I posted some of this last night, but here's our full complement of stories from today. Chris White and Guerry Clegg helped out with the coverage. Here's everything we wrote from Auburn's side:

I'm about to exit the Georgia Dome, but here's tomorrow's game story, which focuses on, who else, Cam Newton:

ATLANTA — As the final seconds ticked off of Auburn's 56-17 rout of South Carolina in the SEC championship game, offensive linemen Mike Berry and Byron Isom hoisted quarterback Cam Newton upon their shoulders for an impromptu victory parade through a cascade of confetti falling from the Georgia Dome ceiling.

For once, Newton's teammates were carrying him.

Newton, the star quarterback who has spent the last month embroiled in a recruiting scandal, was as masterful as ever Saturday, accounting for 408 yards and six touchdowns to earn MVP honors as Auburn (13-0) secured a spot in the Bowl Championship Series national championship game on Jan. 10.

"A wise man told me, if God is with me, who can be against me?" Newton said during the post-game trophy presentation, his first public comments since Nov. 9.

Flanked by Newton at the post-game press conference, head coach Gene Chizik didn't hold back his praise of the player who transformed Auburn from a team on the rise to national title contender in less than a year.

"He can't get too big of a head with one game left," Chizik said, "but I can say he's probably the best football player I've ever seen."

Newton did nothing to dissuade the argument Saturday. The junior, who grew up not far down the road in College Park, beat South Carolina (9-4) in every way imaginable, throwing for a career-high 335 yards and four touchdowns and adding 73 yards and two more scores on the ground.

"I've coached some great quarterbacks, but talent-wise, he's tough to top," offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said.

Newton showed no ill effects from the NCAA investigation that's grabbed headlines the last month and reached a partial conclusion this week. After Newton was briefly ruled ineligible Tuesday, the NCAA reinstated the quarterback's eligibility with no conditions after determining he had no knowledge his father engaged in pay-for-play talks with Mississippi State last year.

His month-long gag order lifted, Newton read from a prepared statement after the game, thanking his teammates, family and coaches for their support throughout the ordeal.

"It means a lot to me to be on this team and be a part of the Auburn family," he said. "As I said before, I've done nothing wrong."

He concluded by saying he would only answer questions about football-related matters. Asked if his dad, whose access to the program was limited in the NCAA's ruling, would be present at next week's Heisman Trophy presentation, Chizik interjected with a testy response.

"We're going to stay away from those questions right now and stay football related, please, with all due respect," Chizik said.

Newton and Auburn answered every question about their national title worthiness on the field, however.

The quarterback came out firing, leading a 21-point first quarter blitz, the most points scored in the opening quarter of an SEC title game.

Onterio McCalebb scored on a 12-yard catch, Newton on a 5-yard run and Darvin Adams on a 54-yard reception as Auburn built a 21-7 lead. Adams finished with 217 receiving yards, an SEC title game record.

But South Carolina appeared to seize all momentum back just before halftime. After Wes Byrum missed a 36-yard field goal, the Gamecocks drove the length of the field in less than two minutes, getting a 1-yard touchdown pass from Stephen Garcia to Alshon Jeffery with 16 seconds remaining.

The Gamecocks left too much time. A squib kick and short pass gave the Tigers one last chance. On the half's final play, Newton rolled to his right and heaved a Hail Mary downfield. South Carolina's DeVonte Holloman tipped it at the goal line, right into the arms of Adams for 51-yard touchdown and 28-14 halftime lead.

Just how Malzahn drew it up, right?

"Well ... no," he said with a laugh. "It worked out like we wanted it to. Let's put it that way."

The outcome was never in doubt after that. The Tigers outscored the Gamecocks 28-3 in the second half. Newton added a 1-yard touchdown run and a 6-yard scoring pass to Emory Blake. His six touchdowns accounted for tied Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel's SEC title game record set in 1996.

Newton also joined the 20-20 club, with 28 touchdown passes and 20 rushing touchdowns this season. In college football history, only Tim Tebow (2007) had accomplished that feat.

Both Wueffel and Tebow won the Heisman Trophy those years. Newton, the unquestioned frontrunner for the award, will likely claim his next Saturday.

A perfect record, a national title game berth, the Heisman — Newton couldn't ask for a better season.

"Honestly, it hasn't even sunk in right now," he said. "I've just been living the dream this whole year."

ATLANTA — The Auburn Tigers are going to Glendale.

No. 1 Auburn punched its ticket to the Bowl Championship Series national championship for the first time in school history Saturday with a 56-17 win against No. 19 South Carolina in the SEC title game.

The official invite won't come until Sunday night, when the Bowl Championship Series pairings are released.

It's merely a formality. Auburn and Oregon, which beat Oregon State 37-20 on Saturday, will take their high-powered offenses to Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 10 in what has the potential to be one of the most entertaining championship games in the BCS's 13-year history.

"We all had these dreams back in the 80's," said Pat Dye, who coached during Auburn's heyday. "But this football team made it come true tonight. It's just an unbelievable season."

Auburn played the complete game it has been seeking all year. The Tigers finished with 589 yards of offense, led, as usual, by Cam Newton.

The quarterback, who had his eligibility restored by the NCAA this week after an investigation into his recruitment, did it all, throwing for 335 yards, running for 73 and accounting for six touchdowns.

The Tigers' much-maligned defense stepped up their game as well, holding the Gamecocks to 349 yards and forcing two turnovers, one it turned into a touchdown on a T'Sharvan Bell interception.

By the end, it was a rout. The 39-point victory was the largest in SEC championship game history.

Auburn doesn't have a storied history of national championships. The only title the school officially claims came in 1957, but the Tigers shared it with Ohio State.

They went 11-0 in 1993 but were banned from postseason play for NCAA violations. In 2004, Auburn ran the table but was left out of the BCS national championship game for Southern California and Oklahoma, a snub that stings to this day.

"In our mind, that '04 team is a championship team anyway," Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs said. "We count that one as well."

It's not an issue this season.

"Now at least we get a chance to actually go play for it on the field," Jacobs said.

ATLANTA — Auburn is halfway to the BCS championship game in Glendale.

The No. 1 Tigers lead No. 19 South Carolina 28-14 at halftime of the SEC championship in the Georgia Dome.

Auburn scored 21 first quarter points, setting a title game record, then completed a 51-yard Hail Mary to Darvin Adams as the halftime clock ran out to take a 14-point lead into the locker room.

Quarterback Cam Newton has accounted for all four of Auburn's touchdowns. He has 281 passing yards and three touchdowns, plus 37 yards and a score on the ground.

