Two of the nation's most prolific scoring teams (a combined 88+ points per game) played a scoreless 1st quarter in their 2010 NCAA National Championship Game before engaging in a hard-nosed battle of wills. Wes Byrum's 19-yard field goal ended it on the last play, giving the #1-ranked Auburn Tigers a 22-19 victory over the #2-ranked Oregon Ducks. While Oregon's defense was statistically better, it was Auburn's defense - led by Nick Fairley - that held the nation's rushing leader, LaMichael James, to only 49 yards. James averaged 152+ yards. Fairly would end up becoming Defensive Player of the Game. The 6-foot-5, 314-pound junior defensive tackle had 3 tackles for a loss, a sack, and spent most of his time in Oregon's backfield. The win gave Auburn its second national championship since its first in 1957, 53 years ago. Perhaps even more important, the Tiger victory marked the 5th consecutive year that a Southeastern Conference (SEC) team has won the title. Florida won in 2006 and 2008, LSU in 2007 and Alabama last year. Everyone paying attention thought that if Auburn took the title, the Offensive Player of the Game would be its Heisman Trophy-winning star, Cam Newton. The Tigers had come from behind more than once during the season with outstanding play from Newton to notch their perfect 12-0 regular season record. They would then beat South Carolina 56-17 in the SEC championship game. What happened in the title game no one could have foreseen. Auburn's freshman running back, Michael Dyer, would create the pivotal play of the day that would seal the deal for the Tigers. A final drive by Oregon saw James score on a 2-yard shovel pass, and a 2-point conversion attempt by the Ducks worked when Jeff Maehl pulled it in to tie the score at 19-all with 2:33 remaining. On Auburn's ensuing drive, Dyer took a handoff off right tackle for what appeared to be a 7-yard gain. Strong Safety Eddie Pleasant stopped him but Dyer's knee never hit the ground. He kept moving, stopped for a moment and, hearing some screams to keep running, took off again on what would become a 37-yard run at the then most important moment in the game. The stop-and-go run by Dyer left me wondering why defensive tackle Zac Clark, the Oregon player next to the original stop, did not pile on, forcing Dyer to the ground. It was pretty apparent in the replay that had Dyer's knee touched the ground, and had Clark piled on, he may have been flagged for a late hit. The instant replay showed that Dyer's knee never touched the turf. The referee never blew the play dead, and the official decision was Dyer was not down and the play continues. However, the official replay call was wrong, not right. Dyer's knee never touched the ground, but online replays clearly show that Dyer's wrist did touch the turf and - according to NCAA rules - he should have been declared down and the play over. Three plays later, Dyer raced another 16 yards to Auburn's 1-yard line, setting up Wes Byrum's last-play, winning field goal as time expired. Michael Dyer would finish with 143 yards rushing on 22 carries (6.5 average per carry). Cam Newton would add another 64 yards rushing. Dyer and Newton combined to generate 207 yards on the ground, 4 times LaMichael James' 49-yard rushing total. Newton would go 20-for-34 passing (58%) for 265 yards and 2 touchdowns. Duck QB Darron Thomas got after it, going 27-for-40 (67%) for 363 yards and 2 touchdowns. Newton did not have his best game and appeared injured at the end, but Dyer, Fairley, Byrum and the rest of the Tigers played well against arguably the best team in the country. Many pollsters had Oregon out front in the polls for most of the season. Newton was Auburn's centerpiece, but there is no way Newton could have been part of the national championship game without a lot of help from his talented teammates. Cam Newton and Nick Fairley, both juniors, have declared for the NFL draft. You would have to be close to brain dead to have an undefeated 14-0 season, win the national championship, and return to Auburn for your senior year. Just ask the Alabama players who returned for the Crimson Tide this year (Heisman Trophy-winner Mark Ingram) to try and make it two in-a-row. Oregon receiver Jeff Maehl had a terrific game, catching 9 passes for 133 yards, including an 81-yard reception to set up the Ducks first touchdown, and the 2-point conversion that tied the game at the end. While the Oregon community may protest, the fact of the matter is that the Ducks lost the battle at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and consequently lost any rushing advantage they might have had. As the game progressed, it became an issue of could Oregon strop Auburn from winning the game. In the end, the Ducks could not. That said, this year's BCS championship game was exciting to the last second, and certainly worthy of being one of the very best ever played. We will never know who - if Wes Byrum's field goal had missed - would have won the game in overtime. The Tigers would finish their season unbeaten at 14-0. Oregon ended at 12-1. Auburn's victory made history in another way. The Tigers started the pre-season AP Poll farther back (at #22) than any team ever has that has gone on to win the national title since the poll expanded to 25 teams in 1989, 22 years ago. The previous lowest pre-season rank to climb to the top of the heap was the Oklahoma Sooners, who vaulted from #19 to the top in 2000.
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