Auburn wins National Championship... since 1957

Cam Newton's passing and a goal line stand helped No. 1 Auburn build a 19-11 lead over No. 2 Oregon after three quarters of the BCS national championship game on Monday night. The Heisman Trophy winner threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter and Nick Fairley and the Auburn defense made the biggest play in the third quarter at the University of Phoenix Stadium. Auburn led 16-11 at halftime as the Tigers rolled up 258 yards in the second quarter and picked up right where they left off at the start of the third. The Tigers drove into the red zone, but stalled and settled for Wes Byrum's 28-yard field goal to make it 19-11. Oregon had its best chance to score on its second possession of the third quarter, using a faked punt in its own territory to keep the ball and a 43-yard pass from Darron Thomas to Lavasier Tuinei, who made a juggling catch, to get down to the Auburn 3. The first Oregon run went backwards, but the next two left Oregon at the 1 facing fourth down. Thomas handed to Kenjon Barner, but he didn't get close to the goal line, with throng of Auburn defenders stacking him up for no gain. Oregon started the scoring with a 26-yard field goal by Rob Beard on the second play of the second quarter, then Newton and the Tigers put together their first sustained drive to take the lead. Newton gave a slight pump-fake to freeze a defender and hit Kodi Burns in the middle of the field. Burns, the former quarterback bumped to receiver when Newton arrived before this season, leaped into the end zone for a 35-yard score and a 7-3 lead with 12:00 left in the second quarter. The Ducks struck right back. Backed up to his own 7, Thomas sailed a deep ball down the middle for Jeff Mahel, who went 81 yards to the Auburn 12. It was the longest play from scrimmage in the 13-year history of the BCS championship game and the Ducks' ninth play this season of more than 60 yards. Auburn was making its first appearance in the BCS title game and trying to become the fifth straight SEC team to win it in Chizik's second season as coach. Oregon, the first Pac-10 team other than Southern California to play in the BCS title game, was looking for its first national championship. Auburn's won only one, in 1957.

The game turned out to be one of the most sought after tickets in recent sports history, with some going for as much as $7,000 on some of the online resale websites.

Pitt overcomes all the coaching, or lack of problems...beats Kentucky in Compass Bowl

Pittsburgh scored touchdowns off two mistakes by Kentucky's punting team and the Panthers, playing for their former coach, beat the Wildcats 27-10 in the BBVA Compass Bowl on Saturday.
Andrew Taglianetti blocked a punt to set up Pittsburgh's first touchdown late in the first half. An incomplete pass on Kentucky's fake punt early in the second half set up Tino Sunseri's 13-yard touchdown pass to Brock DeCicco. Sunseri also ran for a touchdown.
The Panthers (8-5) protected the lead with their running game in a win players dedicated to former coach Dave Wannstedt, who was forced to resign after a disappointing regular season.
Defensive coordinator Phil Bennett, Pittsburgh's acting head coach for the bowl game, was hired Friday to be defensive coordinator at Baylor.
Bennett was soaked with a cooler with a little more than 1 minute remaining.
"We've got good kids," Bennett said. "They've been through a lot. I'm just proud of them and I know Dave Wannstedt is."
Sunseri completed 9 of 19 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Dion Lewis ran for 105 yards and a touchdown, and Ray Graham added 90 yards rushing as the Panthers outgained Kentucky 261-104 on the ground.
Kentucky (6-7), playing without suspended quarterback Mike Hartline, fell far below its average of 33 points per game. Morgan Newton, making his first start of the season, was 21 of 36 passing for 211 yards.
Pitt led 20-3 before the Wildcats' only touchdown, a 1-yard run by Moncell Allen late in the third quarter. The Panthers answered with a long drive and 2-yard touchdown run by Lewis.
Randall Cobb set the Southeastern Conference's single-season record for all-purpose yards, but the versatile junior wasn't enough for the Wildcats to overcome their special teams mistakes.
Pittsburgh led 6-3 on two field goals by Dan Hutchins before Taglianetti blocked Ryan Tydlacka's punt late in the first half. Tydlacka appeared to take an extra step before attempting a rugby style punt.
Pitt's Kolby Gray recovered at the Kentucky 10, setting up Sunseri's 1-yard scoring run for a 13-3 lead with only 34 seconds remaining in the half.
Kentucky's first possession of the second half ended with another key mistake by its punting team. Matt Roark took the snap on the apparent punt but he didn't have time to make his planned pass. He was ruled down on the Kentucky 35 before throwing an incomplete pass.
Following a 21-yard run by Graham, Sunseri's touchdown pass to DeCicco gave the Panthers a 20-3 lead.
Craig McIntosh gave Kentucky a 3-0 lead with a 50-yard field goal, matching the longest of the sophomore's career, in the first quarter. The kick was the longest in the five-year history of the bowl.
McIntosh missed from 41 yards in the fourth quarter.
There were offsetting personal fouls when players traded punches in the second quarter. Tempers flared when Pittsburgh was called for a false start and a Kentucky player hit Sunseri as officials attempted to stop the play. Pittsburgh's Jason Pinkston responded with a shove to set off the brawl.
Coaches were successful in keeping players on the sideline.
Cobb passed former Arkansas running back Darren McFadden's 2007 SEC record of 2,310 all-purpose yards. Cobb entered the game 119 yards behind McFadden's mark.

