland, 9-4 -- 111
25. North Carolina State, 9-4 -- 94
It was just the other one.
Auburn, which opened the year ranked No. 22 after an 8-5 2009 finish, claimed the No. 1 spot in both polls after Monday night's 22-19 BCS championship game victory over Oregon.
The top spot in the USA Today coaches' poll automatically goes to the winner of the BCS title game, and the AP followed suit with Auburn (14-0) earning 56 first-place votes. Second-place TCU, which finished 13-0 after beating Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl, earned three first-place votes.
Oregon (12-1), dropped to third, followed by Orange Bowl champ Stanford (12-1), Sugar Bowl champ Ohio State (12-1) and Fiesta Bowl champ Oklahoma (12-2). Wisconsin (11-2) was sixth, followed by LSU (11-2), Boise State (12-1) and Alabama (10-3), as the preseason No. 1 finished 10th after whipping Michigan State 49-7 in the Capital One Bowl.
Three other SEC teams also finished in the final rankings: Arkansas (13), Mississippi State (15) and South Carolina (22). The Bulldogs and Gamecocks had been unranked at the beginning of the season, and it was MSU's highest finish in the polls since 1999.
Six SEC teams were included in the preseason AP poll: Alabama (1), Florida (4), Arkansas (17), LSU (21), Auburn (22) and Georgia (23). The same six teams also made the USA Today preseason poll: Alabama (1), Florida (3), LSU (16), Arkansas (19), Georgia (21) and Auburn (23).
The final USA Today coaches' poll also included six SEC teams: Auburn (1), LSU (8), Alabama (11), Arkansas (12), Mississippi State (17) and South Carolina (22).
Auburn also received 56 first-place votes in the USA Today poll. While the coaches' poll, which is calculated into the BCS rankings, has an agreement to vote the BCS champ No. 1 at the end of the year, one voter chose TCU, which placed second.
Final AP poll (w/first-place votes, record, total votes):
1. Auburn (56) 14-0 -- 1472
2. TCU (3) 13-0 -- 1392
3. Oregon, 12-1 -- 1379
4. Stanford, 12-1 -- 1300
5. Ohio State, 12-1 -- 1220
6. Oklahoma, 12-2 -- 1108
7. Wisconsin, 11-2 -- 1055
8. LSU, 11-2 -- 1051
9. Boise State, 12-1 -- 1031
10. Alabama, 10-3 -- 961
11. Nevada, 13-1 -- 866
12. Arkansas, 10-3 -- 863
13. Oklahoma State, 11-2 -- 833
14. Michigan State, 11-2 -- 696
15. Mississippi State, 9-4 -- 578
16. Virginia Tech, 11-3 -- 577
17. Florida State, 10-4 -- 502
18. Missouri, 10-3 -- 477
19. Texas A&M, 9-4 -- 359
20. Nebraska, 10-4 -- 334
21. UCF, 11-3 -- 225
22. South Carolina, 9-5 -- 169
23. Maryland, 9-4 -- 144
24. Tulsa, 10-3 -- 128
25. North Carolina State, 9-4 -- 119
Final USA Today poll (w/ first-place votes, record, total votes):
1. Auburn (56) 14-0 -- 1424
2. TCU (1) 13-0 -- 1336
3. Oregon, 12-1 -- 1333
4. Stanford, 12-1 -- 1254
5. Ohio State, 12-1 -- 1197
6. Oklahoma, 12-2 -- 1096
7. Boise State, 12-1 -- 1012
8. (tie) LSU, 11-2 -- 1007
8. (tie) Wisconsin, 11-2 -- 1007
10. Oklahoma State, 11-2 -- 883
11. Alabama, 10-3 -- 860
12. Arkansas, 10-3 -- 818
13. Nevada, 13-1 -- 734
14. Michigan State, 11-2 -- 676
15. Virginia Tech, 11-3 -- 636
16. Florida State, 10-4 -- 506
17. Mississippi State, 9-4 -- 505
18. Missouri, 10-3 -- 473
19. Nebraska, 10-4 -- 354
20. UCF, 11-3 -- 328
21. Texas A&M, 9-4 -- 277
22. South Carolina, 9-5 -- 181
23. Utah, 10-3 -- 156
24. Maryland, 9-4 -- 111
25. North Carolina State, 9-4 -- 94
It's Starting to Hit Me
I think I was kind of numb last night after game. It didn't really sink in, but it's starting to sink in today. Auburn went 14 & 0 and won the National Championship! It's for real!
Scarbinsky
Sometimes I want to punch Scarbinsky in the mouth, but he is a good writer, good with a phrase.
Scarbinsky: Perfect ending, perfect season, perfect answer for the Auburn Tigers
Published: Tuesday, January 11, 2011, 5:05 AM
By Kevin Scarbinsky, Birmingham News
Gene Chizik, having a ball. (The Birmingham News / Hal Yeager)
GLENDALE, Ariz.
It couldn't and shouldn't have ended any other way.
Not for this senior class. Not for this football team. Not for this football program.
The Auburn Tigers overcame every flaw, every mistake, every imperfection to beat Oregon 22-19 on the game's final play to win the BCS Championship Game.
It was the perfect ending to a perfect 14-0 season.
Cam Newton, who never fumbles, fumbled at the worst possible time. It didn't matter.
Oregon, which had a terrible time finding the end zone all night against an inspired Auburn defense, found it at the perfect time after Newton's fumble and added a two-point conversion to tie with 2:33 left.
It didn't matter.
The Tigers, who had authored a record number of scoring drives this season, needed one more and got it.
