By Matthew Cowen ’13, Staff Writer

College football’s best player picked a bad time to have one of his worst performances of the season. Luckily for Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, his teammates proved that the Tigers were more than just a one-man team. Freshman running back Michael Dyer, who ran for 143 yards, and junior defensive lineman Nick Fairley were named offensive and defensive players of the game, respectively. Fairley harassed Oregon’s offense all game long, recording three tackles for a loss and one sack. After Oregon tied the game at 19 with an improbable touchdown drive with 2:33 to go, Auburn turned to its freshman running back, not its Heisman-winning QB, to secure the victory. With what can only be described as good balance and great luck, Dyer kept his knee off the ground when he was seemingly tackled after short run. Dyer stood up, momentarily paused, and kept running for an additional 30 yards to the Oregon 23-yard line.  This career-defining scamper helped set up Wes Byrum’s National Championship-clinching field goal a few plays later.

“Really, it was going through my mind to get the first down, [and] hold onto the ball,” Dyer said. “And the time being tackled, my knee wasn’t down … I didn’t hear a whistle, not yet, so I was kind of, like, looking, like, what’s going on?”

Dyer provided the spark for Auburn, when many expected it would come from Cam Newton. Although Newton did not play particularly well, he still came up big when it mattered most, on the final drive. He finished 20/34, passing for 265 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Newton, who declared for the NFL Draft two days after the game, was proud of his teammates, specifically the Auburn defense.

“All eyes,” he said, “were on the Auburn defense to see how they would respond to the Oregon offense … and they did respond.” Newton has been at the center of Auburn’s story all season long, as much for the allegations surrounding him off the field as his play on the gridiron. Newton’s father allegedly solicited Mississippi State for $180,000 dollars to secure the commitment of his son to the school. While Cam Newton has isolated himself from these accusations, the controversy, and thus the pressure, surrounding him this season has been immense. The fact that he was able to win not only the Heisman Trophy but also the BCS National Championship as well speaks volumes about not only his football playing ability, but his focus and determination.

“Anything is possible,” Newton said. “I guarantee, five or six months ago, that no one would have bet their last dollar that Auburn would win the National Championship. And now we’re standing here.” As National Champions.

A Quick Look at The Season in Review

Top 5 Quarterbacks:

1. Cam Newton, Jr., Auburn- Winner of the Heisman Trophy and a National Champion.  He is really a no-brainer for the top spot.
2. Andrew Luck, Jr., Stanford- Heisman runner-up, Luck threw for nearly 4,000 yards as well as 32 touchdowns.
3. Kellen Moore, Jr., Boise State- Moore led the Broncos to a 12-1 record and completed over 70 percent of his passes.
4. Andy Dalton, Sr., TCU- Senior QB, Dalton led the Horned Frogs to a Rose Bowl victory, while averaging over nine yards per attempt.
5. Landry Jones, So., Oklahoma- Jones threw for 38 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 yards, leading the Sooners to Fiesta Bowl triumph.

Top 5 Running Backs:

1. LaMichael James, So., Oregon- James led the nation in yards, with 1,731.
2. Jordan Todman, Jr., Connecticut- Todman racked up the second-most rushing attempts and fourth-most yards, with 334 and 1,695, respectively.
3. Chad Spann, Sr., Northern Illinois- Spann was the national leader in rushing TDs, with 22.
4. Vai Taua, Sr., Nevada- Taua was top five in the country for both touchdowns and rushing yards.
5. Daniel Thomas, Sr., Kansas State- Thomas was a consistent rusher for Wildcats, with 5.3 yards per carry.

Top 5 Receivers:

1. Justin Blackmon, So., Oklahoma State- Blackmon led nation in TDs, and took home numerous awards for top wide receiver.
2. Ryan Broyles, Jr., Oklahoma- Broyles was a national leader in receptions with 131, and a constant deep threat for the Sooners.
3. Greg Salas, Sr., Hawaii- Salas had the most receiving yards in the country with 1,889 for the Warriors.
4. Lyle Leong, Sr., Texas Tech- Leong recorded the second-most touchdowns grabs in the country with 19.
5. AJ Green, Jr., Georgia- Green’s 6-4 frame makes him especially valuable to NFL scouts, and he had nine TDs for the Bulldogs.

Top 5 Defensive Players:

1. Nick Fairley, Jr., DT, Auburn
2. Patrick Peterson, Jr., S, LSU
3. Da’Quan Bowers, Jr., DE, Clemson
4. JJ Watt, Jr., DE, Wisconsin
5. Von Miller, Sr., LB, Texas A&M

Top 5 Teams:

1. Auburn Tigers
2. TCU Horned Frogs
3. Oregon Ducks
4. Stanford Cardinal
5. Oklahoma Sooners

Early Top 5 Teams for 2011:

1. Oklahoma Sooners
2. Oregon Ducks
3. Stanford Cardinal
4. Alabama Crimson Tide
5. Boise State Broncos