Adams has already set a SEC title game record for receiving yards. He has seven catches for 217 yards, crushing Florida receiver Reidel Anthony's 1996 record of 171.

Auburn scored its three touchdowns in the first quarter on a 12-yard catch by Onterio McCalebb, a 5-yard run by Newton and a 54-yard catch by Adams to go ahead 21-7.

South Carolina appeared to seize all momentum back by halftime. After Wes Byrum missed a 36-yard field goal, the Gamecocks drove the length of the field in less than two minutes, getting a 1-yard touchdown pass from Stephen Garcia to Alshon Jeffery with 16 seconds left.

Garcia has 140 passing yards and two touchdowns.

But Auburn answered with a miracle pass. On the half's final play, Newton rolled to his right and fired a pass downfield. South Carolina's DeVonte Holloman tipped it in the end zone, right into the arms of Adams for 51-yard touchdown.

The Tigers have 348 yards at the break. They are 5-for-8 on third-down conversions.

You're looking LIVE at an empty Georgia Dome, still two and a half hours before kickoff for today's SEC championship game. Not much to report from the dome today (chance of rain: 0 percent, temperature: 70), but I will be posting updates all the way up to kickoff, so check back.

Follow the blog on Twitter for instant updates. And be sure to check out all of our advance coverage of the game that was in today's paper.

You like minutia. I like minutia. Let's go over some pre-game minutia then, shall we?

• Auburn, which is ranked No. 1 in the BCS rankings, is in the SEC championship game for the first time since 2004.
• It's the Tigers' fourth title game appearance. They are 1-2 in the game (beat Tennessee 38-28 in 2004, lost to Florida 28-6 in 2000 and lost to Tennessee 30-29 in 1997).
• South Carolina, which is 9-3, is making its first appearance in the title game. The Gamecocks have won one conference football title in 117 years. They won the 1969 ACC championship.
• Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier is no stranger to championship football, though. He won six SEC championships with Florida (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000) and one with Duke (1989).
• Auburn has a 7-1-1 lead in the series all-time.
• Auburn has played 12 games in its history in a domed stadium. The Tigers are 5-6-1 in those games. South Carolina has played one game indoors, in 1973 against Houston it the Astrodome.
• The Tigers have won or shared the SEC West title seven times since 1997.
• Auburn is the only team nationally that has beaten five teams currently ranked in the AP top 25. Nobody outside of the SEC West has beaten more than two.
• The Tigers have trailed in eight of their 12 victories. Four times they overcame double-digit deficits.
• Auburn is ranked sixth nationally in rushing offense (291.3 ypg), seventh in scoring offense (41.6 ppg) and eighth in total offense (490.1 ypg).
• The Tigers have already set the single-season school record for points (499) and total offense (5,881). They are also on pace to set records for per-game averages in both categories as well.
• QB Cam Newton leads the SEC and is 11th nationally in rushing yards (111.3 ypg). He's the only player in the country with five games of 170 or more yards this year.
• He ranks second nationally with 43 touchdowns accounted for. That's more than 69 other FBS schools.
• RB Mike Dyer needs 114 yards to reach 1,000 this season. His 886 yards are sixth most among freshmen this year.
• RB Onterio McCalebb's 8.52 yards per carry average is second in the nation among rushers in the top 100.
• Auburn is 10th nationally at rushing defense, giving up 108.0 yards per game.
• Second-half stat: Auburn's defense had held opponents to 17-for-72 on third down conversion attempts in the second half and overtime this year. That's 23.6 percent.
• DT Nick Fairley leads the SEC and is tied for fifth nationally with 20 tackles for a loss. That's tied for most in school history since the stat started being kept in 1981.
• While Auburn has the SEC's top-ranked rushing offense, South Carolina has the league's best rushing defense, giving up 93.2 yards per game. The Tigers ran for 334 yards int the teams' first meeting.
• The passing defenses? Not so great. Auburn is 106th nationally (255.2 ypg). South Carolina is 99th (245.5 ypg).
• RB Marcus Lattimore is South Carolina's all-time single-season touchdowns leader with 19. The freshman needs one more to tie Tennessee's Reggie Cobb (1987) for the SEC freshman record. Lattimore and Newton are tied for the league lead in touchdowns scored.
• WR Alshon Jeffery broke the Gamecocks' single-season records for receiving yards. The sophomore has 1,351 yards.
• Stephen Garcia is the third SC quarterback to top 6,000 passing yards in his career, joining Todd Ellis (9,953) and Steve Taneyille (8,762). Garcia has 6,340.
• The Gamecocks lead the SEC and are tied for third nationally with 39 sacks. DE Melvin Ingram has 8. DE Devin Taylor has 7.5.
• And lastly, South Carolina will wear all garnet uniforms today. Auburn will wear all whites.

UPDATE, 1:21 p.m.: Players still haven't re-emerged from locker room yet. In the meantime, here's a sampling of Gene Chizik's coaches Q&A in the game program: first car (Cutlass Supreme), Listening to (Oldies), first date with wife (Went out to eat), who would play him in a movie (Matt Damon) and favorite home-cooked meal (grilled ribeyes).

Damon? Really? Any ideas out there for somebody who looks more like Chizik? I saw Gary Sinise before. That's be a good one.

UPDATE, 1:57 p.m.: Here's someone with a good camera, Auburn's photographer Todd Van Emst, with some pre-game shots.
UPDATE, 2:27 p.m.: Auburn on the field for pre-game stretching. Looks like everyone's here. LB Jessel Curry the only exception.

UPDATE, 2:46 p.m.: Some lineup updates. T'Sharvan Bell will start at CB in place of Demond Washington. LB Eltoro Freeman gets another start. So does P Ryan Shoemaker.

It's SEC title game day. Plenty more to come once I get into the stadium, so follow the blog on Twitter and Facebook to get instant updates. Here is how today's game advance starts:

AUBURN, Ala. -- Not a soul on Auburn’s roster has taken part in a game the magnitude of today’s SEC championship against South Carolina.

It’s a good thing the Tigers’ coach has.

With a shot at the national championship on the line, No. 1 Auburn (12-0, 8-0 SEC) will look for guidance from coach Gene Chizik, who has been part of two undefeated seasons as an assistant in the last six years.

“None of us have been in this situation before and he has a few times,” left tackle Lee Ziemba said. “He does a good job of making sure our focus is in the right, making sure we’re not looking ahead to different things and we’re focusing on the task at hand.”

Chizik was a part of undefeated teams in back-to-back seasons, serving as Auburn’s defensive coordinator in 2004 before holding the same position during Texas’ 2005 national championship run.

