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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.