A little child led them. Freshman tailback Mike Dyer's 37-yard run that flipped the field, the game and the season had to be reviewed because Dyer bounced off a would-be tackler perilously close to the earth, but no team has been reviewed with greater scrutiny this season than Auburn.
Like so many other critical calls, on and off the field, the authorities got this one right. The run stood. One more Dyer burst to the goal line set the table, and the old guys took it from there.
A fifth-year senior lost in the shuffle at quarterback, Neil Caudle took the snap and set the ball down with the surest of hands.
"That's what we wanted it to come down to," Caudle said. "It couldn't be any better than this. This is the perfect way to end it."
A fourth-year senior kicker who started strong as a freshman only to slump in the middle of his career, Wes Byrum hit it so fearless and true that it might've landed in the Grand Canyon had they opened the roof.
You could call it a chip shot, that 19-yard field goal, but there's no such thing with your school's first national championship in 53 years on the line.
"I just knew I had to knock it through for all the guys who'd been fighting the whole game," Byrum said.
Guys like Dyer, the offensive MVP, and Nick Fairley, the defensive MVP, and Mike Blanc, who turned the momentum in Auburn's favor in the second quarter when he took down LaMichael James for a safety.
Naturally, Blanc is a senior. For all the highlights provided by Newton and Fairley for 14 games - Newton's back went out Monday night; he didn't -- this senior class made this all possible.
Their perfect season was the perfect answer.
To the skeptics who said Gus Malzahn's "high school offense" would never work in the Southeastern Conference.
To the critics, many of them members of the Auburn family, who wanted to fire defensive coordinator Ted Roof last year and burn him at the stake, in spirit, at times this season.
To the doom-and-gloomers who booed AD Jay Jacobs for hiring Gene Chizik and laughed at Chizik himself.
Malzahn's offense ran more plays for more yards than Chip Kelly's flashing neon attack. Roof's defense locked down the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation and stood up with a goal-line stand. And who was that man standing on the podium under a hail of confetti, accepting the crystal football, shouting "War Eagle?"
Gene Chizik. Maybe he'll get a chance to analyze this game for ESPN next year if he doesn't bring the Tigers back.
A repeat will be next to impossible without the 24 seniors he inherited and embraced. The perfect ending to this perfect season completed a perfect circle for them. From the Swamp to the desert. From beating the defending BCS champions as freshmen to being the BCS champions for the rest of their lives.
This game ended just like that 2007 upset in Gainesville, with a Byrum field goal on the final play. Back then, he celebrated with a Gator chomp. He could've done the same to Oregon, waving a giant "O" as a taunt, but he wouldn't make a mockery of this victory.
"No need to," Byrum said. "We're the national champions. That speaks for itself."
Perfectly.
Scarbinsky: Perfect ending, perfect season, perfect answer for the Auburn Tigers
Published: Tuesday, January 11, 2011, 5:05 AM
By Kevin Scarbinsky, Birmingham News
Gene Chizik, having a ball. (The Birmingham News / Hal Yeager)
GLENDALE, Ariz.
It couldn't and shouldn't have ended any other way.
Not for this senior class. Not for this football team. Not for this football program.
The Auburn Tigers overcame every flaw, every mistake, every imperfection to beat Oregon 22-19 on the game's final play to win the BCS Championship Game.
It was the perfect ending to a perfect 14-0 season.
Cam Newton, who never fumbles, fumbled at the worst possible time. It didn't matter.
Oregon, which had a terrible time finding the end zone all night against an inspired Auburn defense, found it at the perfect time after Newton's fumble and added a two-point conversion to tie with 2:33 left.
It didn't matter.
The Tigers, who had authored a record number of scoring drives this season, needed one more and got it.
A little child led them. Freshman tailback Mike Dyer's 37-yard run that flipped the field, the game and the season had to be reviewed because Dyer bounced off a would-be tackler perilously close to the earth, but no team has been reviewed with greater scrutiny this season than Auburn.
Like so many other critical calls, on and off the field, the authorities got this one right. The run stood. One more Dyer burst to the goal line set the table, and the old guys took it from there.
A fifth-year senior lost in the shuffle at quarterback, Neil Caudle took the snap and set the ball down with the surest of hands.
"That's what we wanted it to come down to," Caudle said. "It couldn't be any better than this. This is the perfect way to end it."
A fourth-year senior kicker who started strong as a freshman only to slump in the middle of his career, Wes Byrum hit it so fearless and true that it might've landed in the Grand Canyon had they opened the roof.
You could call it a chip shot, that 19-yard field goal, but there's no such thing with your school's first national championship in 53 years on the line.
"I just knew I had to knock it through for all the guys who'd been fighting the whole game," Byrum said.
Guys like Dyer, the offensive MVP, and Nick Fairley, the defensive MVP, and Mike Blanc, who turned the momentum in Auburn's favor in the second quarter when he took down LaMichael James for a safety.
Naturally, Blanc is a senior. For all the highlights provided by Newton and Fairley for 14 games - Newton's back went out Monday night; he didn't -- this senior class made this all possible.
Their perfect season was the perfect answer.
To the skeptics who said Gus Malzahn's "high school offense" would never work in the Southeastern Conference.
To the critics, many of them members of the Auburn family, who wanted to fire defensive coordinator Ted Roof last year and burn him at the stake, in spirit, at times this season.
To the doom-and-gloomers who booed AD Jay Jacobs for hiring Gene Chizik and laughed at Chizik himself.
Malzahn's offense ran more plays for more yards than Chip Kelly's flashing neon attack. Roof's defense locked down the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation and stood up with a goal-line stand. And who was that man standing on the podium under a hail of confetti, accepting the crystal football, shouting "War Eagle?"