Read the rest here. Also, check out these other stories from today's paper:

• Cam Newton will play in today's SEC title game
• Five reasons why Auburn will win
• Five reasons why South Carolina will win
• Who has the edge: South Carolina or Auburn?

It's T-minus 23 hours until Auburn and South Carolina square off in the SEC championship game in the Georgia Dome.

Auburn coach Gene Chizik and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier participated in a pre-game press conference Friday. Not much new was said, other than Spurrier saying that Tigers quarterback Cam Newton is good for the game.

"We're glad he's playing," Spurrier said. "He's played all year. 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 teo beat the other team when all their best players are playing. And hopefully it will be a game that no key players get hurt during the course of the game and both teams fight it out and the team that plays the best will win. So I'm glad he's playing. He deserves to play. And we haven't even thought about the other stuff."

Spurrier, as a former Heisman Trophy winner, has a vote. He was asked about it and reminded the media that the vote is private if he chooses for it to be.

"We don't have to reveal those like the coach's poll," he said. "But I think I've already said that Cam Newton will certainly get one of my votes. You get three. I'll keep secretive what order they're in, okay? It's a secret vote.

"But I think he deserves the Heisman, no question."

Chizik didn't take questions about Newton's situation, as usual, but offered this statement at the beginning of his portion of the presser: "We're glad that the NCAA was in agreement with us that Auburn University and Cameron Newton have done nothing wrong. Cameron will be our starting quarterback tomorrow, as he has the previous 12 weeks."

My camera doesn't have the greatest zoom, so these are all pretty far away, but here's some photos from the walkthrough.
Auburn is playing in this game, in case you didn't know. The logo on the field confirms it.
This was the extent of the action on the field during the walkthrough. This team stretches as well as any in America, from what I gather.
Gus Malzahn, probably diagramming plays in his head.
Trooper Taylor and safety Aairon Savage, who won't play because of his injured foot but is still in Atlanta with the team.
Gene Chizik, watching the proceedings. I was hoping he would take out a tape measure and prove that the goal posts in the Georgia Dome are just as tall as the goal posts in Jordan-Hare Stadium, a la "Hoosiers." Alas, he didn't.
This game will be in a dome, in case you didn't know.
Further proof of the above point.
A closeup of the artificial turf they'll be playing on. Those are little bits of rubber on the fake grass. I've always found this fascinating.
Team huddle, before the walkthrough portion of the day.
Chizik addresses the team. I'm sure there's some Knute Rockne-level stuff being said there.
Ted Roof, discussing where different hash marks will be in an NFL stadium.
The CBS set. Not sure where Verne Ludnquist sits.
Staring down the barrel of the TV cameras. Look at all those monitors.
The South Carolina logo must have been much tougher to paint. More intricacies than the AU.
South Carolina's side had these on the seats. Auburn's had something on the back of the seats. Not sure what, though.
This is Spurrier's vantage point during the game.
Sidelines have been defined. This is the side opposite the press box.
And on the press box side, Auburn.
Fancy video boards behind the Auburn fans section.

No. 19 South Carolina at No. 1 Auburn

• Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga.
• When: Saturday, 4 p.m. ET
• TV: CBS
• Records: South Carolina 9-3, 5-3 SEC; Auburn 12-0, 8-0 SEC

South Carolina passing game vs. Auburn secondary

The Gamecocks passing game starts and mostly ends with Alshon Jeffery, who leads the SEC and is fifth in the nation in receiving yards per game (112.6). Jeffery has 75 catches this season, 36 more than the next closest Gamecock. Quarterback Stephen Garcia is fifth in the nation in passer rating but is playing with a bruised left shoulder and right thumb. Auburn’s secondary hasn’t done well against big-time receivers this year. Jeffery had 184 yards, Georgia’s A.J. Green had 164 and Alabama’s Julio Jones had 199. The Tigers did a better job on the latter two in the second half, but they still didn’t shut them down completely. Edge: South Carolina.

South Carolina running backs vs. Auburn linebackers

Freshman Marcus Lattimore has 1,114 rushing yards and has been the difference-maker for the Gamecocks’ offense this season. With 20 more yards today, he will have the third-best rushing season in school history behind only Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers’ 1979 and 1980 seasons. Auburn handled Lattimore well in the first matchup, holding the freshman to 33 yards on 14 carries, a 2.4-yard average. Josh Bynes and Craig Stevens played a big role in holding Alabama’s Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson to 60 yards last week. Add a resurgent Eltoro Freeman, who had nine tackles, two TFLs and a sack against the Tide, and Auburn’s linebacking trio is stout. Edge: Push.

South Carolina offensive line vs. Auburn defensive line

The Gamecocks have given up 25 sacks this year. Only three teams in the SEC have given up more. South Carolina has paved the way for a 1,000-yard rusher, but even the offensive linemen say that Lattimore has more to do with that than they do. Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley added to his reputation as a disrupter against Alabama, finishing with two sacks and bringing his TFL total up to 20 this year, a school record. Auburn has 30 sacks this year, fifth in the SEC. Edge: Auburn.

Auburn passing game vs. South Carolina secondary

Quarterback Cam Newton’s overlooked skill remains his passing. He’s thrown 11 touchdowns the last four games and one pick, a ball that went through the hands of a receiver. He spreads the wealth. Auburn has had a different leading receiver the last three weeks. Add in a healthy Philip Lutzenkirchen at tight end (3 TDs in two weeks) and the Tigers have a versatile attack. The Gamecocks have fluctuated from average to terrible in the secondary. The Tigers are one of the few teams that haven’t exploited South Carolina’s propensity to blow coverages, probably because they had so much success running the ball. Edge: Auburn.

Auburn running backs vs. South Carolina linebackers

Auburn’s run of 300-yard games in SEC play came to an end with a season-worst 108 rushing yards against Alabama. But the Tigers have proven they can run the ball against the Gamecocks. Newton had 176 yards in the first meeting. Running backs Mike Dyer and Onterio McCalebb added 100 and 55 yards, respectively. Dyer is 114 yards shy of 1,000 for the season. The Gamecocks linebacking corps of Josh Dickerson and Tony Straughter, a pair of Georgia Military College transfers, has been good but not great. They are undersized (201 pounds, 225 pounds) but athletic. Throw in hybrid Spur Antonio Allen and the group gets better. Allen is having a great year. Edge: Auburn.