Auburn’s Slow Starts Could Kill Them Against Oregon

A slow start in this game would kill Auburn, especially given the fact that Oregon knows it will have to keep scoring to keep Cameron Newton from staging another, historic victory. If the Ducks can capitalize on Auburn’s slow start and keep the momentum in their favor, then they can win this game and topple the Tigers. That is the only scenario in which anyone could take Oregon in BCS game picks, and even that seems like a tall order considering how much of a powerhouse the Tigers have been on both sides of the ball.

Florida Gator's CB Jenkins returning for senior season

Florida cornerback Janoris Jenkins pretty much shut down the Southeastern Conference’s best receivers in 2010. He’ll try to do it again next season.

Jenkins announced Monday that he has decided to return for his senior season, a huge boost for the Gators and new coach Will Muschamp. "I spent some time with my family and coach Muschamp and came to the conclusion it was in my best interest to return to school," Jenkins said in a statement. "Coach Muschamp was very supportive throughout the whole process, regardless of my decision, but he wanted to make sure I had all of the facts. I’m looking forward to working towards my degree, completing my rehab and getting back on the field with my teammates."

Jenkins, a three-year starter projected to be a first-round draft pick, has eight career interceptions. He had three this season, and was a first-team, All-SEC selection by The Associated Press. He missed the Outback Bowl following shoulder surgery.

He was at his best against Georgia’s A.J. Green, Alabama’s Julio Jones and South Carolina’s Alshon Jeffery. They averaged 38 yards receiving against Jenkins and had one touchdown between them.

Jenkins also was Florida’s leading punt returner, with 18 returns for 150 yards.

"I’m excited that Janoris has made a decision to come back to school," Muschamp said. "I would have supported him in whatever decision he made, but I commend him for making a mature decision. It would have been real easy for Janoris to make an emotional choice and leave early, but with our contacts in the NFL, we were able to assist him in understanding his draft status and he made an educated decision that will be beneficial to him in the long term."

UGA loses top wideout in Green to NFL

Georgia’s A.J. Green has officially decided he will take his immense talents from Athens to the NFL. The standout wide receiver made the announcement via a press release issued by the school. "While it was a difficult decision, it came down to the opportunity of pursuing a dream I've had since early childhood," said Green. "But Georgia is a great place and I'm so appreciative of the opportunity to be a Georgia Bulldog. I want to thank the coaches, my teammates and the fans who have supported me and helped me grow not only as a player but as a man." "A.J. has made an immeasurable impact on our team over the past three seasons and we wish him nothing but the best," said UGA head coach Mark Richt. "I've enjoyed the blessing of working with him and getting to know his family and we wish him all the success in professional football. Once a Bulldog always a Bulldog."

LSU's Peterson gone...Miles to stay...that is the Question

Although LSU is losing its best defensive back to the NFL, the Tigers’ strong finish to the 2010 season left little doubt that they were back among the elite in the Southeastern Conference and poised to contend for a national title next season. The biggest question hanging over LSU following its 11-2 season and 41-24 win over Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl was whether Les Miles would still be the head coach when the Tigers take the field in 2011. LSU scheduled a press conference for cornerback and return man Patrick Peterson on Monday in which he planned to announce his intention to turn pro, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press.pending, but Peterson’s decision hardly came as a surprise. The 6-foot-1, 222-pound junior had acknowledged since the season began that he would give serious consideration turning pro before his senior year. Miles, who has yet to publicly discuss his intentions for next season, was expected to join Peterson at the announcement. Miles is widely considered a top candidate to fill the head coaching vacancy at Michigan, where he played and worked as an assistant coach, and where the athletic director, Dave Brandon, was a former teammate.

LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva said Sunday that Michigan had yet to contact LSU about speaking with Miles. Michigan is not required to seek permission to speak with LSU’s coach, but that is considered a common courtesy. When asked earlier about Michigan’s opening, Miles has said only that he loves being the coach of LSU. He has not yet promised to return next season, although his current players have said he has given them the impression he plans to be back.

LSU says no Michigan contact, ‘will do everything we can to keep it that way’

This afternoon, LSU’s athletic director released a statement regarding the speculation swirling around Miles, denying that he has been contacted by anyone connected to the school in Ann Arbor. "I have not been contacted by anyone from the University of Michigan about Les Miles," Joe Alleva said. "Les Miles is LSU’s head coach and we are going to do everything we can to keep it that way. He has had great success here and we plan to keep enjoying that success under his leadership."

The fact that Michigan or anyone connected to Michigan has yet to formally or informally speak to the athletic director regarding Miles means, literally, nothing. That’s why coaches have agents, and why schools hire search firms.

It would take an infantile level of intelligence, to believe that there has been no contact, even before LSU’s bowl game or even before Rich Rodriguez was fired by Michigan, between persons associated with Miles and those loosely connected to the university.

Chizik on Fairley... sure his DT isn’t ‘dirty’

"It’s real simple. You have a 315-pound defensive tackle and you can’t block him, sometimes he’s going to be very aggressive and people are going to get hurt," Chizik said about his All-American . "We don’t want that. We don’t want to see anybody get hurt. But when you can’t block a guy that’s 315 pounds, that happens." There’s no doubt that Fairley plays through the whistle. That much we do know. Where the concern lies is how much does the line blur between playing hard and playing dirty. When asked if he intended to hurt opposing quarterbacks, Fairley simply replied, "Of course not."

Tigers beat Aggies in the Cotton Bowl

Jordan Jefferson threw three touchdown passes to Terrence Toliver and ran for a score to help the 11th-ranked Tigers rally for a 41-24 victory over No. 18 Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night.
LSU (11-2) has now completed its fourth season with at least 11 wins in Miles' six years. The Tigers had only two 11-win seasons in their history before that.
Texas A&M (9-4) led 10-0 in the first quarter, including a field goal after Jefferson threw an interception, but had its six-game winning streak snapped.
It was the 50th game between the border-state schools, but the first since the 1995 opener. Texas A&M had won the last five games in a series that likely will not be renewed in the regular season any time soon.
Jefferson was 10 of 19 for 158 yards with scoring passes of 42, 2 and 41 yards to Toliver, who had only two TD catches in the regular season.
LSU went ahead for good when Stevan Ridley had a a 17-yard TD run, jumping over a defender near the line and then sweeping right untouched into the end zone for a 21-17 lead with 4:43 left in the first half.
Ryan Tannehill, who had been 5-0 since taking over as the Aggies starting quarterback, then threw two interceptions in a span of three throws - after 127 consecutive attempts without a pick. The second interception was by Eric Reid, who returned it 34 yards to the 2 to set up Jefferson's short TD pass to Toliver for a 28-17 halftime lead.
LSU will be back in Cowboys Stadium for its 2011 season opener - against Oregon, which plays Auburn for the BCS national championship on Monday night.

Jan. 8 is officially Cam Newton day

Alabama Governor Bob Riley has announced that tomorrow, Jan. 8, will be known as Cam Newton Day in the state where football game days could easily be identified as a holiday.

Banks and schools will be closed in observance(daah...it's Saturday), and we’re pretty sure there will be a parade in there, too. Newton was unstoppable this season, compiling 49 total touchdowns and has captured and warmed even John Taylor‘s icy heart.

Last year, Riley also gave 2009 Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram a similar honor and boasted that he could be the first Governor to have back-to-back Heisman Trophy and BCS National Championship winners in the same state.

Head Coach Chizik: labeling Auburn's Fairley dirty is ‘absurd’

Nick Fairley’s coaches rose to his defense on Friday, insisting that Auburn’s star defensive tackle is a clean player on the field and a fun-loving character off it.
A day after Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas said Fairley has made “a lot of dirty plays,” coach Gene Chizik called the notion that the Lombardi Award winner is a dirty player “absurd.”
"It’s real simple. You have a 315-pound defensive tackle and you can’t block him, sometimes he’s going to be very aggressive and people are going to get hurt," Chizik said. "We don’t want that. We don’t want to see anybody get hurt. But when you can’t block a guy that’s 315 pounds, that happens."