Gene Chizik. Maybe he'll get a chance to analyze this game for ESPN next year if he doesn't bring the Tigers back.
A repeat will be next to impossible without the 24 seniors he inherited and embraced. The perfect ending to this perfect season completed a perfect circle for them. From the Swamp to the desert. From beating the defending BCS champions as freshmen to being the BCS champions for the rest of their lives.
This game ended just like that 2007 upset in Gainesville, with a Byrum field goal on the final play. Back then, he celebrated with a Gator chomp. He could've done the same to Oregon, waving a giant "O" as a taunt, but he wouldn't make a mockery of this victory.
"No need to," Byrum said. "We're the national champions. That speaks for itself."
Perfectly.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Phillip Marshall's Account
AuburnUndercover »
Phillip Marshall
GLENDALE - Wes Byrum kicked a 19-yard field goal as time expired and Auburn won the national championship with a 22-19 victory over Oregon on Monday night.
Phillip Marshall, Senior Editor, AuburnUndercover.comMuch, much more to come.
GLENDALE, Ariz. - Five weeks and two days after winning the Southeastern Conference Championship Game in overpowering fashion, Auburn's time to play for the biggest prize in college football is at hand.
Auburn fans aren't the only ones who turned out in full force. Lots of yellow-clad Oregon fans are here, too. They're making lots of noise, but Auburn fans definitely have them outnumbered.
There's no real news to report, but the wait is almost over.
I'll be back here throughout the game with updates and my impressions of what is transpiring on the field. Check back often.
PREGAME
* Towel-waving Auburn assistant Trooper Taylor, leaps and waves his towel, at midfield. He is joined by the Auburn players, who then head to the locker room.
* Our seat isn't the best, in the corner of oen end zone, but as best I could tell there were no players missing.
* Oregon's blinding neon yellow socks are, well, different. I guess some people like that sort of thing.
* After the playing of the National Anthem, a bald eagle took flight over the field. Not surprisingly, the Auburn fans loved it.
* Oregon wins the toss and takes the ball.
FIRST QUARTER
* Oregon starts from its own 17. Terrific kick coverage by Auburn.Chris Davis is down on the field. Looks like he hurt his right lower leg. It'll be a big loss if he can't come back.
* Three-and-done for Oregon. What a great start for Auburn's defense.
* Auburn starts at its 38, 13:12 left.
* Onterio McCalebb runs for 15 and a first dfown on the first play.
* Cam Newton hit from the blind side, fumbles. Auburn gets it back.
* Looked like Darvin Adams should have caught Newton's long pass on third-and-17.
* Auburn punts, and Oregon starts at its own 19.
* Demond Washington picks off a Darron Thomas pass. First down, Auburn, at the Oregon 47.
* Newton makes a bad throw, into coverage. Cliff Harris intercepts and Oregon is at its own 46.
* LaMichael James gains just enough on third-and-4.
* Oregon is on the move. First down at the Auburn 32.
* First down at the 20.
* Nick Fairley hits Thomas as he throws and Zac Ethridge makes a diving interception at the 14.
* Auburn makes a first down, but Newton is sacked on third down. Ryan Shoemaker gets off a 49-yard punt. Oregon starts at its own 29.
* Oregon on the move again.
* First down at the Auburn 23.
* Substitution infraction against Auburn, trying to get freshn players on the field. Fuirst down at the 11.
* The first quarter ends with Oregon facing third-and-2 at the Auburn 3.
SECOND QUARTER
* Fairley blows up a quarterback keeper for a 6-yard loss. Fairley was untouched. Field goal is good. Oregon leads 3-0, 14:13 left.
* Auburn starts from its own 25, 14:08 left.
* Mike Dyer finally getting in on the action. Auburn on the move. First down at the 45.
* Second down at the 35 while they review what was called an incomplete pass on a near-interception. Newton is definitely not as sharp as he was down the stretch of the regular season.
* Incomplete pass.
* Newton to Kodi Burns. Touchdown. What a story! It's 7-3 with 12:00 left in the second quarter. That was Burns' first touchdown catch this season.
* Oregon at its own 7, but not for long. Thomas hits Jeff Mayo for 81 yards. First down at thge Auburn 12. Not good for Auburn. It's the longest completion in BCS Championship history.
* Third-and-6 on the 8.
* Throwback pass. Touchdown. Auburn did what it was determined not to do on defense, gave up a big play. As Oregon is prone to do, it went for 2, made it and it's 11-7 with 10:48 left,.
* Auburn starts from its own 31.
* Auburn on the move. First down at the Oregon 31.
* Nice answer so far.
* First down at the 20 on a hard-nosed Newton run.
* Third-and 8 on the 18.
* Oregon has just one down lineman.
* Newton hits Mario Fannin ion a screen pass that might have been a touchdown and he drops it. Oregon offsides. Third-and-2 at the 12.
* Timeout, Auburn.
* Newton runs for a first down at the 9.
* Third-and-goal at the 2.
* Newton comes up short. Fourth down on the 1. Auburn will go.
* Newton throws to wide-pen Eric Smith. Throw is low, but catchable. He drops it. Unbelievable. Great play call. That could be a turning point.
* Auburn kept the b all for 16 plays and got no points.
* Mike Blanc tackles James for a safety. Very, very big play. It's 11-9 with 3:26 left.
* Auburn starts from its 34 after the free kick, 3:21 left.
* Auburn on the move. First down at the 30, 2:16 left.
* Newton to Emory Blake, touchdown. Auburn leads 16-11 with 1:47 left.
* As it turns out, the dropped touchdown pass was good for Auburn. The Tigers ended up with nine points instead of seven.
* Auburn called for a late hit on the kickoff return. Oregon starts from 38. Bad play.
* Oregon on the move at the Auburn 41.
* Third-and-8 at the 39. Timeout, Auburn, with 1:08 left.
* Nothing doing. Nosa Eguae blows up a screen pass for a 2-yard loss. Oregon will go. Auburn calls timeout again. Are they really going to go?
* No, they';re not. Punt is dead at the 2 with 30 seconds left.
* Oregon is offsides after a 5-yard Dyer run. It's firt down. McCalebb runs for a first down at the 32.
* First down at the 48 after Newton hits Adams.
* Newton spikes the ball with 11 seconds left.
* Auburn has one play from the 46. Three seconds left. A heave to the end zone, no doubt. It's incomplete. Auburn leads 16-11 at halftime.
THIRD QUARTER
Auburn has 279 yards and Oregon 232 at halftime. Newton has completed 16-of-22 for 186 yards and two touchdowns. McCalebb has 49 yards on five carries and Dyer 47 on 11.
Oregon has been limited to 38 yards rushing, which is just what Auburn wanted.
Auburn had 47 plays in the first half, a huge number. Oregon had 35.
Two teams that have been great in the second half all season are going to settle it all in the next two quarters.
* Auburn starts at the 28.
* Newton great throw to Philip Lutzenkirchen. First down at the 16, 39 yards.
* Third-and-5 at the 11.
* No one open. Newton throws it away.
* Byrum's kick from 28 yards is good. Auburn leads 19-11 with 11:30 left. Nice drive, but a touchdown would have been nicer for the Tigers.
* Oregon starts from the 19. Auburn's kickoff coverage has been terrific.
* A suspect personal foul call on Auburn puts the ball at the 39.
* James is finding some running room. First down at the Auburn 37.
* A sack and a fumblem, recovered by Oregon. A flagrant holding penalty and it's second-and-16 at the 43.
* Josh Bynes is shaken up and goes out. Seems OK. Fourth-and-14. Oregon will punt.
* Punt goes into the end zone. Auburn's defense stands tall again. Tigers take over at the 20, 7:48 left in the third quarter.
* Newton overthrows Adams running open deep on third-and-7. Auburn must punt.
* Shoemaker is going out in style. His last two punts have been 49 and 50 yards.
* Oregon starts from the 27, 6:17 left.
* Bynes is back.
* Another Auburn stop. It's fourth-and-6 at the Oregon 45. The Ducks will punt again
* No, they won't. A fake punt is good for a first down at the Auburn 48.
* A remarkable catch for 43 yards put the ball at the Aubnurn 3.
* Third-and-gioal at the 5.
* Fourth down at ther 1./
* Oregon will go.
* Kejon Barner is stuffed. Auburn's goal-line stand for the ages? The Tiers take over at the 1. Bynes led the tacklers.
* Auburn at its own 1 with 2:26 left in the third quarter.
* First down at the 13.
* Mike Dyer is running like a senior, not a freshman. Dyer gains 7, byut a holding penalty moves it back to the 10.
* Newton scrambles for 14. First down at the 24. Big play.
* Auburn has second-and-9 as the third quarter ends. Fifteen minutes from a national championship. Auburn's offense has been decent. The defense has been off the charts.
FOURTH QUARTER
* The crowd of 78,603 is the largest in Phoenix Stadium history.
* Dyer runs twice for 16 yards. Who was it that was going to get tired?
* Auburn will punt from its 47. Pretty good, considering the drive started at the 1.
* Oregon starts from its 16, 13:24 left. Oregon isn't done yet.
* A big, big play for Oregon, 33 yards on fourth-and-18 First down at the 41. And now the Ducks are on the move at the Auburn 48.
* Fourth-and-8 at the Auburn 48. Oregon will punt. Apparently.
* Delay of game.
* Terrible punt. Out of bounds on the 21.
* Newton runs a quarterback draw for 18 yards. First down at the 39. Huge play.
* Newton hits Fannin for 16 to the Oregon 41. Auburn getting close to field goal range.
* Auburn will punt from the Oregon 42. You have to hand it to Oregon's defense, too. Where's the shootout? The over-under was 74. If you took the over,you are in a lot of trouble.
* Oregon starts from its 14, 6:34 left. Biggest drive of the game?
* Auburn didn't gret points on that last drive, but it ate up 4:26.
* Fairley stuffs James for a 4-yard loss on fiourth-and-3. Oregon will punt as the clock nears five minutes.
* Auburn starts at its 29 with 5:05 left.
* Oregon has gone seven consecutive possessions without scoring.
* Oh, my. Newton fumbles and Oregon recovers. Oregon called for a personal foul after the play and will start at its own 45.
* Fourth-and-5 at the 40, 4:18 left.
* Another big third down. First down at the Auburn 11.
* Third-and-1 at the 2, 2:36 left. Timeout, Oregon.
* Shovel pass, touchdown, 19-17 with 2:33 left. Here comes the two-point conversion.
* A leapuing catch and it's good and we are tied with 2:33 left. Unreal. Can Newton lead a drive for the ages? We're about to see.
* Newton to Blake for 15 to the Auburn 40.
* Dyer makes an incredible run. Absolutely incredible. He gains 47 yards. First dfown at the 23.
Mike Dyer makes two remarkable runs on the game's final drive and Auburn beats Oregon 26-19 to wuin the nati
* That run was one of the more remarkable football plays I have ever seen. Dyer was pulled down on top of a defender, never hit the ground, looked back and took off. It's first down at the Oregon 23.
* We talked to Wes Byrum about dreaming of making the kick to wiun it all. If Auburn can't get into the end zone, he will get the chance.