Auburn offensive line vs. South Carolina defensive line

The Tigers’ physical edge has been well-documented, and it started against South Carolina the first time. This is the kind of game where the experience of four seniors who have made a combined to make 157 career starts pays off. Despite last week’s hiccup, Auburn is still averaging 291.3 rushing yards per game. This group has only allowed 21 sacks, third fewest in the league. The Gamecocks defensive line is their strength. Tackles Travian Robertson and Ladi Ajiboye are strong and have excellent technique. Ends Devin Taylor and Cliff Matthews are a threat on every snap, and versatile backup Melvin Ingram leads the team with eight sacks. Edge: Push

South Carolina return units vs. Auburn coverage teams

The Gamecocks have gotten nothing from their return teams. Starting punt returner Ace Sanders has only 13 return yards this season. Sanders has averaged 1.9 yards on his seven returns. Kickoff returner Bryce Sherman is ninth in the SEC. Auburn is second in the SEC in kick coverage but last in punting average. Punter Ryan Shoemaker had a decent day against Alabama, dropping two punts inside the 20, but he still only averaged 38.7 yards per punt. Edge: Auburn.

Auburn return units vs. South Carolina coverage teams

Demond Washington and McCalebb help give Auburn the 16th-ranked kick return unit in the nation, averaging 24.4 yards. But the Tigers still have a mess on punt returns. Quindarius Carr, who has held the job all year, fumbled a punt against Alabama, losing possession at a key moment. Darvin Adams has solid hands and could step in, but he’s only returned one punt in his career. South Carolina hasn’t made any big positive plays in its coverage teams, but it does have one glaring mistake, allowing Florida’s Andre DeBose to go 100 yards on the first play of the game against the Gators. Spencer Lanning is fifth in the SEC in punting. Edge: Push.

Kickers

South Carolina is getting double-duty out of Lanning, who is 15-for-20 this year and hit three key 40-plus yard kicks against the Gators. He is coming off SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors against Clemson. Auburn’s Wes Byrum is 15-for-19 this year, but you have to wonder if he’s getting rusty. The senior hasn’t had a field goal attempt since the Ole Miss game on Oct. 30. Edge: Push.

Coaches

South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier will be coaching in his eighth SEC title game. The Gamecocks’ sixth-year head coach has a lot of momentum right now, having already led the team to just its third season ever with more than eight victories. Spurrier had the right plan against Auburn the first time around (scoring 27 points despite four fourth-quarter turnovers) and he will again. Auburn’s Gene Chizik has been an coordinator in big games before (on Auburn’s unbeaten 2004 team and on Texas’ national championship 2005 team), but he’s never been the one in charge in a big game like this. Although Chizik has cleared every hurdle this season, the lack of experience as a head coach in these types of games — especially compared to Spurrier — is hard to overlook. Edge: South Carolina.

Prediction

South Carolina comes into the game with little to lose. The Gamecocks could lose the game and still lay claim to one of the top three seasons in school history. The key for South Carolina will be its offensive execution. Nobody in garnet and black expects to stop the Auburn offense entirely, but they have proven they can move the ball on the Tigers. They’ll have to keep pace for the whole game this time, not just three quarters like in September. Auburn, meanwhile, has everything to play for. The SEC title is on the line, but so is a berth in the BCS national championship game. The Tigers have had their share of tests this year, going down to the wire in almost all of their significant games. This is just the latest, so it shouldn’t overwhelm them.

Josh Kendall prediction: Auburn 31, South Carolina 30.
Andy Bitter prediction: Auburn 42, South Carolina 31.

I wrote a story for today's paper about linebacker Eltoro Freeman. Here's how it starts:

AUBURN, Ala. -- Worked into his usual bundle of energy, Auburn linebacker Eltoro Freeman released it with a slight miscalculation last Friday, whiffing on a first-half tackle of Alabama’s Greg McElroy as the quarterback scampered for a first down.

His head hung low, Freeman trudged back to the sideline, fully expecting to hear an earful from the coaches.

Instead, defensive coordinator Ted Roof was reassuring, telling the linebacker it was OK and to get back in the game.

“To hear him say that made my confidence level just shoot up,” Freeman said. “It was just unbelievable. When I went back out there, dawg, I just played free. … I could just play football now. I didn’t have to be on pins, needles, anything.”

He responded with his best game this year, finishing with nine tackles, two tackles for a loss and a sack in Auburn’s 28-27 win, a comeback about as improbable as Freeman’s.

It wasn't an all-Cam Newton day for Auburn stories. I wrote this one about tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen as well. Here's how it starts:

AUBURN, Ala. -- The catch will be replayed for eternity in Iron Bowl circles.

Auburn tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen slipped past Alabama’s defenders, catching a wide open throwback pass from Cam Newton for a 7-yard touchdown that lifted the Tigers to a 28-27 victory last Friday.

Then came the dance. Teammates still can’t quite decide how to describe it.

“The leprechaun dance,” left tackle Lee Ziemba said.

“It looked like a Riverdance to me,” right guard Byron Isom said.

“I asked him: ‘What was that?’” offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said. “He said he was excited. Wow. We’ll give him that one since that was such a big play. We’ll let it go that one time.”

Auburn quarterback Cam Newton had a good day Wednesday: not only was his eligibility restored by the NCAA, but he was named one of three finalists for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award.

Newton has piled up the award nominations this year after accounting for 43 touchdowns and becoming the first SEC player to throw for 2,000 yards and run for 1,000 in the same season.

He is a finalist for the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien Awards and is considered by most to be the Heisman Trophy frontrunner.

Oregon running back LaMichael James and Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck joined Newton as Walter Camp finalists.

The recipient is voted on by Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors. The winner will be announced Dec. 9 during the 6 p.m. edition of SportsCenter.

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Bad night for additional notes and quotes. We only got head coach Gene Chizik. No assistants, who were all at a Super 6 banquet. But be sure to join tomorrow's live chat at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT. I'm sure there will be plenty to talk about.

• In case you missed Chizik's quote about Newton from tonight, here it is: "I'm glad to get all that behind us," Chizik said, "because we're focused on one thing — and that's winning the game in Atlanta."

• Chizik was asked if he'll sleep any better tonight after the Newton ruling by the NCAA. He sidestepped the question: "I sleep good pretty much every night."

• Quick practice note: the Tigers went for two hours in shells Wednesday.

• I mentioned this yesterday, but Auburn has 12 players from the Atlanta area on the roster. Here they are: running back Mario Fannin (Hampton), receivers Darvin Adams (Kennesaw), Antonio Goodwin (Atlanta) and Shaun Kitchens (College Park), linebacker Jessel Curry (Buford), offensive linemen Andre Harris (Lovejoy) and Byron Isom (Jonesboro), tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen (Marietta), defensive backs Neiko Thorpe (Tucker), Demetruce McNeal (College Park) and Jonathon Mincy (Decatur) and Newton (College Park).