It’s a reputation that has followed Fairley somewhat since midseason after he bodyslammed several quarterbacks, including Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett and LSU’s Jordan Jefferson in consecutive weeks. He has knocked Mallett, Jefferson and Georgia’s Aaron Murray out of the game at least temporarily with hard hits. Earlier in the Georgia game, he planted his helmet into Murray from behind and was flagged for a late hit. The Southeastern Conference didn’t suspend him for spearing, but Commissioner Mike Slive did admonish the Tigers. And Fairley’s reputation also took a hit. "We don’t teach that," said Auburn defensive line coach Tracy Rocker, a former Outland Trophy and Lombardi winner as an Auburn lineman. "Nothing’s been dirty. The only play that’s been dirty, the commissioner pointed it out to us and we understood that. That was the play against Georgia. He hit him in the back late, we got the penalty. Solved. That’s fine."

"He plays within the defense and one thing we know is that he plays hard. If there’s something wrong with playing hard, you shouldn’t be playing football."

SEC Football Online's Free Cotton Bowl betting pick

AT&T Cotton Bowl

No. 17 Texas A&M Aggies (9-3 SU, 8-4 ATS) vs. No. 11 LSU Tigers (10-2 SU, 5-7 ATS)

Texas A&M: +1 ½

LSU: -1 ½

Total: 49

The Bowl Game Betting favorite in this one is the mighty LSU Tigers, who finished the year with a sparkling 10-2 record. While we’ll discuss their offense in a minute, it is their defense that shined most for the Bayou Bengals this season. On the year, LSU ranked in the Top 15 nationally in total defense and scoring defense, allowing just 297 yards and 17 points per game.

On the offensive end, things weren’t nearly as rosy though for the Tigers, who struggled to move the ball all year. The quarterback position was especially troublesome, as Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee combined to lead LSU to just the 107th ranked passing attack nationally, with only six touchdown passes on the year. Luckily, running back Stevan Ridley bailed his quarterbacks out, by rushing for 1,042 yards and 14 touchdowns.

As for the Tigers Bowl Game Betting opponents in the Cotton Bowl, the Texas A&M Aggies had no such trouble at quarterback. That’s because partway through the season, coach Mike Sherman switched from Jerrod Johnson to Ryan Tannehill, and this program never looked back, as the new quarterback became one of the dominant players in all the Big XII this season. On the year, Tannehill threw for 1,434 yards and 11 touchdowns, while getting intercepted just four times. What makes those numbers even more impressive is that he did it in just six games.

What’s most important about those six games though, is that the Aggies went 6-0 with Tannehill under center, with wins over Big XII champ Oklahoma and runner-up Nebraska.

While all the conversation on this one will be on LSU from the mighty SEC, we are sorry to say, Texas A&M is the pick to make. They’ve got the better quarterback, better running game, and are just playing better overall.

SEC Football Online Betting Pick: Texas A&M +1 ½

Miss. St. stays in-house for new defensive coordinator

The school announced Thursday afternoon that head coach Dan Mullen has promoted Chris Wilson to defensive coordinator. Wilson spent his first season with the Bulldogs as co-coordinator with Manny Diaz as well as serving as the defensive line coach.

"Chris is a talented and knowledgeable coach with a wealth of experience, and we intend to build upon what our defense did this past season," Mullen said in a statement. "Chris has a great relationship with our players and he’ll make a seamless transition."

In addition to Wilson’s promotion, Angelo Mirando was named wide receivers coach by Mullen. Mirando had been an on-field offensive grad assistant the past two seasons in Starkville.

Texas hires Miss. State’s Diaz as DC

Filling a critical need on a coaching staff that went through a major shakeup after a 5-7 season, Texas hired Mississippi State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz to do the same job with the Longhorns.

Diaz replaces Will Muschamp, who left Texas after three seasons to become the head coach at Florida. Diaz inherits a defense that struggled badly in Texas’ first losing season since 1997. "Texas is a place that when coaches around the country get talking, it’s hard to get through a conversation without the Longhorns coming up," Diaz said. "It’s a place that is always one of the first mentioned among the best jobs out there." Diaz is the biggest hire so far on a Texas staff that was full of holes. Muschamp left, offensive coordinator Greg Davis resigned, offensive line coach Mac McWhorter and defensive tackles coach and special teams coordinator Mike Tolleson retired and wide receivers coach Bobby Kennedy took a similar job at Colorado.

Muschamp was paid $900,000 annually in a contract that had designated him the Longhorns’ next head coach if he was still at Texas when Mack Brown retired.

Ohio State breaks the SEC jinx...beats Arkansas, 31-26, in Sugar Bowl

Terrelle Pryor passed for 277 yards and two touchdowns, and Solomon Thomas made a huge interception with about 58 seconds left, preserving No. 6 Ohio State’s 31-26 victory over eighth-ranked Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl on Tuesday night.