* It looks like Auburn is playing for Byrum. Dyer gains 4 and the clock runs. If it was me, I'd try to score a touchdown.
* Dyer goes straight ahead, tumbles over a defender, and it's a touchdown that will live forever in Auburn lore. Ten seconds remain.
* It's not a touchdown. Replay showed he was down a half yard short. With 10 seconds and two timeouts left, Auburn will try tio score the touchdown. Newton is stopped, and on comes Byrum for the biggest field goal of his life with two seconds left.
* And he does it.
Phillip Marshall
GLENDALE - Wes Byrum kicked a 19-yard field goal as time expired and Auburn won the national championship with a 22-19 victory over Oregon on Monday night.
Phillip Marshall, Senior Editor, AuburnUndercover.comMuch, much more to come.
GLENDALE, Ariz. - Five weeks and two days after winning the Southeastern Conference Championship Game in overpowering fashion, Auburn's time to play for the biggest prize in college football is at hand.
Auburn fans aren't the only ones who turned out in full force. Lots of yellow-clad Oregon fans are here, too. They're making lots of noise, but Auburn fans definitely have them outnumbered.
There's no real news to report, but the wait is almost over.
I'll be back here throughout the game with updates and my impressions of what is transpiring on the field. Check back often.
PREGAME
* Towel-waving Auburn assistant Trooper Taylor, leaps and waves his towel, at midfield. He is joined by the Auburn players, who then head to the locker room.
* Our seat isn't the best, in the corner of oen end zone, but as best I could tell there were no players missing.
* Oregon's blinding neon yellow socks are, well, different. I guess some people like that sort of thing.
* After the playing of the National Anthem, a bald eagle took flight over the field. Not surprisingly, the Auburn fans loved it.
* Oregon wins the toss and takes the ball.
FIRST QUARTER
* Oregon starts from its own 17. Terrific kick coverage by Auburn.Chris Davis is down on the field. Looks like he hurt his right lower leg. It'll be a big loss if he can't come back.
* Three-and-done for Oregon. What a great start for Auburn's defense.
* Auburn starts at its 38, 13:12 left.
* Onterio McCalebb runs for 15 and a first dfown on the first play.
* Cam Newton hit from the blind side, fumbles. Auburn gets it back.
* Looked like Darvin Adams should have caught Newton's long pass on third-and-17.
* Auburn punts, and Oregon starts at its own 19.
* Demond Washington picks off a Darron Thomas pass. First down, Auburn, at the Oregon 47.
* Newton makes a bad throw, into coverage. Cliff Harris intercepts and Oregon is at its own 46.
* LaMichael James gains just enough on third-and-4.
* Oregon is on the move. First down at the Auburn 32.
* First down at the 20.
* Nick Fairley hits Thomas as he throws and Zac Ethridge makes a diving interception at the 14.
* Auburn makes a first down, but Newton is sacked on third down. Ryan Shoemaker gets off a 49-yard punt. Oregon starts at its own 29.
* Oregon on the move again.
* First down at the Auburn 23.
* Substitution infraction against Auburn, trying to get freshn players on the field. Fuirst down at the 11.
* The first quarter ends with Oregon facing third-and-2 at the Auburn 3.
SECOND QUARTER
* Fairley blows up a quarterback keeper for a 6-yard loss. Fairley was untouched. Field goal is good. Oregon leads 3-0, 14:13 left.
* Auburn starts from its own 25, 14:08 left.
* Mike Dyer finally getting in on the action. Auburn on the move. First down at the 45.
* Second down at the 35 while they review what was called an incomplete pass on a near-interception. Newton is definitely not as sharp as he was down the stretch of the regular season.
* Incomplete pass.
* Newton to Kodi Burns. Touchdown. What a story! It's 7-3 with 12:00 left in the second quarter. That was Burns' first touchdown catch this season.
* Oregon at its own 7, but not for long. Thomas hits Jeff Mayo for 81 yards. First down at thge Auburn 12. Not good for Auburn. It's the longest completion in BCS Championship history.
* Third-and-6 on the 8.
* Throwback pass. Touchdown. Auburn did what it was determined not to do on defense, gave up a big play. As Oregon is prone to do, it went for 2, made it and it's 11-7 with 10:48 left,.
* Auburn starts from its own 31.
* Auburn on the move. First down at the Oregon 31.
* Nice answer so far.
* First down at the 20 on a hard-nosed Newton run.
* Third-and 8 on the 18.
* Oregon has just one down lineman.
* Newton hits Mario Fannin ion a screen pass that might have been a touchdown and he drops it. Oregon offsides. Third-and-2 at the 12.
* Timeout, Auburn.
* Newton runs for a first down at the 9.
* Third-and-goal at the 2.
* Newton comes up short. Fourth down on the 1. Auburn will go.
* Newton throws to wide-pen Eric Smith. Throw is low, but catchable. He drops it. Unbelievable. Great play call. That could be a turning point.
* Auburn kept the b all for 16 plays and got no points.
* Mike Blanc tackles James for a safety. Very, very big play. It's 11-9 with 3:26 left.
* Auburn starts from its 34 after the free kick, 3:21 left.
* Auburn on the move. First down at the 30, 2:16 left.
* Newton to Emory Blake, touchdown. Auburn leads 16-11 with 1:47 left.
* As it turns out, the dropped touchdown pass was good for Auburn. The Tigers ended up with nine points instead of seven.
* Auburn called for a late hit on the kickoff return. Oregon starts from 38. Bad play.
* Oregon on the move at the Auburn 41.
* Third-and-8 at the 39. Timeout, Auburn, with 1:08 left.
