CHAPTER 1 TIGERS RISE TO THE TOP Freshman running back Michael Dyer wasn't the biggest star on Auburn University's football team in 2010. But on the night of the Tigers biggest game of the year Dyer shone brightly On January 10 2011 Auburn faced the Oregon Ducks in the Bowl Championship Series BCS National Championship Game The game was tied 19-19 with a little more than two minutes left Auburn needed a big play to beat the Ducks That's when Dyer stepped in Auburn was 60 yards from the end zone when star quarterback Cam Newton handed the ball to Dyer Six yards downfield Dyer appeared to have been brought down by an Oregon defender But Dyer's knee never touched the ground And the officials never blew their whistles to stop the play So after he paused for a second Dyer again took off running He gained 37 yards on the play Auburn running back Michael Dyer finds open field during the 2011 BCS National 4 Championship Game against Oregon
Auburn quarterback Cam Newton celebrates with fans after the Tigers defeated Arkansas in October 2010 All I knew was the whistle wasn't blowing and my coach was saying Go Dyer said Three plays later Dyer again got the ball This time he ran 16 yards to the Oregon 1 yard line Only 10 seconds remained in the game Newton was stopped on the next play But then Auburn kicker Wes Byrum drilled a 19 yard field goal as time expired Dyer's running and Byrum's kick gave Auburn a 22-19 victory and the school's first national championship since 1957 The Tigers had produced many great moments from 1958 to 2009. During that time two Tigers won the Heisman Trophy which 6
CAM'S THE MAN Cam Newton played just one season at Auburn But it was one of the greatest seasons in college football history Newton spent his first two years in college as a backup at Florida Then he transferred to Blinn College in Texas He led Blinn to the national junior college championship in 2009. After that he landed at Auburn for the 2010 season Newton took over immediately as the Tigers starting quarterback He threw for 2,854 yards and 30 touchdowns on the season He also ran for 1,473 yards and another 20 touchdowns At the end of the season Newton easily won the Heisman Trophy voting After playing just one season at Auburn Newton left for the National Football League NFL The Carolina Panthers selected him with the first pick of the 2011 draft is given to the best player in college football each year The Tigers also had three undefeated seasons during that time And they had four other seasons in which they lost just once None of those great efforts resulted in a national championship though That is what made 2010 so special for Auburn Newton won the school's third Heisman Trophy And as a team the Tigers finished with a school record 14 wins and zero losses Along the way the Tigers defeated some of the best teams in the country At the end of the season nobody was better than Auburn Perhaps the most thrilling part was that practically nobody saw the season coming Auburn had lost five games in 2009. Although most expected the Tigers to be good in 2010 few expected them to be great Auburn came into the season ranked number 22 in the Associated Press AP Poll The AP Poll is one of two major polls 7
