GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Auburn running back Michael Dyer never
heard any whistle, so he just kept running - past the tackler who
thought he had him down and deep into Oregon territory.
Dyer broke stride, then took off on a once-in-a-lifetime run in
the final minutes, setting up a field goal on the last play that
led No. 1 Auburn over the No. 2 Ducks 22-19 in the BCS championship
game Monday night.
The freshman running back upstaged Auburn's Heisman-winning
quarterback Cam Newton with a 37-yard run, in which he appeared
down but wasn't - his knee never hit the ground - as he rolled over
Oregon defender Eddie Pleasant to put the Tigers in scoring
position.
Three plays later, Dyer ran 16 yards to push the ball to the 1
and set up Wes Byrun's 19-yard field goal with no time left. It was
his sixth career game-winning field goal - the one that capped off
a perfect, 14-0 season, brought the title back to Auburn for the
first time since 1957 and left the Southeastern Conference on top
for the fifth straight year.
A classic sequence to close out a wild finish - five crazy
minutes of football that made up for the first 55, which were more
of a bruising battle than the offensive masterpiece everyone had
predicted.
The craziness began when Casey Matthews, son of the former NFL
linebacker Clay, knocked the ball from Newton's hands while the
Heisman-winning quarterback was trying to ice a 19-11 lead.
Oregon's offense, shut down by Nick Fairley and Company for most
of the night, moved 45 yards over the next 2:17 and Darron Thomas
threw a shovel pass to LaMichael James for a touchdown. Thomas hit
Jeff Maehl for the tying 2-point conversion with 2:33 left and the
game was down to one possession.

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