AUBURN, Ala. — Cam Newton and No. 5 Auburn are the last unbeaten team in the SEC. Not even LSU’s defense could slow them down.
With Newton’s standard mix of power and elusiveness, a huge play from Onterio McCalebb and a great game from Nick Fairley and the defense, Auburn survived for a 24-17 victory over No. 6 LSU on Saturday.
The host Tigers (8-0, 5-0) are at the top of the SEC West and the league’s best chance to produce a fifth straight national champion.
As for LSU (7-1, 4-1), those Tigers couldn’t slow down Newton, and coach Les Miles’ latest gamble in an adventurous season backfired.
The league’s best offense won a showdown versus the top defense hands down. The team’s 440 yards rushing was the most Auburn had ever had against an SEC defense.
“Going into this game, we knew it was the No. 1 offense vs. the No. 1 defense, the clash of the titans,” said Newton, who has already run for more yards than any other SEC quarterback. “There was licks I was taking from different people left and right. We knew that was going to be the case going into this game.”
Newton’s record-setting performance was another impressive entry in his Heisman Trophy candidacy. He ran for 217 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries, and McCalebb sprinted 70 yards for the go-ahead score with 5:05 left.
Newton broke the league’s single-season rushing mark for a quarterback of 1,006 yards by Auburn’s Jimmy Sidle in 1963 two-thirds through the season.
Miles opted to go for it on fourth-and-6 from LSU’s 30 after calling a timeout with 3:27 left.
The Tigers still seemed unsure of what they wanted to do on the pivotal play. Jarrett Lee, the passing portion of his team’s quarterback tandem, tried to scramble for the first down but was stopped well short by Neiko Thorpe.
Newton then ran for two first downs before taking a knee twice to let the clock run out.
“That was another great, great game,” Auburn coach Gene Chizik said. “It came down to the end and somehow or other our football team found a way to win it.”