* Nothing doing. Nosa Eguae blows up a screen pass for a 2-yard loss. Oregon will go. Auburn calls timeout again. Are they really going to go?
* No, they';re not. Punt is dead at the 2 with 30 seconds left.
* Oregon is offsides after a 5-yard Dyer run. It's firt down. McCalebb runs for a first down at the 32.
* First down at the 48 after Newton hits Adams.
* Newton spikes the ball with 11 seconds left.
* Auburn has one play from the 46. Three seconds left. A heave to the end zone, no doubt. It's incomplete. Auburn leads 16-11 at halftime.
THIRD QUARTER
Auburn has 279 yards and Oregon 232 at halftime. Newton has completed 16-of-22 for 186 yards and two touchdowns. McCalebb has 49 yards on five carries and Dyer 47 on 11.
Oregon has been limited to 38 yards rushing, which is just what Auburn wanted.
Auburn had 47 plays in the first half, a huge number. Oregon had 35.
Two teams that have been great in the second half all season are going to settle it all in the next two quarters.
* Auburn starts at the 28.
* Newton great throw to Philip Lutzenkirchen. First down at the 16, 39 yards.
* Third-and-5 at the 11.
* No one open. Newton throws it away.
* Byrum's kick from 28 yards is good. Auburn leads 19-11 with 11:30 left. Nice drive, but a touchdown would have been nicer for the Tigers.
* Oregon starts from the 19. Auburn's kickoff coverage has been terrific.
* A suspect personal foul call on Auburn puts the ball at the 39.
* James is finding some running room. First down at the Auburn 37.
* A sack and a fumblem, recovered by Oregon. A flagrant holding penalty and it's second-and-16 at the 43.
* Josh Bynes is shaken up and goes out. Seems OK. Fourth-and-14. Oregon will punt.
* Punt goes into the end zone. Auburn's defense stands tall again. Tigers take over at the 20, 7:48 left in the third quarter.
* Newton overthrows Adams running open deep on third-and-7. Auburn must punt.
* Shoemaker is going out in style. His last two punts have been 49 and 50 yards.
* Oregon starts from the 27, 6:17 left.
* Bynes is back.
* Another Auburn stop. It's fourth-and-6 at the Oregon 45. The Ducks will punt again
* No, they won't. A fake punt is good for a first down at the Auburn 48.
* A remarkable catch for 43 yards put the ball at the Aubnurn 3.
* Third-and-gioal at the 5.
* Fourth down at ther 1./
* Oregon will go.
* Kejon Barner is stuffed. Auburn's goal-line stand for the ages? The Tiers take over at the 1. Bynes led the tacklers.
* Auburn at its own 1 with 2:26 left in the third quarter.
* First down at the 13.
* Mike Dyer is running like a senior, not a freshman. Dyer gains 7, byut a holding penalty moves it back to the 10.
* Newton scrambles for 14. First down at the 24. Big play.
* Auburn has second-and-9 as the third quarter ends. Fifteen minutes from a national championship. Auburn's offense has been decent. The defense has been off the charts.
FOURTH QUARTER
* The crowd of 78,603 is the largest in Phoenix Stadium history.
* Dyer runs twice for 16 yards. Who was it that was going to get tired?
* Auburn will punt from its 47. Pretty good, considering the drive started at the 1.
* Oregon starts from its 16, 13:24 left. Oregon isn't done yet.
* A big, big play for Oregon, 33 yards on fourth-and-18 First down at the 41. And now the Ducks are on the move at the Auburn 48.
* Fourth-and-8 at the Auburn 48. Oregon will punt. Apparently.
* Delay of game.
* Terrible punt. Out of bounds on the 21.
* Newton runs a quarterback draw for 18 yards. First down at the 39. Huge play.
* Newton hits Fannin for 16 to the Oregon 41. Auburn getting close to field goal range.
* Auburn will punt from the Oregon 42. You have to hand it to Oregon's defense, too. Where's the shootout? The over-under was 74. If you took the over,you are in a lot of trouble.
* Oregon starts from its 14, 6:34 left. Biggest drive of the game?
* Auburn didn't gret points on that last drive, but it ate up 4:26.
* Fairley stuffs James for a 4-yard loss on fiourth-and-3. Oregon will punt as the clock nears five minutes.
* Auburn starts at its 29 with 5:05 left.
* Oregon has gone seven consecutive possessions without scoring.
* Oh, my. Newton fumbles and Oregon recovers. Oregon called for a personal foul after the play and will start at its own 45.
* Fourth-and-5 at the 40, 4:18 left.
* Another big third down. First down at the Auburn 11.
* Third-and-1 at the 2, 2:36 left. Timeout, Oregon.
* Shovel pass, touchdown, 19-17 with 2:33 left. Here comes the two-point conversion.
* A leapuing catch and it's good and we are tied with 2:33 left. Unreal. Can Newton lead a drive for the ages? We're about to see.
* Newton to Blake for 15 to the Auburn 40.
* Dyer makes an incredible run. Absolutely incredible. He gains 47 yards. First dfown at the 23.
Mike Dyer makes two remarkable runs on the game's final drive and Auburn beats Oregon 26-19 to wuin the nati
* That run was one of the more remarkable football plays I have ever seen. Dyer was pulled down on top of a defender, never hit the ground, looked back and took off. It's first down at the Oregon 23.
* We talked to Wes Byrum about dreaming of making the kick to wiun it all. If Auburn can't get into the end zone, he will get the chance.
* It looks like Auburn is playing for Byrum. Dyer gains 4 and the clock runs. If it was me, I'd try to score a touchdown.
* Dyer goes straight ahead, tumbles over a defender, and it's a touchdown that will live forever in Auburn lore. Ten seconds remain.