• Chizik realizes the importance of the city in recruiting. “There have been so many great players that have come out of the state of Georgia who have played here,” he said. “Atlanta is so close. Being able to get to Atlanta is every team’s goal in this league every year, knowing that that is a huge recruiting base for what you’re trying to do.”

• Auburn will play host to the Super 6, the Alabama High School football championships, today and tomorrow at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The event, which features title games for all six of the state’s classifications, was held at Legion Field in Birmingham for 13 years before an agreement was reached last year to alternate it between Tuscaloosa and Auburn through 2014.

• On hosting the event, Chizik said: “It's awesome. I think it's great for Alabama high school football. It's great to have those guys on campus. I think it's great for the kids. I think they're excited being here. Just the atmosphere of playing over at Jordan-Hare is going to be really neat for guys to experience. There's a lot of guys who play high school football who will never have a chance to go on after their high school years are over, so I think it's really a great idea. I think it's something that is good for everybody. It's good for the universities. It's good for the kids. It's good for high schools. I just think it's a no-lose situation. We're extremely excited to have all these coaches and players here."

• Auburn has five 2011 commits playing in the Super 6: Hoover WR Jaylon Denson, Spanish Fort OL Reese Dismukes, Leeds CB Jonathan Rose, Leroy WR Sammie Coates and Sweetwater LB Chris Landrum.

• One other award nomination: junior walk-on linebacker Ashton Richardson was nominated for the fourth annual College Football Rudy Award. Here's the award's description from the Auburn release: "Student-athletes who demonstrate exemplary character, courage, contribution and commitment as members of their collegiate football teams. These same traits were immortalized in the film 'Rudy' in which Notre Dame’s Daniel 'Rudy' Ruettiger carved his name into college football lore."

• Richardson, a walk-on from New Orleans, La., has played in five games this season and 18 games during his career. He had nine tackles last season, including three tackles for loss, one of which was a quarterback sack. He also has a 3.93 GPA in pre-veterinary medicine.

Here's a video from tonight's round of interviews. It's got offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, running back Mike Dyer and linebacker Eltoro Freeman. Enjoy.

Rain forced Auburn to have a split-squad practice indoors Tuesday. Considering Saturday’s SEC championship game will be played in the Georgia Dome, the Tigers didn’t mind altering their plans.

“It was pretty good for us,” offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said. “That’s a loud place we’re fixing to play. We turned on some music, some noise. Our guys really focused well. I think back to last Tuesday’s practice. This one was quite a bit better.”

Auburn didn’t go in full pads Tuesday, practicing in shells.

They were limited by the John H. Watson Fieldhouse, which is only half an indoor field. But it gave the Tigers a chance to practice on a turf similar to that of the Georgia Dome.

Auburn has only played one game on artificial turf this year, winning at Ole Miss 51-31 on Oct. 30.

“Our guys will have to get used to the footing,” Malzahn said. “All the turfs are different, too.”

“It’s different the way it makes you run, it makes you feel and your feet work with it,” running back Mike Dyer said.

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And read these other notes and quotes from Tuesday's late interviews:

• Malzahn’s name has already been floated as a possibility for several head coaching vacancies, although he said he’s not paying attention to the rumors. “The only thing I’m focused on is this game and trying to do the best job I can to help our team,” he said. “I don’t pay much attention to it. I guess it would be a little flattering that your name is out there, but I don’t get caught up in that.”

• Malzahn should be a hot coaching commodity this offseason. He is one of five finalists for the Frank Broyles Award, which goes to the nation’s top assistant coach. “Any time you’re up for an award like that, you think about the Curtis Lupers, the Trooper Taylors, the Jeff Grimeses, the Jay Boulwares. It’s a team deal here. I’m flattered to be considered.”

• The award is named after Frank Broyles, an Arkansas coach from 1958-76 who later was an administrator, serving as athletics director when Malzahn was there. Although there are rumors Broyles didn't think highly of Malzahn's system when the latter was Arkansas' offensive coordinator in 2006, Malzahn had kind words about Broyles Tuesday: "I know him well. He's one of the legends. I grew up watching him coach. He was AD when I was coaching football. He's a legend."

• Malzahn on facing South Carolina's defense: "They've gotten better each week. We're a big tempo-based offense and they have seen the tempo before. ... They're extremely fast. They fly around. They're physical up front. They made a lot of really good rushing teams look bad."

• South Carolina has the top-ranked rushing defense in conference-only games, allowing 107.2 yards per game. It should be noted that Auburn ran for 334 yards in the teams' first meeting.

• Malzahn on why TE Philip Lutzenkirchen is such a good red zone target: "He kind of gets lost. He's got great hands. He runs very good routes. It's a tribute, too, to our other play-makers that he can get lost. He's really made some big plays at some big times this year."

• He had less good things to say about Lutz's touchdown dance. "Yeah. I was pretty down about that," Malzahn said. "I asked him: 'What was that?' He said he was excited. Wow. We'll give him that one since that was such a big play. We'll let it go that one time."

• Can Malzahn coach him up on how to celebrate? "Coach Taylor probably can. He's the celebration guy."

• There are 12 Atlanta-area players on the team. Running back Mario Fannin, from Hampton, Ga., is one of them. "It's real special," he said. "We've got a big Auburn base there and fan club there. It'll be great to go home and play in front of your family and play in front of a lot of fans that can't really come out here and see us play."

• Fannin on the team's mind set: "I wouldn't say laid-back. We're just more focused. We understand what we need to do in order to win the game. We're just taking the proper procedures to make sure we do so. You don't want to be too excited before the game but you don't want to be too low for the game, so we're just trying to find a happy medium."

• Head coach Gene Chizik approached Nick Fairley with a request before the Alabama game, after Georgia submitted concerns to the SEC office about the defensive tackle’s questionable hits two weeks earlier. “He said tone it down a little bit,” Fairley said. “It’s all right. I’ve just got to calm down a little more.”

• Fairley did for the most part, although he was flagged for a borderline unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after celebrating a first-quarter sack of Tide quarterback Greg McElroy. He said the flag shocked him, but took blame for it. “It’s my fault,” he said. “It’s never the referee’s fault. I probably overreacted just a little bit. So understandable. You can’t fault him for that.”

• Fairley described the feeling after winning the Iron Bowl: "Anytime playing against those guys, wherever we play them at, if we come out on top, man, it felt good to be out there and have that many fans be quiet. Our fans would be in the upper deck and we could hear them over everybody, so it felt pretty good."

• Although Marcus Lattimore is only a freshman, Auburn isn't treating him like one. "I wouldn't say he's young anymore," Fairley said. "He went through 12 games. Can't say he's young anymore. I know he's matured a lot, so I wouldn't say he's a freshman."