The Buckeyes (12-1) might want to send a thank-you note to the NCAA, which allowed Pryor, Thomas and three others to play even though they will have to serve five-game suspensions next season for selling memorabilia and getting discounted tattoos.

Four of those Buckeyes made huge plays. DeVier Posey caught a touchdown pass and Dan Herron ran for a score as Ohio State built a 31-13 lead. Arkansas (10-3) raced back and had a chance for the win after a blocked punt turned over the ball at the Buckeyes 18 with 1:09 remaining.

But Thomas surprised Ryan Mallett by dropping into coverage from his defensive end position. Mallett never saw him and Thomas picked off the pass to seal the win.

LSU’s Ridley to play in Cotton Bowl after all

The Dallas Morning News reported earlier Monday afternoon that Miles was seen on his cell phone and hugging Ridley following the conversation. The Baton Rouge Advocate‘s Randy Rosetta tweeted later that a source close to LSU said that Ridley will indeed be eligible. Miles didn’t confirm Ridley’s eligibility after practice today, but did seem optimistic when asked about the running back’s status. "We hear good things, but we’re not certain of anything at this point," Miles said. "When we hear officially, we’ll be forthcoming."

Getting Ridley "back" would be a huge boost for a Tigers’ offense that’s struggled mightily when attempting to move the ball through the air. Ridley, a junior, leads the Tigers with 1,042 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.

Focused Razorbacks set for Sugar Bowl

The eighth-ranked Razorbacks (10-2, 6-2 SEC), making the first BCS appearance in school history, are set to match up with the sixth-ranked Buckeyes (11-1, 7-1 Big Ten).
Coach Petrino addressed the fact that Arkansas has had a longer than normal preparation for the UA-OSU matchup.
"We started this thing off 38 days ago since our last game," Coach Petrino said. "We knew we had a long preparation in front of us. The players have done a nice job of handling it. The assistant coaches have done a nice job of handling it. Obviously, we're all ready to get to the game and play the football game."
Including season openers, bowl games, bye weeks and mid-week games, Coach Petrino-led teams are 24-7 (.774) all-time when having more than one week to prepare for a game.
With Arkansas in its sixth Sugar Bowl in school history, Coach Petrino admitted the fan excitement will be a lift for the Razorback team.

"Our fans are excited," Coach Petrino said. "There are a lot of Razorback fans in town. I think we'll come out and put on a great show with our crowd and give our players a lot of excitement."
Coach Petrino took the time to express his gratitude for the time and effort that gone into creating an outstanding atmosphere in New Orleans.
"I think we've had a tremendous experience down here," Coach Petrino said. "I'd like to thank the Allstate Sugar Bowl staff and the city of New Orleans for making it a great experience for our football players, our coaches and their families. It's a tremendous bowl."

Arkansas to outlast Ohio State in Sugar Bowl

Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Ohio State Buckeyes

Game Date/Time: Tuesday, January 4, 8:20 ET

Game Location: Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

TV/Radio Broadcast: ESPN

Arkansas Razorbacks (+3.5) -110

Ohio State Buckeye’s (-3.5) –110

Over/Under 57

Arkansas (10-2) finished the season on a 6-0 SU & ATS run while playing its best ball down the stretch. Bowl game betting quarterback Ryan Mallet led one of the nation’s top offenses that averaged 489 yards per game and the Razorbacks 7.2 yards per play ranked #3 in the nation. Mallet, a junior, averages 300 passing yards per game, 66 percent completions and a very impressive 9.9 yards per pass attempt. Mallet will be a first round NFL draft choice when he declares for the draft. His receiving corps is balanced and excellent with five players at over 580 reception yards, however top receiver Greg Childs was injured after eight games and remains out. First-team All-SEC running back Knile Davis rushed for nearly 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging an impressive 178 rushing yards per game the final six contests when he took over the starting running back spot.

Ohio State (11-1) averaged 39 points per game this season but the Buckeye’s defense was dominating again. Ohio State allowed just 13 PPG and boasts one of the nation’s top-10 pass efficiency defenses. The Buckeye’s allowed 156 passing yards per game, 5.5 yards per pass and 54 percent completions. Ohio State’s 18 interceptions were a league best and the Buckeye’s tied for the league lead in turnover margin at +14. Bowl game betting is often won or lost with solid defense and minimal mistakes and turnovers, and the Buckeye’s would appear to fit that mold.

SEC Football Online Pick: Arkansas Razorbacks (+3.5) -110