Tigers Vs. Tigers: Cam Newton, No. 5 Auburn Outduel No. 6 LSU, 24-17

Auburn, AL (Sports Network) - Onterio McCalebb's 70-yard touchdown run with 5:05 remaining in the game turned out to be the difference in fifth-ranked Auburn's 24-17 win over sixth-ranked LSU in an SEC showdown at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Cam Newton ran for a career-high 217 yards on 28 carries to become the SEC's single-season rushing leader for quarterbacks, as Auburn (8-0, 5-0 SEC) rolled up 440 yards on the ground to start 8-0 for the first time since 2004.

Newton also rushed for two touchdowns to set the Auburn single-season record with 27 combined scores running and passing. He also connected on 10-of-16 throws for 86 yards for Auburn, which has won ten of its last 17 games against teams ranked in the top 10.

Jordan Jefferson completed 7-of-14 passes for 46 yards and carried 16 times for 74 yards and a score for LSU (7-1, 4-1), which missed an opportunity to start 5-0 in conference play for the first time since 1973.

The winner of this game has gone to claim the SEC West Division title in six of the last 10 seasons.

Auburn's answering drive to Rueben Randle's heroics doesn't end up mattering much, apart from another impressive 23-yard run by Newton. A 10-yard home Tigers penalty leaves them stuck at midfield facing 4th-and-6, and Gene Chizik gets a little Miles in him and decides to go for it. Cam Newton's pass falls incomplete, and LSU takes over on downs at their own 40.

This series, you'll be shocked to learn, does not go well. Stevan Ridley runs right, Jordan Jefferson passes left, and on third and 6, here comes Nick Fairley blazing through a line that may as well be constructed of paper dolls holding hands.  Auburn downs the visiting Tigers' punt at its own 10.

This next part doesn't take too long. Cam Newton breaks off a 16-yard run to the right. Michael Dyer gets four more. And with 5:11 remaining in the game, Onterio McCalebb explodes for his longest run of the year by a gulfy margin, hurtling downfield for 70 yards and a score.

LSU's remaining plays all go for naught. Auburn runs the clock down. And that'll do it for us on the Plains. Final score: Auburn 24, LSU 17.

The home Tigers continue to kick to LSU's Patrick Peterson, and he continues to display why that's a terrible idea. (Can he play quarterback?) Peterson returns Auburn's kickoff 33 yards and LSU takes over at their own 44. The visiting Tigers go three-and-out in rapid and ineffectual fashion. Auburn's answering drive converts one third down, but Mario Fannin fumbles at midfield.

The two teams of Tigers trade four more futile drives, and the fourth quarter gets underway. Kelvin Sheppard somehow manages to knock Newton down behind the line of scrimmage, and Auburn punts. LSU gets the ball back with 13:29 remaining in the game. A Stevan Ridley rush, a Jordan Jefferson scoot ... and then freshman Spencer Ware gets his halfback option on, flinging a 39-yard touchdown pass to Rueben Randle, who makes the catch under heavy duress. It is beautiful.

With 12:59 remaining in the game, LSU and Auburn are tied on the Plains, 17-17.

As the second half opens, we're given word that Jarrett Lee has a sprained wrist from that Nick Fairley hit, but will return to play in the third quarter. He doesn't come out right away, however, and Jordan Jefferson makes quick work of a visiting Tigers' three-and-out.

Almost immediately, three huge plays break Auburn free. Michael Dyer runs left for a 29-yard gain; Cam Newton hits Darvin Adams for a 17-yard pass, and then Newton himself blasts through the LSU defense and barrels 49 yards, basically dragging Patrick Peterson with his own momentum for the last three. He loses the ball in the endzone, but it's ruled a touchdown.

An extremely shady copy of this video can be seen here; we'll post a better one as soon as it becomes available:



With 13:20 remaining in the third quarter, Auburn leads LSU, 17-10.

After yet another team displays inexplicable willingness to kick to Patrick Peterson, he returns the ball 26 yards and LSU sets up shop at their own 36. Jarrett Lee enters the game at QB for the Tigers, and connects with Rueben Randle on his first pass attempt for nine yards. Stevan Ridley converts on second down with his feet, and Lee connects with Randle again for eight more yards. Another short run, and Lee completes a seven-yard pass to Terrence Toliver. It's all very nice and rhythmic, until the next set of downs, where one pass goes for a one-yard loss, a second pass goes incomplete, and Lee is sacked by Auburn terrors Nick Fairley and Josh Bynes on 3rd-and-11.

