Tigers Take Title

Cam Newton, Gene Chizik and the Auburn Tigers are headed to the BCS Championship game after winning the SEC title. The Tigers walloped 18th ranked South Carolina 52-17 in the Georgia Dome on Saturday to improve to 13-0 on the year. Auburn will face the Oregon Ducks, winners against Oregon State yesterday, in the national title game in Arizona. The Tigers’ controversial quarterback, Newton, fired six touchdown passes and raised his bid for the leading Heisman Trophy candidate. Newton pushed his season touchdown total to 28 passing and 20 rushing three days after the NCAA ruled him eligible to play. For Auburn, it was the seventh SEC title in school history. Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks finished with a 9-4 record.
The Tigers compiled 21 points and 227 yards on offense by the end of the first quarter. Onterio Mccalebb sealed a 12 yard pass from Newton to give Auburn a 7-0 lead two minutes into the contest. McCalebb returned the opening kickoff and Newton’s threw a 61 yard bomb to Darvin Adams that set up the touchdown two plays later. The Gamecocks evened the score 7-7 by taking their first possession into the end zone. Patrick DeMarco hauled down a Stephen Garcia pass over the middle for a 25 yard score. Auburn’s flashy junior quarterback kept making plays, shuffling into the end zone from five yards out midway through the first quarter to give the Tigers a 14-7 advantage. Newton ran for 73 yards and a pair of touchdowns in guiding the Tigers to victory. He hit Adams in stride for a 54 yard touchdown with 2:09 remaining in the opening quarter to provide the Tigers a 14 point lead.
Alshon Jeffrey’s one yard touchdown reception with sixteen seconds left in the first half was the first scoring of the second quarter. Newton lost his first fumble of his college career and Garcia was intercepted in a sloppy second quarter on both ends. Wes Bynum, the reliable field goal kicker for Auburn, missed a 36 yard attempt and South Carolina’s defense held the Tigers’ offense to zero points until Newton found Adams as time expired in the half. Adams caught a tipped pass by S.C.’s Devonte Holloman in the end zone to give the Tigers a 28-14 edge at the break. The receiver finished with 217 yards and a pair of scores on the day.
Newton’s one yard touchdown run, his second rushing score of the day, opened the second half scoring for Auburn. T’Sharvan Bell followed the Newton run with an interception return for a touchdown to pad the Auburn lead. The eight yard pick-six gave the Tigers a sizable 42-14 advantage with 7:23 to play in the third quarter. Emory Blake, who finished with 63 yards on five receptions, caught a seven yard pass from Newton three minutes into the fourth quarter. Trailing 49-14, the Gamecocks finally answered back with a 33 yard field goal by Spencer Lanning. Lanning missed from 42 yards out early in the half. Running back for Auburn, Michael Dyer, wore down the Gamecock defense and carried the ball 14 times for 64 yards. It was the senior back for Chizik that scored the final touchdown of the game. Mario Fannin scurried into the end zone for a six yard score with 2:22 to play. Newton finished his storybook season with a career best 335 yards and completed 17 of 28 passes. Garcia was intercepted twice in tossing 170 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Gamecocks are possibly headed to the Outback Bowl after being blown out in Atlanta yesterday.

Parting Points: Derek Jeter is signed- three years for $51 million and a fourth year option. The BoSox deal for Adrian Gonzalez.

Congrats to the Connecticut Huskies for clinching a BCS Bowl game. I’m disappointed in the Seminoles for losing to VT.