* It's not a touchdown. Replay showed he was down a half yard short. With 10 seconds and two timeouts left, Auburn will try tio score the touchdown. Newton is stopped, and on comes Byrum for the biggest field goal of his life with two seconds left.
* And he does it.
The National Championship Game
We've waited a long time for this game. It's been over a month since we beat South Carolina to win the SEC Championship. Some Auburn fans have been waiting since 1957 for this opportunity. I am typing these words minutes before kickoff. It's time to decide the National Championship. Here we go from Univ. of Phoenix stadium in Glendale, Arizona on ESPN.
FIRST QUARTER
The Ducks take the ball to start the game and we hold them to 3 and out. Chris Davis is injured on the opening kickoff. The Tigers pick up one first down before punting. Both offenses look sluggish to on their first possessions.
Oregon tries to mount a drive. Two screens are successful for a first down. On a third and 8 Auburn intercepts! Demond Washington gets the pick.
The Tigers are on the Duck 47. But on the second play Cam throws an interception.
Oregon is back on their 47. Oregon picks a first down crossing midfield. The Ducks are driving first down at the AU 32. Their running back James looks so small as he slivers thru the line. It looks we get penetration but their back squeezes thru somehow. Oregon is moving with small but steady gains. First down at the AU 20. Fairly gets a huge rush and Auburn gets another pick! Zac Etheridge does the honors.
AU is on their 14. After one first down, we have to punt. Their defensive front is beating our offensive line.
Oregon starts on their 29 after a good punt. The Ducks mount an impressive drive. They are threatening as the quarter ends with no score. Oregon is 3rd and 2 on the Auburn 3.
End of the first quarter: Auburn 0 Oregon 0
At this point Oregon is starting to look like the better team. Our offense has yet to get untracked. Their defense is dominating our offense and they've got their offense going on this drive.
SECOND QUARTER
Nick Fairly sacks their QB on the 11. Oregon settles for the short FG.
Auburn 0 Oregon 3
It's time for our offense to do something. Oregon dominated in yardage in the first quarter. Our announcers say their defense is confusing our offense. Perhaps we are lucky to be trailing only 3 to 0 but we've just started the second quarter.
The Tigers start on the 18. Here is our first real drive of the game. From the Duck 34 Cam hits Kodi Burns for the touchdown. Auburn takes the lead. Our offense looks like it's supposed to.
Auburn 7 Oregon 3
After a good kickoff coverage, the Ducks go 93 yards in 4 plays with a long post route good to the AU 12 as Thorpe gets beat. Oregon scores and gets the 2-pt coversion.
Auburn 7 Oregon 11
The Tigers mount an impressive drive, but on a 4th a goal from the 1, Cam can't deliver the pass to an open Eric Smith. But not to fear. The Tigers with Mike Blanc tacke the Oregon runner in the end zone for a safety!
Auburn 9 Oregon 11
The Tigers mount another drive with Cam hitting a wide-open Emory Blake for a 30-yrd TD strike.
Auburn 16 Oregon 11
End of half: Auburn 16 Oregon 11
Auburn seems to have a bit of momentum going into the half and we get the ball to start the second half. The defense has stood up so far with 2 turnovers and a safety. Who wants to win this game? It's up for grabs at the half.
THIRD QUARTER
The Tigers drive for a FG on the first possession. We end up with one too many third and longs.
Auburn 19 Oregon 11
The Ducks drive across midfield running their slippery back James. Our defense needs to bow up. It does and Oregon punts into the end zone.
The Tigers 3 and out as Cam misses a wide open Adams on third down. Oregon takes possession after the punt on their 27. Good punt. Cam has not been very sharp tonight on his passing. We've had some close calls.
The Ducks move right down the field to a first and goal at the 3. THEN our defense holds on 4 plays at the 1. This Auburn defense is winning this football game so far.
Oue defense is playing its best game of the year.
AU is on our 1 after the defensive stand with 2:26 to go in the third quarter. The quarter ends with AU at our 25.
End of third quarter: Auburn 19 Oregon 11
FOURTH QUARTER
Auburn is 15 minutes away from the National Championship. Can we do it?
The Tigers have to punt with slippery footing continuing to plague us. Oregon starts at their 16.
Our defense does it again. You can't say enough about the defense so far. We've given up some plays but have held Oregon to only 11 points so far. We get the ball back on our 21 with 11 minutes left.
We punt it back and Oregon starts on their 15 with 6:34 left. This is a big possession for our defense. Oregon averages 49 points a game. They have only 11 so far in this game.
Incomplete pass. 2nd and 10. Incomplete pass. 3rd and 10. First down pass at the 27 at the sideline.
From the 27 an incomplete pass. Complete pass for about 6. 3rd and 4. Big tackle for a loss!!! and Oregon has to punt. Carter blows up that play.
To get to the point. Late in the game Oregon ties the game with a touchdown and a 2-point conversion.
It's 19-19. But Auburn drives for the winning 20-yrd. FG by Wes Byrum thanks to a dazzling runs by Mike Dyer, one of them to the 1 foot line. The winning FG comes on the last play of the game with 2 seconds on the clock.
AUBURN WINS THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!
Freddy and I talk after the game. He's coming home tomorrow.
AUBURN WINS THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!
FIRST QUARTER
The Ducks take the ball to start the game and we hold them to 3 and out. Chris Davis is injured on the opening kickoff. The Tigers pick up one first down before punting. Both offenses look sluggish to on their first possessions.
Oregon tries to mount a drive. Two screens are successful for a first down. On a third and 8 Auburn intercepts! Demond Washington gets the pick.
