Auburn went from dysfunctionally going without wins in the Southeastern Conference, to being heroes and snatching the SEC title. No other team ahead of them or behind them has beaten five top-25 BCS teams, and nobody has beaten two top-five teams in a short week's time. Auburn has become a force to be reckoned with.
Auburn had lambasted out 545 rushing yards in the SEC championship game against Missouri Saturday, which included 304 from running back Tre Mason -- he led Auburn's record-breaking rushing machine against Missouri with that yardage and four touchdowns. Mason put himself in the Heisman Trophy discussion as well, and he has been one of the NCAA's most consistent running backs. Throughout the game against Missouri, it seemed like Mason only gained more energy as the clock ticked down.
Of Auburn's overwhelming 545 yards against Mizzou, quarterback Nick Marshall ran for 101 of those yards, an impressive feat for any quarterback in any game. Missouri hadn't allowed any team to rush for more than 184 yards in any one game, but by halftime, Auburn had racked up 282.
If Mason was the star player, with an SEC championship game record of 46 carries, it was sponsored by a hellacious effort by Auburn's offensive line. Auburn's offensive line pushed Mizzou's defense around all over the field, creating flatbed truck-sized holes for Mason and his teammates to dash on through. Make no mistake, Missouri's offense is swift enough on its feet, but its defense was in no way ready for Auburn's speed. Auburn was ready to rumble again and again before most of the Mizzou defensive squad had caught their breath.
Auburn won the SEC championship game with its unforgiving running assault and a couple of 11th-hour miracles. We all knew how vicious Auburn's running game was, but seeing them run circles around the SEC's top two rushing defenses in one brief week was unprecedented. Now, Auburn will take its top-ranked rushing game (335.7 average yards P/G) to the BCS National Championship against the league's No. 14 rushing defense, sported by the top-ranked Seminoles. Florida State hasn't allowed 100 rushing yards in three straight games, but after Alabama and Missouri, don't expect that fact to slow Auburn down for a moment.
Get our content customized for you directly to your inbox!
