Oregon Ducks vs Auburn Tigers Match Player Stats On Jan 10, 2011

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Jan 10, 2011

Cameron Newton led a clutch scoring drive late in the fourth quarter and Auburn’s defense slowed down Oregon’s high-octane offense in a thrilling 22-19 win over the Ducks Monday in the Tostitos BCS National Championship in Glendale, Ariz.

Auburn senior kicker Wes Byrum kicked a 19-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Tigers to their first national championship since 1957.

Trailing 19-11 with five minutes to play, Oregon linebacker Casey Matthews forced a Newton fumble, setting up the Ducks near midfield. They’d capitalize with an eight-play scoring drive, capped by LaMichael James’ second touchdown and a successful two-point conversion to tie the game 19-19 with 2:33 to play.

That was plenty of time for Newton and the Tigers, who marched down to the Oregon 1 yard line on a pair of long runs by Michael Dyer. Auburn coach Gene Chizik called timeout with two seconds left and sent Byrum onto the field for the picture-perfect winning kick.

Dyer, one of the top freshman running backs in the nation, was a game-changer. He pounded the gut of the Oregon defense on his way to 143 yards.. He had tackle-breaking runs of 37 and 16 yards on the final drive.

But, in what was expected to be an offensive shootout, the Tigers' defense made the biggest impact. Auburn picked off Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas twice, recorded a safety and came up with a clutch goal-line stand with the Ducks threatening to tie the game late in the third quarter.

Nick Fairley, Auburn’s All-American defensive tackle, wreaked havoc on Oregon’s attack and played a big role in holding the Ducks to 19 points. Oregon led the nation at 49 points per game.

Twice Oregon (12-1) grabbed the lead in a back-and-forth second quarter, first on Rob Beard’s 26-yard field goal and then again on LaMichael James’ 8-yard touchdown reception that was followed by a successful surprise two-point conversion. It was just one of many tricks Oregon coach Chip Kelly threw at the Tigers.

But Newton and Auburn had an answer each time. Both of his touchdown passes came in the second quarter, including a 30-yard completion to a wide-open Emory Blake that put the Tigers up 16-11 at half.

Auburn (14-0) began the season off the radar, ranked 23rd in the preseason coaches’ poll. The Tigers didn’t become No. 1 in the Bowl Championship Series standings until late November, after a thrilling comeback win over archrival Alabama. Now, they’re national champions for the first time in 53 years. They also continued the SEC’s dominance with the conference's fifth straight national title.

Newton overcame an off-the-field controversy, in which his father Cecil Newton was accused of requesting $180,000 in return for his son’s commitment to Mississippi State. Cameron Newton put it all behind him, won the Heisman trophy and led the Tigers to an undefeated season. He completed 19 of 33 passes for 250 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for 65 yards.

James, a Heisman finalist, was held to 50 yards on the ground.