• We talked to LB Eltoro Freeman tonight and got a bunch of good stuff that I plan to use for a feature story later this week. Here's how he described his night: "I was so hyped, and I also didn’t want to make no mistakes. I just wanted to go and make everyone proud. The turning point of the game came for me when I missed a tackle. Then, when I went to the sideline, to hear Coach (Ted) Roof tell me, ‘Toro, it’s alright.’ I was so worried about, ‘Man, ya’ll are gonna take me out now.’ He was like, ‘Toro, it’s alright. You’re gonna stay in the game. Everything will be alright.’ To hear him say that made my confidence level just shoot up. It was just unbelievable. When I went back out there, dawg, I just played free. I didn’t have to worry about making this mistake or worry about, ‘Oh man, I’m gonna have to sit out the whole game.’ I could just play football now. I didn’t have to be on pins, needles, anything. With him telling me that, it just took my name to another level.” More on Toro later this week.

• Auburn's defense gets knocked on quite a bit, but Freeman thinks the Tigers make plays when it counts. "When it’s time for us to step up and make the play, we do that," he said. "Every time. Every game. (GA Travis Williams) always tells us, ‘We ain’t got to be the best defense in the country. But come Saturday, as long as we’re the best. That’s all that matters.’ And we go in with that attitude.”

• Freeman also had a poignant take on the the 2010 team doing its part to make the national title game because the 2004 group never got that chance. "I’m going to do everything in my power not to let it slip away," he said. "The whole team, we’re all working hard, we’ve got this thing. Because six years ago the team went undefeated and they were wishing. They didn’t know if they were going to play for the national championship or not. We know. All we’ve got to do is win out. So that’s big. To bring a national championship here to Auburn University, that’s a big thing to do.”

Here's a video from today's early interviews. It's got left tackle Lee Ziemba, tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen and linebacker Craig Stevens. Back with more later.

It was in Auburn's first matchup against South Carolina that the Tigers began to get an idea of just what Cam Newton was capable of.

The quarterback, who now a Heisman Trophy contender, accounted for 334 yards and five touchdowns, including his signature moment -- a 54-yard touchdown run up the sideline in the first quarter that he punctuated by leaping head first in the end zone the final 7 yards.

"In everyone's mind that we all thought, 'Wow, he's the real deal and this team is going to do something special this year,'" tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen said. "So that was kind of the turning point for our season."

Newton remained unavailable to the media Tuesday. The quarterback, whose father has been accused of having pay-for-play discussions during his son's recruitment to Mississippi State last year, last spoke with reporters on Nov. 9.

Lutzenkrichen said Newton continues to go about his business -- in his own way.

"Business as usual for Cam is just straight goofball," he said. "He's always joking around, always messing with everyone. That hasn't changed at all throughout this year throughout any of this. So it's just good to have regular ol' Cam."

Head coach Gene Chizik declined to answer a question about Newton's lack of media availability. He also refused to address a question about whether or not Auburn would abide by the SEC rule that mandates all players be available to the press following the conference championship game.

In an e-mail Tuesday, SEC spokesman Charles Bloom cited the rule that outlines the punishment for failing to adhere to the rule: "Failure to comply with these rules and regulations may subject the coach and/or the institution to a fine by the Commissioner."

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Here are some quick notes and quotes from early interviews today:

• Lutzenkirchen has taken a lot of grief for his dance after catching the game-winning touchdown against Alabama. "Just one of those things where I was so excited I really didn't know what I was doing," he said. "I've heard Riverdance, jig, a bunch of different stuff."

• LT Lee Ziemba added "leprechaun dance" to the list. "It was a pretty bad dance," Ziemba said. "Coach (Gus) Malzahn was saying: 'They'll be playing this touchdown to your grandchildren someday and then … oh wow, look at that.'"

• Does Lutzenkirchen think it'll catch on? "I hope it doesn't," he said. "I really hope it doesn't. It's all fun and games."

• I'm doing a Lutzenkirchen story today or tomorrow, so I'll have more in that, but the sophomore has 12 catches this year, five of which have gone for touchdowns. "It's just kind of coach Malzahn's offense where the fullback/tight end kind of is used as a blocker for most of the game and kind of slips out in the red zone and people forget about it and it just happens to be a touchdown catch," he said.

• His thoughts on catching a wide open pass? "Don't drop it," he said. "Everything kind of slows down and you've really got to focus in and make sure you see the ball into your hands and pray that you don't drop it."

• Lutzenkirchen on the team's goals every year: "At the beginning of the season, the first goal is to win the West. Well, the first goal is to beat Bama. The second goal is to win the West. And the third goal is to hopefully win the SEC championship if everything lines up. We're really trying to stay humble with it and knowing that this is the next game. It's the biggest game so far."

• Alabama stuffed Newton on the run last week, holding him to 39 yards on 22 carries. Ziemba thinks the offense is to blame. "We weren't playing as well as we needed to be at some points in the first half," he said. "The game plan didn't change from the first half to the second half. Their game plan didn't change. Ours didn't either. It's a matter of executing and getting all 11 guys doing the same thing."

• Auburn has started out slow in games (witness, its 24-0 hole against Alabama). LB Craig Stevens thinks that needs to change. "I think overall we have to go into games with more focus," he said. "Last week we kind of let our emotions take control of us to the point where sometimes we got out of line a little bit, out of whack a little bit. We just have to calm down and play our game, not wait for a team to get up on us.”

• Stevens on South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore: "Oh yeah, he’s a good player. He kind of reminds me of (Alabama's Trent) Richardson with how hard he runs. He runs through a lot of tackles. It will be a tough task to slow him down. “You either hit him low or you've got to wrap him up when you tackle him. That’s one of those things, he’s not going to go down with just a shoulder. You gotta wrap him up. He has strong legs and he carries the ball forward. We’ve got to do a good job of rallying to the ball on him.”

• Stevens said Lattimore doesn't do too much trash-talking on the field. That was before he had 1,114 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. "He can talk now," Stevens said.

• Of all the games Auburn has played in this year, Stevens felt more fortunate to come away with a win in the Clemson game. "They were that close," he said. "That guy missed that field goal. That game right there, we took a deep breath after slipping by those guys."

• The players have not been in this undefeated situation before. Chizik has, as part of the 2004 Auburn team that finished 13-0 and Texas' 2005 national championship team. "None of us have been in this situation before and he has a few times," Ziemba said. "He does a good job of making sure our focus is in the right, making sure we're not looking ahead to different things and we're focusing on the task at hand. He check us frequently each week. That really brings us to the place we're supposed to be."