The Tigers are on the Duck 47. But on the second play Cam throws an interception.
Oregon is back on their 47. Oregon picks a first down crossing midfield. The Ducks are driving first down at the AU 32. Their running back James looks so small as he slivers thru the line. It looks we get penetration but their back squeezes thru somehow. Oregon is moving with small but steady gains. First down at the AU 20. Fairly gets a huge rush and Auburn gets another pick! Zac Etheridge does the honors.
AU is on their 14. After one first down, we have to punt. Their defensive front is beating our offensive line.
Oregon starts on their 29 after a good punt. The Ducks mount an impressive drive. They are threatening as the quarter ends with no score. Oregon is 3rd and 2 on the Auburn 3.
End of the first quarter: Auburn 0 Oregon 0
At this point Oregon is starting to look like the better team. Our offense has yet to get untracked. Their defense is dominating our offense and they've got their offense going on this drive.
SECOND QUARTER
Nick Fairly sacks their QB on the 11. Oregon settles for the short FG.
Auburn 0 Oregon 3
It's time for our offense to do something. Oregon dominated in yardage in the first quarter. Our announcers say their defense is confusing our offense. Perhaps we are lucky to be trailing only 3 to 0 but we've just started the second quarter.
The Tigers start on the 18. Here is our first real drive of the game. From the Duck 34 Cam hits Kodi Burns for the touchdown. Auburn takes the lead. Our offense looks like it's supposed to.
Auburn 7 Oregon 3
After a good kickoff coverage, the Ducks go 93 yards in 4 plays with a long post route good to the AU 12 as Thorpe gets beat. Oregon scores and gets the 2-pt coversion.
Auburn 7 Oregon 11
The Tigers mount an impressive drive, but on a 4th a goal from the 1, Cam can't deliver the pass to an open Eric Smith. But not to fear. The Tigers with Mike Blanc tacke the Oregon runner in the end zone for a safety!
Auburn 9 Oregon 11
The Tigers mount another drive with Cam hitting a wide-open Emory Blake for a 30-yrd TD strike.
Auburn 16 Oregon 11
End of half: Auburn 16 Oregon 11
Auburn seems to have a bit of momentum going into the half and we get the ball to start the second half. The defense has stood up so far with 2 turnovers and a safety. Who wants to win this game? It's up for grabs at the half.
THIRD QUARTER
The Tigers drive for a FG on the first possession. We end up with one too many third and longs.
Auburn 19 Oregon 11
The Ducks drive across midfield running their slippery back James. Our defense needs to bow up. It does and Oregon punts into the end zone.
The Tigers 3 and out as Cam misses a wide open Adams on third down. Oregon takes possession after the punt on their 27. Good punt. Cam has not been very sharp tonight on his passing. We've had some close calls.
The Ducks move right down the field to a first and goal at the 3. THEN our defense holds on 4 plays at the 1. This Auburn defense is winning this football game so far.
Oue defense is playing its best game of the year.
AU is on our 1 after the defensive stand with 2:26 to go in the third quarter. The quarter ends with AU at our 25.
End of third quarter: Auburn 19 Oregon 11
FOURTH QUARTER
Auburn is 15 minutes away from the National Championship. Can we do it?
The Tigers have to punt with slippery footing continuing to plague us. Oregon starts at their 16.
Our defense does it again. You can't say enough about the defense so far. We've given up some plays but have held Oregon to only 11 points so far. We get the ball back on our 21 with 11 minutes left.
We punt it back and Oregon starts on their 15 with 6:34 left. This is a big possession for our defense. Oregon averages 49 points a game. They have only 11 so far in this game.
Incomplete pass. 2nd and 10. Incomplete pass. 3rd and 10. First down pass at the 27 at the sideline.
From the 27 an incomplete pass. Complete pass for about 6. 3rd and 4. Big tackle for a loss!!! and Oregon has to punt. Carter blows up that play.
To get to the point. Late in the game Oregon ties the game with a touchdown and a 2-point conversion.
It's 19-19. But Auburn drives for the winning 20-yrd. FG by Wes Byrum thanks to a dazzling runs by Mike Dyer, one of them to the 1 foot line. The winning FG comes on the last play of the game with 2 seconds on the clock.
AUBURN WINS THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!
Freddy and I talk after the game. He's coming home tomorrow.
AUBURN WINS THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!
Counting Down
We're counting down to the big game. Some say this is the biggest game in Auburn history. Maybe so. The Tigers are a 3-point favorite. The predictions I've seen nationwide seem split about 50-50. The Ducks are supposed to have the better speed. Can the Auburn defense keep up with their fast-paced offense? The Tigers are supposed to be bigger and stronger, having survived a much tougher SEC schedule. Will this play in Auburn's favor? We will soon find out how it goes.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The Excitement Builds
I haven't been thinking too much about the game, but today I'm started to get excited. In two days Auburn plays for the National Championship. The long wait is about to be over. Let's get ready to rumble!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Today's Bowl Games
Like everybody else, I'll be flipping around today. It's hard to believe it's been a year since we were playing Northwestern in the Outback last year. That was a wild one. Who would have thought a year ago that we would be on a 14 game winning streak a year later?
I'll hope MSU can pull the upset. I hope Urban Meyer goes out a loser. I want to see TCU in action in the Rose Bowl. I'll take a peak at Tuberville's team.
Yet we know the only game that matters will come on the 10th. The days pass, and the time draws near.
I'll hope MSU can pull the upset. I hope Urban Meyer goes out a loser. I want to see TCU in action in the Rose Bowl. I'll take a peak at Tuberville's team.
Yet we know the only game that matters will come on the 10th. The days pass, and the time draws near.
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