GEORGIA DOME – Yes, they “Cam”.
Auburn won the SEC championship today and punched their ticket to a sure berth in the BCS national championship game with a 56-17 win over South Carolina at the Georgia Dome. Cam Newton was, once again, at the head of the Tigers’ scoring parade, accounting for six touchdowns and 407 yards of total offense.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our football team,” beamed Auburn head coach Gene Chizik. “Everything they got tonight, they deserved. They’re brothers. We got a lot of love there in that locker room. That’s one of the reasons we are where we’re at.”
Newton’s team jumped on top early with 21 first quarter points and led virtually the entire game. The carnage began on their first drive when the Tigers drove 77 yards in four plays and scored on a 12-yard pass from Newton to Onterio McCalebb. It was the first of four passing touchdowns by Newton. He would rush for two more.
“No, I’ve never seen (anyone) like it to be honest with you,” said Chizik when asked if he has ever seen a better college player than Newton. “We’ve got one football game left, but I can say this: He’s probably the best football player I’ve ever seen.”
Right before halftime, Newton completed quite possibly the most miraculous completion yet in SEC Championship Game history. After the Gamecocks had narrowed the score to 21-14 with just 25 seconds left in the half, Newton led Auburn on a brief, but devastating, scoring drive. The Tigers received the kickoff on their own 41 and Newton completed two passes: one for eight yards and one for 51 and a touchdown. Wide receiver Darvin Adams caught Newton’s deflected Hail Mary pass in the endzone for an unlikely score.
“We’ve been in that situation before in practice,” explained Newton, who would not answer questions about off-the-field issues. “Repetition is the key to success. (Offensive coordinator Gus) Malzahn brainwashes us in what we’re supposed to do in different situations and when the time for us to make a play, (we did).”
The score was now 28-14 and South Carolina was done for the night. As has been the case for much of Auburn’s season, the Tigers came out in the second half and dominated, scoring the next 21 points of the game to turn a competitive game into a laugher early in the fourth.
Despite the loss, it was a successful season for Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks.
“We’ve had a good year,” said a deflated Spurrier. “It wasn’t a super year that we had all hoped for as Gamecocks, but it was a very good year. If we win a bowl game, we win 10 games.”
It is Auburn’s eighth SEC championship and first since 2004. The Tigers (13-0) will play in the BCS National Championship game on Jan. 10, 2011 in Glendale, Ariz. Meanwhile, South Carolina fell short in their first bid for an SEC title since joining the conference in 1992. The Gamecocks (9-4) will likely be selected to play in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando or the Outback Bowl in Tampa.
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