• Ziemba was asked about some fans not exactly embracing the Chizik hire two years ago. "I trust the guys who hired him," he said. "I wouldn't second guess them or anything."

• Also of note: Auburn will show SEC championship game on high-definition video boards in Auburn Arena following women's basketball game against Temple. Admission free at halftime.

Gene Chizik has come and gone. Here's what he said:

• "Exciting times for us here at Auburn. Obviously it's going to be a great football team Saturday. Our team is really, really looking forward to playing in the championship game."

• On SC: "They were a very, very good football team when we played them eight weeks ago. They've kept improving."

• Said SC is No. 3 in SEC in scoring defense. "That's the ultimate stat."
  

• "I think they've steadily improved since we played last."

• Said defensively Auburn has made some strides. Said Tigers have been sporadic, though, which is a concern going up against Stephen Garcia and Alshon Jeffery.

• "I think we've been through a lot in finding different ways to win since then."

• On handling the pressure of a big game: "We've been through a lot of big games the last five weeks. I think that's helped."

• On playing bad in the first half: "I see guys who are out of position. I see guys who aren't maybe communicating like they should. You prepare for things and then teams change, you've got to adjust to what you're seeing. That's certainly not an excuse. I don't care what we're seeing, we need to play better. Not acceptable."

• On personal vindication: "That's not how I live. That's not what's important to me."

• On going through his third perfect regular season: "It's extremely difficult to do. Just being able to be blessed to go through it two other times, there are things I can pull to help our coaches."

• On playing in Atlanta, a big market: "I think it's great. In the history of Auburn, there have been so many great players that have come out of Georgia. Atlanta is so close. Knowing that that's a huge recruiting base for what you're trying to do, it's a huge inspiration for our guys to go back to that area. It's neat for our guys to be able to do that."

• On Cam Newton in the first SC game: "That was a special game for him. That was eye-opening for us at that point in time. That was a learning moment for us coaches on what he was going to be able to do."

• On the 2004 experience being able to help him this time: "Every team has a different identity. This team is different in its own way. I think the dynamic is different, just so many true freshmen a part of what we're doing, with a good mixture of older guys. 2004 was different, because there weren't a whole lot of times where we had to come back and win games."

• On the punt return game: "We're going to evaluate that this week. Obviously we're not happy. That was a potentially game-changing event."

• On if he anticipates Newton speaking to the media again: only commenting on Newton's first 12 games.

• Pointed out that SEC mandates all players have to be available after the conference championship game. Chizik again chose not to comment.

• On seeing signs of support around town for Newton: "This is a great community. This community was built on family. It was built on supporting one another. When you pull up after a bus ride from Tuscaloosa and come up to hundreds of fans, that's what it's all about."

• On winning the first SC game: "It means nothing."

• On if there are worries about being the favorite: "Those are all things for the media and the outside people to speculate about."

• On the Iron Bowl being a classic: "I don't know how many teams in the course of history would have been able to do that. But that was an incredible challenging task at the time, and our guys rose up to it. I'm sure when all the smoke clears, we'll look back on that and go, 'Wow.'"

• On Marcus Lattimore: "He's a great football player. They do a great job of utilizing him the right way." Said SC uses him well in the passing game.

• On Mike Dyer's evolution: "You can tell his comfort level has improved drastically since the beginning of the year."

• On Alabama slowing down Newton in the run: "They're very physical up front. They're well coached. They've got some good players."

• On Gus Malzahn being up for the Broyles Award: "He's huge to us and our staff. Gus has been a huge part of what we've done here. He's a great football coach and anything he gets, I'm all in. He deserves it."

And that's a wrap.

Here's a video I put together from tonight's interviews. Lighting issues across the board for my flip cam. I blame the spotlight from one of the TV cameras. ANYWAY, it's got defensive coordinator Ted Roof, left guard Mike Berry, linebacker Josh Bynes and safety Zac Etheridge.

Auburn called for a cornerback blitz early in the Alabama game, but T’Sharvan Bell couldn’t quite get to the quarterback in time. The Tigers went back to it late in the fourth quarter, and Bell made a game-changing play.

The junior sacked Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy on third-and-12, knocking Alabama out of field goal range.

“I was licking my chops when coach called the blitz,” Bell said. “I really wanted to get him, just make some kind of play. And I did. My eyes got big, heart beat a little faster. I was just happy.”

Bell ducked the tackle to get the quarterback, slinging McElroy around by the jersey and into the ground for a 4-yard loss, forcing Alabama to punt with Auburn leading 28-27.

It was Bell’s first career sack and knocked McElroy out of the game with a concussion.

“Nick (Fairley) taught me that,” Bell said, referring to Auburn’s sack leader. “He taught me everything this week.”

Bell also made a tackle earlier in the game, splitting two linemen to stop a sweep play near the end zone, something he wouldn’t have done a year ago.

“I’m not even sure it was a play he would have attempted to make last year,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “And that excites you when you see kids grow and lay their bodies out for the football team.”

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Quite a few interviews tonight. Here are some notes and quotes:

• In case you missed the previous post, Auburn is back at No. 1 in the BCS rankings. "It really doesn't matter," linebacker Josh Bynes said. "The only thing we have to do is take care of what we're supposed to do this week against South Carolina. We know what's going to happen after that. In order to get there, we have to play that one game. If we take this opponent lightly or we play that kind of game where we give them the SEC championship, then we won't get there."

• Roof on Sunday's practice: "It was a little more involved than most Sundays, because we had an extra day in between when we played last. It gave us a little more time as a staff to evaluate and watch tape than we normally would have on a Sunday when you're grading your own tape and you're trying to get ready for your next opponent. So we're a little bit further ahead than we would be on a Sunday."

• How hard will it be to get back up for the SEC championship game after a draining Iron Bowl? "How many games have we had that haven't been very draining and emotional?" Roof said. "Most of our games, there's been something involved in it that's been very emotional. You know what? This is to win the championship. And as a competitor, that makes your competitive juices flow when you know you start talking about championships and rings and things of that nature. So there's absolutely no problem getting juiced up for this one."

• RG Byron Isom doesn't think it will be a problem. "It’s just another notch under your belt and you move on to the next week," he said. "In this conference you play good teams all the time, and I think we did a good job on this season putting the wins behind us and moving on to the next step, and I don’t think it will really affect us this week."

• The regular season is barely over, but head coaching vacancies exist already at Minnesota, Colorado, Vanderbilt, Miami and Indiana, among others. With Auburn’s assistant coaches — especially offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn — expected to be potential candidates, head coach Gene Chizik cut off things before they could begin Sunday, refusing to answer any coaching vacancy questions. “I don’t want to address any potential rumors and coaching issues out there that are flying around,” he said.