Auburn finds some long rhythm of its own, taking over five minutes off the clock with a Newton-heavy drive. They're finally slowed down halfway into LSU territory, where two short Newton runs and an incomplete pass are followed by a rare miss from Wes Byrum, from 39 yards out.

2:51 remain in the half, and time is running down. LSU takes over at their own 22, and on their second set of downs Jarrett Lee is hit by Nick Fairley in the backfield and leaves the game holding his right wrist. Jordan Jefferson is himself sacked by Fairley almost immediately. The drive continues, however, and at its culmination, we have our by-now traditional LSU clock-wranglin' stampede: Jordan Jefferson rushes for a touchdown on a play where it appears the play clock may have wound down before the ball was snapped. The score is allowed, and the half ends nineteen seconds later.

At the end of the first half, LSU and Auburn are tied on the Plains, 10-10.

Onterio McCalebb returned LSU's kickoff 33 yards, and Cam Newton got the home Tigers off to a rollocking start with a 10-yard pass to Terrell Zachery on first down, and made up the better part of Auburn's remaining drive with three of four rushes and four passes, two of them completions.

Stuck on 4th and 2 at LSU's 25, Wes Byrum connected on a 43-yard field goal. With these last three points, Byrum advances to become Auburn's all-time leading scorer. He supplants a previous placekicker, John Vaughn.

With 13:29 remaining in the second quarter, Auburn leads LSU, 10-3. Meanwhile in the stands, Newton's fans of the fairer sex are making their presence known:

[Via bubbaprog at 30fps]

It's quiet on the Plains so far this afternoon. Almost too quiet. (Make that entirely too quiet, as Les Miles has yet to spontaneously morph into a toadstool on the sideline.)

Desmond Washington got a hefty 25-yard opening kickoff return on LSU's vaunted defense to open play. That was as good as it was going to get for Auburn's first drive, however: A short Cam "Cameron" Newton pass and two paltry rushes later, the home Tigers were punting.

The visiting Tigers fared better -- briefly. Jordan Jefferson converted LSU's first set of downs by himself, with an 8-yard pass to Rueben Randle and a 5-yard scramble. From there, a run-heavy drive took the Tigers from LSU's 20 to Auburn's 38, which is about when ever-present backfield scourge Zac Etheridge intercepted Jefferson and returned the ball 31 yards.

Auburn's second set of offensive plays were much more effective; it took only six snaps for Newton to make a one-yard touchdown run. LSU's answering drive began with a "mere" 16-yard kick return by Patrick Peterson. The visiting Tigers were stymied by an incomplete pass and a 5-yard penalty on 3rd and 8, and settled for a 48-yard field goal.

At the end of the first quarter, Auburn leads LSU, 7-3.

The return of the LSU-Auburn game means the return of a message board legend, courtesy of SB Nation's Track 'Em Tigers:

At least half a dozen times a year I get a request for the post that talks about LSU fans smelling like corndogs. They come from Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas and every other SEC school. It's amazing that after all these years, it's still so popular. I usually run it here on Track'em Tigers every few years, because I get numerous requests. This season is no exception.

After all these years, we still don't know the true identity of the author. An unknown Auburn person penned the very essence of the LSU Corn Dog six years ago.

Read on for the grisly details.

SB Nation's And The Valley Shook takes stock of LSU's weapons on offense:

Much of the talk on LSU message boards swirls around the issue of how will the vaunted LSU defense handle the super-talent, athletic marvel, Cameron Newton and the powerhouse Auburn offense. Rightfully so. It's the old irresistible force vs. immovable object thing, I suppose. All eyes and media attention will certainly be turned to this issue, but truthfully, I don't think that will be what decides the game. I trust that our defense will be up to the task. Auburn is the best offensive team we have faced all season long. We hold our opponents to 126.14 yards under their average, per game. We hold them to 12.5 points under their average, per game. In my estimation, it's easier to stop scoring than it is to score. I've seen many high-powered offenses meet their demise once coming up against a great defense. I've rarely seen a great defense get roasted.