![]() Every day.”Īs did the Ducks, who finished 12-1, three points shy of their first national title but not making apologies for the effort they gave in the desert. “They went out and practiced every day to win a national championship. ![]() “Our defense was focused for one month,” Chizik said of the 37-day layoff between the SEC and national title games. Oregon didn’t come close to its nation-leading 49-point average, and the fast-paced offense that turned most opponents into mush in the second half couldn’t wear down Auburn. The last one came on a simple shovel pass from Thomas, who finished with 363 passing yards - 81 of them on a long pass to Maehl that set up the first touchdown. An offense that had been held under 37 points only once all year managed just the two touchdowns. Wearing white jerseys with gray numbers, green pants and DayGlo shoes and socks, the Ducks got only 49 yards rushing from James, who averaged 152 on the season. The game had been billed as an offensive show for the ages but wound up as something much different. “I got the better deal out of the whole thing.” Indeed, every yard came at a price in this one. He wrenched his back and had to go to the trainer after the game. Newton threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 64 yards, most in short, punishing bites. He stopped and the coach told him to keep running and he ran.”ĭyer finished with 143 yards and was chosen Offensive Player of the Game - a pretty big accomplishment considering he had the Heisman Trophy winner playing alongside him. Everybody on the side of the defense stopped. “It’s not like he broke free and did some spectacular things. “All I knew was the whistle wasn’t blowing and my coach was saying `Go!’” Dyer said.Įddie Pleasant, the Oregon defensive back who almost made the tackle, was stunned. An official review ensued and the replay showed that his knee had never touched the turf. He took off and made it to the Oregon 23. With his coaches and teammates urging him to keep going, and everyone on the field at a standstill, Dyer realized that, indeed, the referee hadn’t blown his whistle. He wasn’t sure his knee hit the ground, so he popped up and took a few more steps. Thomas hit Jeff Maehl for the 2-point conversion with 2:33 left and the game was tied - down to the last possession.Īnd that possession will be remembered for one incredible play.ĭyer took the handoff and ran off right tackle for about 7 yards, or so it seemed. Oregon’s offense, shut down by Nick Fairley and the rest of the Tigers’ stout defensive front for most of the night, moved 45 yards over the next 2:17, and Darron Thomas threw a shovel pass to LaMichael James for a touchdown. The dramatic endgame began when Casey Matthews, son of the 1980s NFL linebacker Clay, punched the ball from Newton’s hands while he was trying to lead Auburn on a drive that might have iced a 19-11 lead. War Eagle!”ĭyer was the key player in five crazy minutes of football at the end that were vastly different from the first 55, which were more of a bruising defensive battle than the offensive masterpiece so many had predicted. “Fifty-three years, baby!” coach Gene Chizik said to the cheering crowd. ![]() It capped off a perfect 14-0 season, brought the title back to Auburn for the first time since 1957 and left the Southeastern Conference on top of college football for the fifth straight year.Īuburn won The Associated Press title with 56 of 59 first-place votes, capping a first-of-its-kind climb up the rankings - from No. Three plays later, Dyer ran 16 yards to push the ball to the 1 and set up Wes Byrum’s 19-yard field goal with no time left. With his 37-yard run, the freshman did what most fans thought impossible: He upstaged Newton, the Heisman winner who turned his first - maybe only - season at Auburn into a title-winning run. “I didn’t hear a whistle, not yet, so I was kind of like, looking, like, what’s going on?’” ![]() 2 Ducks 22-19 in the BCS title game Monday night. The stop-and-go maneuver - a once-in-a-lifetime run - set up a short field goal on the last play that sent No. Realizing the play was still going, Dyer started running again - past the tackler who thought he had him down, deep into Oregon territory. In that split second - the amount of time it takes to shout “War Eagle!” - Dyer placed himself right up there alongside Cam Newton, Bo Jackson and every other great player to wear the Auburn uniform. So, Auburn’s Michael Dyer popped up, took a few steps, then stopped and looked around. He never heard a whistle, never felt his knee hit the turf.
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