• Chizik was more forthcoming about helping assistants land better jobs last week. “It’s a fine line, because when you have a great coach, it is human nature to be selfish and to want to keep him as long as you can,” he said. “But in the same breath, without trying to talk out of both sides of my mouth, these guys, if they have great opportunities out there, I want them to be able to achieve their own goals as well. And I certainly want to try to help guys do that.”

• Lots of talk about the team's first-half performance against Alabama. Roof boiled it down to its simplest terms: "We can't play another first half like we did, because we won't be able to overcome it."

• Roof wouldn't pin the problems on the secondary. "We all made too many mistakes," he said. "We win and lose together, and there is no one particular group that is great. We were all bad in the first half. We win and lose as a team. That's how we approach it. We've all got to get better."

• Safety Zac Etheridge doesn't like the fact that the secondary gets a lot of the blame. "We get tired of hearing about the secondary not playing as well, but when you look at it, with the game on the line, we get the job done, so we don’t really go into statistics," he said. "We just play the game until the last seconds tick off the clock. Every defense, you’ve got to stop the run. If they’ve got both of them going at the same time, that’s definitely hard to stop. So you’ve got to stop the run and try to control the pass.”

• Is there a stern message for the secondary, though? "We've got a stern message for all of us,"Roof said. "Let's get better now real quick. Let's get a lot better real quick. That's the message."

• Bynes agreed: "If we put together a truly complete, four-quarter game, this team would be a lot better. This team would be unstoppable. That second half showed what kind of team we are -- regardless of what the scoreboard shows."

• More stuff from Roof on Bell, who wasn't the most physical player his first two seasons. "I think that you've got to be very honest with your evaluation, so you can address problems," Roof said. "Because if the problems aren't brought to the forefront, sometimes they can fester and become a huge problem. So he's a good kid who cares about this football team and we owe it to him to address the truth. He did something about it and I've got a lot of respect for people that do that. And like I said, he's grown a lot. Not to be confused with enough. There's still a lot of room for growth, this week preferably."

• Bell's response to being called not physical enough last year? “It felt bad to me to know first what my family stands for," he said. "To know that my dad and my mom never raised a soft kid. I took it personal, I really did. I guess that’s the kind of chip on my shoulder I came out with.”

• Etheridge had high praise for Bell. "He will do whatever he can to sacrifice his body for the team and the Auburn family," he said. "So he just goes out and throws all 180 or 170 or whatever into somebody. He just plays with his heart and gives his body up for the team.”

• One series that was somewhat overlooked was the defense stepping up after Quindarius Carr fumbled a punt in the third quarter. Alabama had great field position but couldn't get a first down and had to settle for a field goal to only go ahead 27-21. "That was really huge from a momentum swing," Roof said. "We all make mistakes, and that's being a team. That's our job. Our job is to go and respond, and when we're put in that situation to make them attempt a field goal and not just let them take it down on us for a touchdown. So we did what we were supposed to do."

• Roof said LB Eltoro Freeman earned his start the other day (the junior made 9 tackles, 2 TFLs and a sack) with his practice performance. Roof said he and Daren Bates will still both get a shot at starting next week, though. "We're evaluating that constantly, because it's our job as coaches to try to get the best group out there," he said. "Also, there are some incentives out there to practice too. There are rewards for performance."

• Freeman was a little worked up early (he whiffed on McElroy on one tackle) but Bynes had a talk with him. "He was a little down because he missed tackles or whatever," Bynes said. "I told him: You have to calm down. Let's calm down. If you calm down, things are going to happen and it's going to be perfect for you. When he did that, he went out there and played great. It was a great scenario for him."

• Roof said South Carolina is playing with more confidence now, especially quarterback Stephen Garcia: "He's making good decisions and taking care of the football. You see him against everybody, where he's moving the sticks with his feet. Anytime you get a quarterback who's got mobility back there, that presents a whole other set of issues. So we've got our work cut out for us."

• WR Alshon Jeffery had eight catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns the first time he played Auburn. "He’s a different player now than he was the first time we met him," Bell said. "He’s stepped his level of play up, and we’ve definitely got to step ours up. We just haven’t been getting it done on the back side, speaking for the secondary. We know what’s at stake this weekend. We’re going to do everything we can.”

• More Alshon love from Etheridge: “I mean, he’s big. All of us know it on the back end. He has great hands and he uses his body very well. We’ve got to find ways to stop him. He’s one of our main focuses. He’s probably one of their best players on offense. This game, we’ve definitely got to step up on the back end and try to stop him.”

• RB Marcus Lattimore is pretty good too, although Auburn did a good job of corralling him the first time (14 rushes, 33 yards, 1 TD). "He was a guy who keeps his feet moving after contact," Bynes said. "When he gets wrapped up, he's still trying to strangle, to get up out of there for an extra yard or two. He'll keep his hand on the ground and bust out of there and take it for 20 if he wants to. He's still the same kind of guy we saw earlier in the year. We know our offense has increased in terms of having a lot better energy and physicality since then.

• Auburn and South Carolina have played before, obviously. Left guard Mike Berry said the team can take some things from that game, especially up front. "From a pass-rush standpoint, you’ve pretty much got a feel for what they’re going to do," he said. "But other than that, it’s one of those things where they also have the advantage of they might know a couple calls here and there. At the end of the day, it comes down to who wants it more and who’s going to be physical."

• Isom is from Jonesboro, Ga., so playing in the Georgia Dome is a homecoming of sorts for him. "It’s definitely special," he said. "I never got to play in the Dome. We played in the Peach Bowl, but that was my redshirt year. We didn’t make it to the state playoffs in high school, so I’m really excited to play in it."

• TE Philip Lutzenkirchen did a little jig after scoring the game-winning touchdown against Alabama. Isom asked him about it. "I definitely saw it," he said. "It looked like a Riverdance to me. That’s what I tell him. I asked him what he was thinking. He said he just blacked out."

• Bynes came down to Auburn and South Carolina during his recruiting four years ago. He chose Auburn, obviously. "Auburn was a family kind of atmosphere," he said. "When I went to other schools, it didn't feel comfortable. It didn't feel like him to me. It was all about Auburn. There were a lot of Florida guys here. You felt like you already were part of the team and not like an outcast. I'm not saying South Carolina made me feel like that. When I came here, I felt like I was already on the team."

• Isom, on the Iron Bowl celebration: "It was a celebration like no other. You can’t really put into words, to go in there against your rival in the Iron Bowl and to come out victorious."