2011 BCS Champ..S.O.C. Notes - 4th Quarter

AUBURN WINS THE NATIONAL TITLE. Wes Byrum's kick with two seconds to play caps off a thrilling BCS Championship finish and gives the Tigers a national title. Oregon made it interesting late, but Michael Dyer ran down to the one, and the special teams finished the drill. Check out the Stream of Consciousness Notes for the fourth quarter of the 2011 BCS Championship.

Stream-of-Consciousness Notes

2011 BCS Championship

Fourth Quarter  

By Pete Fiutak

- Auburn Wins The National Title
- CFN Analysis - The Fizzling Oregon O
- CFN Analysis - The Auburn D On Fire
- CFN Analysis - The Better Team Won
- CFN Analysis - The Duck D Did Its Part

- 2011 BCS Champ. SOC Notes - Pregame
- 2011 BCS Champ. SOC Notes - 1st Quarter
- 2011 BCS Champ. SOC Notes - 2nd Quarter
- 2011 BCS Champ. SOC Notes - 3rd Quarter 
 
- 2nd and 9 for Auburn on its own 25.

- Oregon is only eight points down, even though it seems like Auburn is in full control of the game. One stop. One takeaway. One big play, and this changes.

- Michael Dyer is taking over the game pumping the ball up the middle. Oregon's defensive tackles are getting ripped apart.

- Cam wants the home run. He keeps trying to look down the field for the one big play, but Darvin Adams slipped and Newton had to throw it away.

- The key to this game has been manageable third and shorts for the Tigers ...

- But Newton misses with Adams on what would've gone for a long gain. Auburn is dominating but it can't put the game away.

- Oregon is getting badly outplayed, but it's one big play, one big score away from being right back in this.

- Ooooh. Cliff Harris is fearless on his punt return attempt and got blasted.

Oregon on its own 16

- This is actually a great game, but I guarantee that dumb media people all over America who aren't into college football have fallen asleep. Just wait for the backlash of idiocy tomorrow complaining there weren't more points.

- Oregon hasn't trailed in the fourth quarter all year.

- Darron Thomas can't seem to find any sort of a groove, and with the running game not working, Oregon is living on one big play.

- Holding. 2nd and 18 is an issue.

- 13 minutes to play.

- HORSE COLLAR? Nick Fairley grabs LaMichael James by the collar, but it isn't called. Now it's 3rd and 18.

- The throw of his life. Thomas holds up against the fearsome pass rush, Josh Bynes flies into the backfield, and Thomas connects with David Paulson for a 33-yard game. That's going to wake Thomas up and get him going.

- 12 minutes.

- Ohhhhhh. Zac Ethridge almost came up with a pick and should've gotten an offensive pass interference call on Jeff Maehl.

- 3rd and 8. Oregon can't survive with too many more third and longs.

- Auburn's D looks fresh and fine.

- Auburn dials up the pressure, sends Josh Bynes into the backfield, and the play gets blown up.

- 11 minutes to play.

- 4th and 8 ... Chiiiiip. Kick it. Don't think ...

- Here comes the punt.

- Has Oregon been hit with a delay of game penalty this year?

- Awful punt. Auburn gets it on the 21.

Auburn on its own 21

- Cam, Gus, Gene. This is it. This is the national championship. You are one long drive, and one score of any kind away from winning it all. Use the power game, bleed the clock, and pound your way to a title.

- Chip, Casey, Kenny. This is it. Sell out and make Cam connect on the deep ball that hasn't been there all night. Make him try to go for the ring with one throw and try to come up with the pick.

- Onterio McCalebb makes an appearance and gets dropped for a loss.

- Cam doesn't care a lick about the Oregon pass rush.

- Why aren't you running it? You could've easily have had 3rd and 6 with a run up the gut and now it's 3rd and 12.

- Cam, you're a Heisman winner. It's time to show why ...

- And he does with a run for a first down before getting drilled.

- Oregon, realize what just happened. It's going to be a handoff Dyer up the middle.

- Ten minutes.

- Handoff Dyer up the middle, and Oregon can't stop it on a six-yard gain.

- 3rd and five after two conservative runs. Cam has an easy throw to Mario Fannin who makes his first play of the night.

- Oregon has to guess, and it keeps guessing wrong.

- Eight minutes.

- Oregon gets a stop to make it 2nd and 12, but now it's seven minutes.

- No, no, no, no, no. Auburn goes for a pass in space, and Newton gets rid of the ball, the clock stops, and now it's 3rd and 12. Run it and it's under five.

- And now Auburn goes deep, Terrell Zachery catches it out of bounds, and instead of it being under four, there's 6:42 left and Oregon is STILL alive. 

Oregon on its own 20

- Alright, Oregon, enough is enough. You have the best quick-strike attack in the nation. Act like it.

- Oregon defense, you did your job. Auburn has 19 points.

- The line is Auburn -2.5. Why do I see a Tiger win but no cover?

- Darron Thomas has thrown for 295 yards, but he has to be smart, and ...

