Cam Newton’s Heisman Trophy-winning season at Auburn in 2010 is one that many Tiger fans, and college football fans alike, will never forget.
Newton spent one season at Auburn, but he forever cemented his legacy as one of the program’s best quarterbacks by leading Auburn to its first National Championship since 1957 and winning the highest honor a college football athlete can win by taking home the Heisman Trophy after passing for 2,854 yards and rushing for 1,473 yards while totaling a whopping 51 touchdowns.
His stellar season led ESPN’s Bill Connelly to place him at the No. 2 slot in his top 75 quarterbacks since 2000 list, trailing just Oklahoma‘s Baker Mayfield.
In honor of this, Auburn Wire will take a look back at all 14 games that Newton played at Auburn and will rank them based on his final grade from Pro Football Focus.
He had several memorable moments during his short time at Auburn, but which game was his best?
14
Sept. 18, 2010 vs. Clemson
John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
PFF Grade: 64.0
The game with Clemson in 2010 was challenging for Auburn, as the host Tigers needed to erase a 17-0 deficit to earn the 27-24 win in overtime. Clemson’s Kyle Parker outworked Newton in the game, as he passed for 220 yards and two touchdowns, as opposed to Newton who completed just seven passes for 203 yards.
Check out highlights of Auburn’s win over Clemson in 2010 below:
13
January 10, 2011 vs. Oregon
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
PFF Grade: 65.2
Auburn’s 22-19 win over Oregon was the most memorable game of Newton’s time at Auburn, even though it wasn’t his best outing. Newton passed for 265 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and rushed for an additional 64 yards.
Check out highlights of Auburn’s National Championship win over Oregon here:
12
Oct. 23, 2010 vs. LSU
John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
PFF Grade: 67.2
Newton showed off his wheels in Auburn’s 24-17 win over LSU in late October of 2010. He rushed for 217 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. One of those touchdowns ultimately became Newton’s “Heisman moment.” Tied at 10 in the early stages of the 3rd quarter, Newton broke open a 49-yard run to put his team in front. The final roadblock, future first round pick Patrick Peterson, held on to Newton for five yards before finally bringing him down in the end zone. The low PFF grade is mostly due to him only throwing for 86 passing yards in the game, which was his season-low.
Check out Newton’s key plays against LSU below:
11
Oct. 2, 2010 vs. ULM
John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
PFF Grade: 72.9
At the time, the game against ULM would be Newton’s best game as far as passing goes. He almost eclipsed the 250-yard mark by tossing 245 yards and three touchdowns in the Tigers’ 52-3 win over the Warhawks. By the end of the season, Newton would throw for over 245 yards four times.
Check out Newton in action against ULM here:
10
Sept. 9, 2010 at Mississippi State
Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
PFF Grade: 76.8
Newton’s second game in an Auburn uniform would be the second-straight game in which he would be the team’s leading rusher in addition to being the team’s leading passer. Newton accounted for 206 yards in Auburn’s 17-14 win over the Bulldogs, and was credited with scoring both of Auburn’s touchdowns by connecting with Emory Blake and Darvin Adams.
Check out Auburn’s 17-14 win over Mississippi State here:
9
Nov. 26, 2010 at Alabama
John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
PFF Grade: 84.9
In the game infamously known as the “Cam Back”, Newton led the Tigers to a 28-27 win over archrival Alabama by erasing a 24-0 deficit. Newton threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns in the win, with the dagger being a seven-yard completion to tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen with 11:55 remaining in the contest to seal the win.
Here’s a look back at Newton’s memorable performance against Alabama:
8
Oct. 9, 2010 at Kentucky
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
PFF Grade: 85.5
Auburn’s win over Kentucky in 2010 was another challenging one for the Tigers, as Wes Byrum sealed the win with a kick at the last second to give Auburn the 37-34 win. It was a great game for Newton, as he reached the century mark in both passing and rushing for the second game in six tries. He passed for 210 yards and 198 additional rushing yards in the game.
Take a look back at Auburn’s win over Kentucky here:
7
Oct. 30, 2010 at Ole Miss
Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports
PFF Grade: 89.6
It was business as usual for Newton in Auburn’s 51-31 win over Ole Miss in 2010. He threw two touchdowns and 209 yards in the game. He even showed his versatility by grabbing a touchdown pass in the game. Out of the wildcat formation, Auburn wide receiver Kodi Burns launched a 21-yard pass to Newton, which erased Ole Miss’ early 7-0 lead in the 1st quarter.
Here’s a look back at the key moments from Auburn’s win over Ole Miss:
6
Dec. 4, 2010 vs. South Carolina
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
PFF Grade: 90.0
The first “A” grade on the list was Auburn’s rematch with the South Carolina Gamecocks at the SEC Championship in Atlanta. Auburn remained in control of the game throughout the first half, but Newton’s hail mary to Darvin Adams as the clock expired in the first half would aid Auburn’s effort to run away with the win. Auburn, who led 28-14 at halftime, outscored the Gamecocks 28-3 in the second half to win 56-17. Newton threw four touchdown passes in the game, and rushed for two more.
Look back at Newton’s spectacular performance at the SEC Championship here:
5
Sept. 4, 2010 vs. Arkansas State
John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
PFF Grade: 91.6
Where it all began. Newton’s first game in Auburn was successful, as he led the Tigers to a 52-26 win over Arkansas State to kick off the 2010 campaign. He had a balanced linescore by the end of the game, throwing for 186 yards and rushing for 171 additional yards. He also totaled five touchdowns in the win, which placed the bar high for Newton for the 13 games that followed.
Watch Newton’s Auburn debut here:
4
Nov. 13, 2010 vs. Georgia
John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
PFF Grade: 92.8
Newton’s game against Georgia would be the last time that he would pass and rush for over 100 yards in a game. He led the Tigers to a 49-31 win over the Bulldogs to secure his team’s 10th win of the season, doing so by passing for 148 yards and rushing for 151 yards while totaling four touchdowns.
Re-live the best moments from Auburn’s 2010 win over Georgia here:
3
Oct. 16, 2010 vs. Arkansas
John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
PFF Grade: 92.9
As was the case for several of Newton’s games at Auburn, he used his feet more than his arms in Auburn’s 65-43 win over Arkansas. He managed to pass for 140 yards and a touchdown, but had a phenomenal day rushing by gaining 188 yards on the ground and scampering for three scores.
Watch Newton’s best moments from Auburn’s win over Arkansas here:
2
Sept. 25, 2010 vs. South Carolina
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
PFF Grade: 92.9
Here it is, the game that put Cam Newton on the map. After scraping by Clemson just a week prior, Newton led Auburn to a 35-27 comeback win over South Carolina. He totaled 334 yards and five touchdowns in the win, with his best touchdown run of the game coming in the 1st quarter to put Auburn up 7-0. Newton would rush 54 yards to put Auburn on the board, doing so by diving six yards into the endzone.
Watch Newton’s break-out performance vs. South Carolina here:
1
Nov. 6, 2010 vs. Chattanooga
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
PFF Grade: 93.8
As expected, Newton did his best work against a far inferior opponent. Auburn defeated Chattanooga, 62-24 behind a 317-yard, four touchdown effort by Newton.
Here’s a look at highlights from Auburn’s big win over Chattanooga in 2010:
