SEC Championship Game, Auburn Vs. South Carolina: Tigers Maul Gamecocks, 56-17, Are Locks For BCS Title Game

SEC Championship Game, Auburn Vs. South Carolina: Tigers 56, Gamecocks 17 (Final)

We've hit rock bottom here in the Georgia Dome, in the waning minutes of the 2010 SEC Championship Game. Trailing 49-17 in the biggest game of his career as skipper of the Gamecocks, Steve Spurrier comes up on a third down his team can't convert -- and kicks a field goal. This one actually sails true off the foot of Spencer Lanning, but the psychic damage is done: If you're not watching, trust me when I say you've never seen a finer Tommy Bowden imitation than the one the Ol' Ballcoach is putting on right now. It is beyond upsetting.

The carnage isn't over. It's senior back Mario Fannin's birthday today, and he's brought out along with Barrett Trotter for what will be the Tigers' final drive. Trotter throws one 16-yard pass to Derek Winter, but the duo keep the ball on the ground the rest of the way, and Fannin plays out his swan song in the Georgia Dome with a six-yard touchdown. Connor Shaw takes the field for a final, heartsick two minutes, and it's all over. Final score in the 2010 SEC Championship Game: Auburn 56, South Carolina 17.

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SEC Championship Game, Auburn Vs. South Carolina: Emory Blake Extends Tigers' Lead To 49-14

With half the third quarter gone and a massive lead in the 2010 SEC Championship Game, it's evident the Tigers are eager to start running the clock out, but first they've got to get the ball back from the Gamecocks, who are anything but eager to share. Share they will, however, as the deceptively-named Ace Sanders fumbles a pass away at midfield.

Michael Dyer gets five straight carries, and the SC defense is visibly wearied trying to keep up as Onterio McCalebb takes his turn and rips off 22 yards down the right sideline. Five more rushing plays and one incomplete Cam Newton pass later, Emory Blake catches a 7-yard touchdown pass. It's Auburn 49, South Carolina 14, and the fourth quarter has barely begun. This would maybe be a good time to catch up on those leftover lunch dishes in the sink, do some laundry, or mix a pitcher of cocktails to get you through tonight's Big 12 Championship Game.

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SEC Championship Game, Auburn Vs. South Carolina: Cam Newton, Stephen Garcia Score Two More For Tigers

South Carolina, momentum dampened by Cam Newton's half-ending Hail Mary pass, get the ball to start the second half of the 2010 SEC Championship Game, and open the third quarter with a whimper. A five-minute drive stretching from their own 25-yard-line to Auburn's is rendered useless when Spencer Lanning misses a 42-yard field goal.

The Tigers are happy to oblige viewers eager for points, however, and in about a minute and a half, Cam Newton has hit Emory Blake with passes of six and 39 yards, rushed for 25 more, and barreled into the endzone for a one-yard score. Auburn 35, South Carolina 14.

It's about to get worse. On the Gamecocks' third answering play from scrimmage, Stephen Garcia is intercepted deep in his own territory for an 8-yard pick-six from T'Sharvan Bell. With 7:29 remaining in the third quarter, Auburn leads South Carolina, 42-17.

To make matters worse for Sakerlina, they're now at the losing end of a record. Cam Newton has just become the second player (along with former Gatormate Tim Tebow, natch) to throw and run for 20 touchdowns in a single season.

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SEC Championship Game, Auburn Vs. South Carolina: Cam Newton Hail Mary Gives Tigers 28-14 Halftime Lead

Update: Here's the Auburn Hail Mary video. 

After 28 points in one quarter, the Gamecocks and Tigers decide to slow the roll of the 2010 SEC Championship Game with a couple of well-timed turnovers.

South Carolina goes three-and-out following Auburn's third touchdown, and the Tigers appear to be slightly discombobulated on their next drive. Michael Dyer gains only two yards on first down; Cam Newton hits Darvin Adams for a 10-yard gain but throws two incompletions, and then something extraordinary happens: On 3rd-and-9, on Auburn's 30-yard line, Cam Newton loses the first fumble of his college career. There is a wiggling pile of bodies atop the ball almost immediately, and back it goes to the Gamecocks ... who hand it back themselves with a Stephen Garcia interception on second down.

Next, of course, Auburn goes three-and-out themselves, and South Carolina begins to employ Marcus Lattimore with a seriousness not seen so far this afternoon. The Gamecocks call three straight rushing plays; the freshman tailback records gains of 12 and 11 yards, while Garcia adds an additional six. A sack and a penalty set the drive back, and Spencer Lanning comes on to attempt a 51-yard field goal, which sails wide left.

South Carolina's defense bucks up admirably on Auburn's next drive. With 5:32 remaining in the half on a fresh first down, South Carolina linebacker Josh Dickerson sails through the Auburn line to bring Newton down with a 2-yard loss. On the next play, undeterred, Darvin Adams brings down a 16-yard midair catch. A holding penalty slows the Tigers' roll, and the ever-reliable Wes Byrum misses a 36-yard field goal.

The Gamecocks get into enemy territory with big plays from Lattimore, Patrick DiMarco, and Auburn pass interferers. Stephen Garcia gets a good look at the end zone but over throws D.L. Moore and South Carolina has to settle for ... a 26-yard reception by Lattimore on 3rd-and-9, and a one-yard touchdown grab by Alshon Jeffery! There's a football game brewing in what's been a foregone conclusion all week, and ...

... here we go again! Auburn has 12 seconds on the clock and a one-touchdown lead. On second down, with seven seconds remaining, Newton launches the ball 51 yards into the endzone, where it's tipped and then caught by Darvin Adams, who does not drop it. Now, for real this time, Auburn has a two-touchdown lead over South Carolina at the half, 28-14. Steve Spurrier, speaking to Tracy Wolfson: "Yeah, we looked pretty stupid on that last play."

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SEC Championship Game, Auburn Vs. South Carolina: Darvin Adams Puts Tigers Up 21-7 (And Makes It Look Easy)

Brace yourselves, delicate viewers of the 2010 SEC Championship Game: Several plays are about to elapse without any scoring taking place.

South Carolina takes over on their own 19-yard line with 5:24 remaining in the first quarter. An 18-yard kickoff return got them out of reach of their own endzone, but the ball won't be going much farther down the field.

Stephen Garcia gets a paltry yard running up the middle on first down, but recovers nicely with a 10-yard pass to Alshon Jeffery on 2nd-and-9. The Gamecocks' second set of downs will not be converted, however, and Auburn gets the ball back on their own 14-yard line.

Right away, what the pundits are going to call EXPLOSIVE! PLAYCALLING! rears its ugly but effective head. Cam Newton hits Philip Lutzenkirchen over the middle for an 18-yard pass; Michael Dyer rushes right for four yards; Newton throws another rare incompletion -- and then hits Darvin Adams in stride for a 54-yard touchdown. It should be pointed out that Adams isn't even jogging fast. An easy lope into the endzone, with nobody close, and the Tigers are up by two scores. With 2:20 remaining in the first quarter, Auburn leads South Carolina, 21-7.

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SEC Championship Game, Auburn Vs. South Carolina: Cam Newton's Legs Retake Tigers' Lead, 14-7

The Auburn Tigers take over, after a 22-yard kickoff return by Demond Washington, at their own 26-yard line. Cam Newton gets straight back to making flashy plays, hitting Eric Smith down the right side for a 14-yard gain on first down. The Gamecocks seem to have Michael Dyer's number early, as the highly-touted freshman gets a bare yard on his next carry. Undeterred, Newton takes to the air for an 11-yard pass to Darvin Adams.

Auburns' next set of downs are more frustrating -- to begin with. Newton throws an incomplete pass thanks to a tipped ball, rushes right for a two-yard loss, and just when you think Auburn might be slowed, he runs right over the middle for a 20-yard gain on 3rd-and-12. There is no other team in the SEC that can pull off a move like that with such confidence. Two plays later, Darvin Adams catches a 13-yarder; Dyer finally gets an 11-yard gash up the middle, and Newton himself barrels a final five yards for a touchdown. With 6:08 remaining in the first quarter of the 2010 SEC Championship Game, Auburn leads South Carolina, 14-7.

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SEC Championship Game, Auburn Vs. South Carolina: Gamecocks Tie It Up, 7-7

The Tigers lead 7-0 in the first quarter of the 2010 SEC Championship Game, but not to be outdone, Auburn's defense takes great pans to show it can be just as gracious as South Carolina's.

Bryce Sherman managed a 25-yard kickoff return for the Gamecocks, and on first down, Stephen Garcia hits Alshon Jeffery for a 13-yard pass down the middle. Freshman phenom tailback Marcus Lattimore gets the next two touches, and gains four yards. Garcia, faced with 3rd-and-5, pulls a classic Spurrier move and hits D.L. Moore for an 18-yard gain, then rushes himself for 7 yards on the Gamecocks' next first down. One more pass to Jeffery for 12 yards, and South Carolina is well within striking distance. And strike they do, with Garcia hitting a wide-open Patrick DiMarco over the middle for a 25-yard touchdown. With 10:17 remaining in the first quarter, the 2010 SEC Championship Game is tied, 7-7.

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SEC Championship Game, Auburn Vs. South Carolina: Tigers Take One Minute To Go Up 7-0

The 2010 SEC Championship Game is underway in the Georgia Dome, and right out of the gate South Carolina's defense, a unit that's been their touchstone all season long, looks like no match for the Auburn Tigers offense. Onterio McCalebb returns the opening kickoff 19 yards, and the Tigers set up deep in their own territory, at the 23-yard line.

Freshman superstar Michael Dyer gets the first touch, and travels a paltry two yards, but don't make South Carolina's mistake and be lulled into a stupor: On second down, Cam Newton hits Darvin Adams with an absolute bomb, complete with a play fake that fools both the CBS announcers and the cameramen, a 61-yard tactical missile strike of a pass , and it's only by his heels that he's brought down at South Carolina's 14-yard line. McCalebb gets one more short touch before catching a 12-yard touchdown pass from Newton, and we've got a live one already. Auburn leads South Carolina, 7-0, with 13:54 remaining in the first quarter.

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SEC Championship Game, Auburn Vs. South Carolina: Gamecocks Fans Let Fate Take The Wheel

We're less than an hour from kickoff of the 2010 SEC Championship Game, and South Carolina fans are getting fatalistic:

Earlier this year, when South Carolina achieved what I think we'll one day look back on as a milestone victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide, Steve Spurrier told us that before the game, he had told his team that if they gave fate a chance, good things might work out for them. To hear him talk, you'd think that he thought that football is nothing but a game of chance. And maybe there is some chance involved in the path we've followed to get to what's going to go down tomorrow. However, we all know that Steve Spurrier is no mystic. This is a guy who believes in his ability to make a difference. And when he came to Carolina, he saw an opportunity. "Why not us?" was not idle speculation; it was a reasonable statement of fact. Why shouldn't Carolina do something that it's always had the potential to do? I hate to put words into the guy's mouth, but I think that when Spurrier told his team to "give fate a chance," he just meant to go ought and finally make good on the investment that's been put into Carolina football since the beginning. It took Spurrier to put the finishing touches on the team that would finally put itself in a position to do that, and for that reason I think we'll remember him as the program's greatest coach. But the potential has always been here; Spurrier knows that as well as anyone. That's why he's here.

Connect with South Carolina fans at SB Nation's Garnet And Black Attack.

SEC Championship Game, Auburn Vs. South Carolina: Tigers Fans Already Partying

We're less than an hour away from the kickoff of the 2010 SEC Championship Game, and Auburn fans are already hitting the Red Bull and champagne with a fury:

War Eagle, everybody! It's time for the Tigers to win a title! A miraculous season by Auburn has led us all to Atlanta, to watch the SEC's biggest and baddest battle for the 2010 league crown. Auburn comes in as a five point favorite, but we can expect the South Carolina Gamecocks to put up a great effort. It's time for the 12-0 Tigers to just keep doing what they've been doing, and that is to WIN!
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I had planned to gear up for this game with fresh coffee, my easy chair and wireless keyboard for my usual play-by-play histrionics. However, thanks to War Eagle Atlanta, I'm going to be in the stands, powered by whatever caffeine-laced energy drink I can get my hands on!

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SEC Championship Game, Auburn Vs. South Carolina: Steve Spurrier Displays Eerie Cordiality Toward Cam Newton

Steve Spurrier is widely beloved and be-loathed for running his mouth off in advance of games great and small, but he's sadly dialed it back since slinking home to the SEC from a disastrous stint in the NFL. Given the hoopla surrounding the eligibility of Cam Newton to participate in today's SEC Championship game, however, you might have expected him to toss off a bon mot or two to waiting reporters. Prepare to be disappointed:

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier doesn't care about that.

He's actually looking forward to the challenge of undermining a player many consider a future Heisman Trophy winner.

"We're glad he's playing. He's been playing all year," he said. "It wouldn't have been right to not play when the championship's on the line. I remember Joe Paterno one time said: 'You want to beat the other team when all their best players are playing.' I'm glad he's playing. He deserves to play."

This is maybe the most magnanimous statement we've ever heard emanate from the Ol' Ballcoach's maw. Truly, we live in the age of Spurrier The White.

SEC Championship Game 2010: The Evidence Of Common opponents

SB Nation's SEC blog, Team Speed Kills, breaks down Auburn and South Carolina's history with common opponents, featuring the Gamecocks' most ignominious loss of 2010:

Auburn faced Kentucky a week before South Carolina did, so this game might provide a little bit closer to a moment in time. Of course, South Carolina was also coming off the program-redefining win against Alabama, so take that into account. The truth of the matter is that, for all the attention that Stephen Garcia's interception in the end zone got at the end of that game, South Carolina lost to Kentucky largely because the Gamecocks couldn't hold onto the football. Another interception led to a touchdown earlier in the game, and a fumble near the end of the first half killed a drive that was in Kentucky territory. There's also a notable similarity in the flow of these two games: Both teams took a sizable lead against Kentucky only to watch the Wildcats rally; Auburn stopped the rally in time and South Carolina didn't. And notice that while Auburn did better on the offensive side of the ball against Kentucky, they also did a better job on defense.

SEC Championship Game 2010: The Perils Of Defending Against Cam Newton

SB Nation's Garnet And Black Attack mulls over the various pitfalls of attempting to defend a player of Cam Newton's caliber:

This one is obvious, but you really can't discuss Auburn without mentioning it. Newton is the centerpiece of the Tigers' offense, and no one has found a way to stop him. When we played Auburn earlier this year, the Gamecocks actually did a fairly admirable job for three quarters of slowing everyone except Newton down. The final stats show big numbers for Michael Dyer, but those stats belie the fact that we bottled him up until late in the game; in fact, I recall the announcers talking a good bit about how badly we were stuffing him in the second quarter. What happened to us defensively is that Newton got enough first downs on his feet through the first three quarters to wear our defense out, eventually opening things up for the rest of the Auburn offense. (Our offense's inability to sustain drives int the second half also contributed to this problem.) This time around, we need to figure out how to keep Newton from doing the same. I'm not sure what to expect from Ellis Johnson in this game, as he's discounted the possibility of using a spy on Newton, which would have seemed like the most obvious choice. I'm not sure that Johnson isn't right, though. His approach last time was misplaced; soft zone coverage and infrequent run blitzes won't work because you really can't give Newton any cushion or he'll hit you up for seven yards every time. But do we need a spy? We have enough speed and hard hitters to stop Newton without a spy as long as our guys play him aggressively. Isn't a QB like Newton exactly what the 4-2-5 is designed to stop?

SEC Championship Game 2010: Auburn's Keys To Victory

SB Nation's Track 'Em Tigers breaks down Auburn's to-do and to-don't lists for this weekend's SEC Championship Game:

The Auburn offense is the key to victory in the SEC Title game. Despite what folks may think, Auburn's offense never was really stopped in the first matchup with South Carolina. The Gamecocks managed four scoring drives, two off Auburn turnovers. Meanwhile, Auburn generated five, plus two missed field goal attempts. Auburn held a big yardage edge, rolling up 492 yards to Carolina's 384. Auburn overpowered the Gamecock line to rush for 334 yards. That equation has not changed, and the Auburn passing attack has become more developed since week four. Cameron Newton can sew up a Heisman Trophy with a solid performance in Atlanta.
 
     Other intangibles favor the Tigers as well. They've had an extra day to prepare. Carolina faced a rivalry game like Auburn did. Clemson did not play well, especially on offense. On defense, however, Clemson's front four did some damage up front. A week after facing DeQuan Bowers and Co., the Gamecocks now have to face Nick Fairley and a ten-deep line. With quarterback Stephen Garcia ailing, it's not a good situation.
 
     For Auburn, the Tigers must keep an even keel. An SEC Championship Game is uncharted territory for our players as well. We'd also prefer it if the Tigers broke their pattern of digging an early hole and getting behind by several scores.

SEC Championship Game 2010: Auburn And South Carolina

The investigation into Cam Newton's recruitment has not been closed, but for the moment, all is right on the Plains and Auburn is poised to salve their undefeated-for-naught wounds of 2004 with another appearance in the conference championship, one from which they're widely favored to emerge victorious and move on to Glendale and the BCS title game.

The lineup for the 2010 SEC Championship Game has been set for a while now, with Auburn and South Carolina each clinching their division before the end of regular-season play, but one of the rosters has been threatened with the possibility of upheaval in recent weeks. A PR disaster has been averted, however; the Tigers' showpiece quarterback has been ruled eligible and will suit up Saturday in the Georgia Dome. What future disasters this might engender, no one can say, but here we are. Now, blessedly, on to football.

Compelling on-field storylines abound in this weekend's matchup. The Tigers have 2004 and their title snub to avenge. This is the first time any team not named Florida, Georgia, or Tennessee has won the SEC East, and it's Steve Spurrier's first trip back to the SECCG since leaving Gainesville. Where in years past many quality East teams would bitterly accept invitations to lesser bowls, this year it's the SEC West that's bringing the depth.

Auburn has history on its side, with a 6-1-1 all-time record against the Gamecocks, but Spurrier revels in playing the spoiler, both on the sidelines and in front of a live microphone. And while the Ol' Ballcoach may have lost some of his former spiteful vim, his team will need all the swagger they can muster to contend with the Tigers' war machine offense:

[Cam Newton] is responsible for 43 touchdowns this season and can break the SEC record with one more score this weekend. The versatile performer has completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 2,254 yards and 24 touchdowns with only six interceptions, and he has also rushed for 1,336 yards and 18 touchdowns. Newton caught a touchdown pass in one of the team's 12 wins, and he spearheads an offense that accounts for 490.1 yards per game.
[...]
Michael Dyer, Onterrio McCalebb and Mario Fannin are all talented tailbacks who have helped the Tigers rack up 41.6 ppg. They have combined for nearly 2,000 rushing yards and 18 scores on the ground. As for the receivers, Darvin Adams is tops with 41 catches for 692 yards, while Emory Blake has scored on six of his 24 grabs.

A note of caution to advance crowers and writers-off of the boys from Columbia: Defensively, the Tigers are much more vulnerable (though not poor), and it's between that and a stalward defense of their own that South Carolina's best hopes for an upset lie. Key matchups include Auburn's above-average ground defense (a top-ten unit that balances out their atrocious numbers against the pass) against the Gamecocks' freshman phemon tailback Marcus Lattimore, sophomore sack-generating defensive end Devin Taylor versus Newton, and the crown of infamous Auburn linebacker Nick Fairley's helmet against SC quarterback Stephen Garcia's already-injured shoulder.

Also, for those of you making side bets, take heed: Injured or no, there's a better-than-even chance Garcia gets benched at one point in the Georgia Dome for Connor Shaw, because Spurrier can never seem to muster quite so much hate for opposing teams as he can resentment for quarterbacks under his command whose jerseys don't read "WUERFFEL" across the back.

The 2010 SEC Championship Game kicks off at 4 p.m. EST this Saturday. Connect with Auburn and South Carolina fans on SB Nation at Track 'Em Tigers and Garnet And Black Attack.