- He has to stop telegraphing his passes. He's locking on to his target and Auburn jumped all over the first two throws.

- Jeff Maehl is awesome. Thomas throws a strike, Auburn misses the tackle, and Oregon gets a first down.

- Six minutes.

- Oregon, don't ignore the run. There's still time.

- Maehl slips his way to a nice gain and a manageable third and three. Oregon is on its 36.

- Antoine Carter destroys Thomas, and here comes the punt.

- Don't forget how big that goal line stand was last quarter.

Auburn on its own 31

- Five minutes.

- Someone should be fired if Newton and Dyer don't run this up the middle for a few plays.

- Time out Oregon. 2nd and 9.

- FUMBLE! FUMBLE! FUMBLE! Casey Matthews popped the ball out of Newton's hands and ...

- ... penalty ...

- Personal foul on Oregon, but the Ducks still get the ball.

- Oregon defense, you've done your job.

Oregon on its own 44

- Auburn, you might want to cover Jeff Maehl.

- A draw to James would open up big.

- OHHHHHHH. Josh Bynes almost came up with the pick. RIGHT IN HIS HANDS.

- Nick Fairley has cemented a top three selection.

- Great call. Thomas gets on the move and runs for a nice game for a 3rd and 5. Two downs to get five, you can run it.

- Thomas had Lavasier Tiuinei open and missed him. Fourth down, 4:18 to play.

- James is one on one with Josh Bynes ... SEE THIS, Darron ...

- D.J. Davis catch and run to get down to the ten.

- Four minutes.

- Back in the red zone. Oregon. THROW THE BALL INTO THE END ZONE. FOR ME. PLEASE.

- Offsides Auburn. Down to the two. 2nd and 1.

- Nope. James is stuffed.

- Three minutes.

- MAEHL. END ZONE. TRY IT!!!

- OOOOOOHHHHH!!!!. Thomas has to take a time out. That's it. That means Oregon HAS to score and get two here now that it has just one time out left.

- Lavaier Tuinei is 6-5, 206 pounds. Lob it up to him.

- TOUCHDOWN!!! Thomas makes the right read and pitches it to James who cuts it up for a score.

- There are a LOT of ticket holders right now concerned about that half a point and desperately hoping for a ...

- GOT IT!!! Maehl in the end zone! Thank you. I feel cleansed.

- Again, Cam, you're the Heisman winner. 2:33. Two time outs. You have a clutch field goal kicker in Wes Byrum. It's time to cement your legacy.

Auburn 19 ... Oregon 19

Auburn on its own 25

- I don't have a dog in this fight and I'm about have an accident. I can't imagine what Tiger and Duck fans are going through.

- Nice, easy throw to the outside, first down ...

- Wasn't Michael Dyer down?! He rolled over a Duck defender, didn't touch the ground, and kept on running.

- Does a wrist equal a knee?

-  It's being reviewed, but Kelly signaled a time out. That should be it for the Duck time outs, but it's not

- Weirdest big play in national title history.

- Two minutes to play.

- His knee didn't go down ...

- Play stands. A 37-yard run.

- Auburn has it on the 22.

- Dyer up the middle across the 20.

- Line is 2.5.

- One minute to play.

- Newton down to the 16. 3rd and 4.

- Wes Byrum, your table is ready.

- Kick it now on third down in case there's a bad snap.

- Or else Michael Dyer can be an Auburn legend plowing in for a score ... was he down?

- Ten seconds to play.

- Uhhhhhh, ESPN. You have 72 networks, 1,239 cameras, and 3D. WHERE'S THE GOAL LINE CAMERA?

- Down at the one should be the call. Ten seconds left, Cam, pound it once and let Oregon slide off the Teflon.

- Auburn has two timeouts left.

- Down at the half-yard line.

- WHAT ARE YOU DOING KICKING A FIELD GOAL?! YOU DON'T NEED TO!!!

- Two timeouts, a 250-pound quarterback ... WHY ARE YOU TAKING A CHANCE AT A MISSED SNAP?!

- And Gus Malzahn shows why he's the coach of the year by lobbying for one shot at the end zone.

- Worst ... sneak ... ever.

- Now, that's the worst of all worlds. You don't really try for the TD, and now you HAVE to hit the field goal. If you're not going to give it an honest shot, then yeah, you should've tried the field goal with ten seconds to play in case the snap sucked.

- And for the national title ...

- Auburn wins the BCS national championship.

- Just like everyone thought it would happen.

- YEEEEEEEEESH.

FINAL SCORE: Auburn 22 ... Oregon 19

- Auburn Wins The National Title
- CFN Analysis - The Fizzling Oregon O
- CFN Analysis - The Auburn D On Fire
- CFN Analysis - The Better Team Won
- CFN Analysis - The Duck D Did Its Part

- 2011 BCS Champ. SOC Notes - Pregame
- 2011 BCS Champ. SOC Notes - 1st Quarter
- 2011 BCS Champ. SOC Notes - 2nd Quarter
- 2011 BCS Champ. SOC Notes - 3rd Quarter