Game Info:
In the NCAA National Championship of the 2010-2011 college football season, we saw a matchup for it all. We had our annual game to decide the winner of the season and it came down to two powerhouses. It pitted #1 Auburn Tigers that went 13-0 in the regular season against #2 Oregon that ran through PAC-12 games at 12-0. Also, it showcased Cam Newton’s final college game before he would be drafted by the Carolina Panthers.
The game was scheduled for 8:30 PM ET on January 10th, 2011. The game was held in the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. This is the site of many BCS games and also stood as the future site of an eventual Super Bowl. Everyone expected a showdown of the season’s greats, but the game we got was above expectations.
Summary:
This game started off quite normal with great defense being shown and two 4-or-under drives occurring. This all until Oregon threw an interception to the Auburn defense. However, this meant little as the Tigers gave the Ducks an interception right back. And just when it couldn’t get any worse, Oregon turned it over again by interception to Auburn. The Tigers managed to skip a turnover, but were forced to punt. Darron Thomas worked the Oregon offense into the Auburn 9, where they were stuffed. Rob Beard, the kicker of the Ducks, came on a nailed a 26 yard field goal. ORE-3 AUB-0.
The Tigers soon answered with a score of their own. Cam Newton threw a dot from 35 yards out for an Auburn touchdown to gain the lead. ORE-3 AUB-7. This small deficient meant little to the Oregon team, who faced some earlier in the season. Darron Thomas launched the ball across the field many times in the next drive. This set up a 8 yard passing touchdown from Darron Thomas, that followed with a surprise 2-point conversion. ORE-11 AUB-7.
Auburn had slowly gained their way down the field, which set up the Tigers on the Oregon 1. However, on 4th-And-Goal, the Tigers were stopped by the Ducks and turned over on downs. This, however, worked out in the Tiger’s favor because they forced a safety in the Oregon endzone. ORE-11 AUB-9. And with this motivation packed onto the top of their previous drive’s easy push down the field, the Auburn Tigers made their way down to a score. Newton had thrown a beauty to Emory Blake for the 30 yard touchdown. ORE-11 AUB-16. This lead both teams into halftime.
Auburn came out of half doing just fine on their own. The Tigers managed to work into the Oregon 11, where they kicked a 28 yard field goal. ORE-11 AUB-19. Then the defenses came out in their absolute best form, until the late 4th quarter. Auburn had just gotten the ball on their own 30 and were attempting to kill some clock before the end of the game. Unfortunately, on a 10-yard rush by Cam Newton, he had slipped the ball to the Oregon defense. Oregon then led up to score within their opposing team’s side of the field. Darron Thomas had connected with LaMichael James to extend their chances with a 2-point conversion. The Ducks completed it and tied the game with 2:33 left. ORE-19 AUB-19.
Cam Newton is not in the NFL for no reason. With a steady drive by Newton and Michael Dyer, the Auburn Tigers had set up in the Oregon 2. With no avail to a touchdown, it came down to Auburn’s kicker Wes Byrum to win it. And at 19 yards out, Byrum had sunk the kick as time expired. Auburn had won. ORE-19 AUB-22.
Key Players:
Oregon:
Jeff Maehl, WR (9 Receptions, 133 Receiving Yards)
Maehl had been the leader in receiving for the Ducks that year. And with amounting over 1,000 yards, many thought he was NFL talent. And with such a stellar performance, it was a surprise that his talent had went unnoticed. However, Jeff Maehl had the game of his life, but the ending is the only thing he’d want to change.
Auburn:
Cam Newton, QB (20-34, 265 Passing Yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT)
Newton is, of course, an NFL quarterback that is essentially a household name of today. His talent showed in college and was easy to see without even seeing a game. Newton had some slip-ups in his performance, but his late game motivation was uncanny. This game meant a lot to Newton and now he aspires for a second one, but at a much higher level.
What Happened After?
Auburn: The Tigers did drop off a bit because the loss of Cam Newton. However, the team managed to make it to a bowl game and secure a win against Virginia. The Tigers finished 8-5 and had a decent season with the losses of many starters from the 2010-2011 season.
Oregon: The Ducks stayed atop the PAC-12 world with a conference championship following them. Oregon also made it to the Rose Bowl where the played, and beat, Wisconsin. The Ducks finished the season 12-2 and stayed at #4 in the rankings.
Photo Credits: https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/2011/1/8/1923679/2011-bcs-national-championship-auburn-tigers-vs-oregon-ducks-ncaa-college-football
