Demond Washington and Mike Dyer got in on the weekly SEC award bonanza Monday.

• QB Cam Newton: Offensive POTW against Arkansas State, South Carolina, Arkansas, LSU
• DT Nick Fairley: Defensive POTW against Mississippi State, D-line POTW against Louisiana-Monroe, Arkansas, LSU
• LB Josh Bynes: Defensive POTW against Clemson
• DT Mike Blanc: D-line POTW against South Carolina
• PK Wes Byrum: Special teams POTW against Kentucky
• CB Demond Washington: Special teams POTW against Ole Miss
• RB Mike Dyer: ROTW against Ole Miss

With limited bodies in the secondary, Auburn burned the redshirt on cornerback Ryan White against Ole Miss on Saturday. Head coach Gene Chizik said the Tigers didn't have any other choice.

"Two weeks ago, we had to make the decision to play him," Chizik said. "We had to take him out of the redshirt, which we didn’t want to do. But we’re at that place and time where we have no choice."

Auburn brought only four cornerbacks to Oxford: Neiko Thorpe, Demond Washington, Chris Davis and White.

T'Sharvan Bell has missed the last two games with a hamstring problem. Anthony Morgan is "banged up."

White was the next option. The true freshman got a late start in August after trying his hand at quarterback the first two weeks of two-a-days. He spent all season on the scout team, mimicking option quarterbacks whenever the Tigers would face one.

Auburn began gearing him up for special teams work during LSU week. White didn't make his debut until Ole Miss, however.

"Against LSU, all of a sudden it was ‘Wow, I’m redshirting, now I’ve got to go play,’" Chizik said. "That’s pretty eye-opening for a young guy. We’re trying to bring him along in practice every day so he gets a little less of a ‘wow’ factor for him when he gets in there.”

White got in as a cornerback with the reserves late in the game.

"At the end of the day, it was ‘Man, I’ve got a chance to help the team win,'" Chizik said. "That’s the ultimate goal for all of us: we want to win. And he understands that’s his role that he’s got to serve on the team.”

Chizik said Auburn's depth situation isn't too much different than last year.

'It’s just that this time last year it would have been a walk-on. Now it’s a true freshman," he said. "We don’t like to do that to the best of our ability, but we have to do what we have to do."

Auburn has now played 16 true freshmen this year. Ten are currently redshirting.

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Some other longer notes and quotes from today's teleconference:

• Chizik likes how Auburn has handled the BCS hubbub: "I think our coaches have really done a good job of carrying on day-to-day as they usually do. I think our players have really done a good job of shielding themselves from all the outside opinions and things of that nature and really tried to be a one-day-at-a-time team. And I just feel like that has happened to the best of our ability. And Saturday, again, we had to go and play an extremely tough road game, and I thought they focused and played well and kind of blocked out all the outside possible distractions."

• Auburn could drop to No. 2 in the BCS rankings this week (although ESPN's Brad Edwards said it will remain No. 1). Want to guess if Chizik cares about this? "No. We've just got to keep doing our part," he said. "I don't really have the energy for it, to be honest with you. I'm just trying to get better every day along with the rest of our team. Our job is to keep winning. None of that is in our control. We're playing to the best of our ability, we're coaching to the best of our ability. If we weren't doing that, then I'd have a concern. But as long as they're playing to the best of their ability in terms of effort and how they're being coached and we're doing the things that need to as coaches to win, that's what I look at every day."

• No news on the status of TE Philip Lutzenkirchen, who changed into street clothes during the Ole Miss game at one point. Chizik didn't give any specifics on what was bothering the sophomore. "He's just beat up like everybody else," he said.

• Lots of stuff on Washington today. I think I'm doing my Tuesday story on him, but here's a good quote by Chizik about him: "Demond wants the challenges. He likes to be challenged. That’s why he’s so good on kickoffs. He’s a competitor. He wants the ball. He wants you to throw at him. I think Demond’s, probably over the last couple weeks, become a better football player. He’s become more productive.”

• Chizik gave some kudos to defensive tackle Zach Clayton for running down an Ole Miss running back down the sideline and making a tackle Saturday. "It's unbelievable," Chizik said. "Iit's phenomenal. It's just great effort. There's another guy who doesn't get near the recognition week in, week out he deserves. He's been a real force for us, I think, down there inside."

• Daren Bates didn't travel. Jonathan Evans filled in and made five tackles, including a half-tackle for a loss. Eltoro Freeman got some time too. "I thought they filled in fine," Chizik said. "I don't think there was a whole noticeable drop-off in my opinion."

• Chizik said quarterback Cam Newton has some things to improve on. Namely: tackling. "We're still evaluating that. We're going to do some extra drills Tuesday to make sure that he's got the proper body position," Chizik joked. "He's got to be a little more athletic when he makes catches, too. He was way too close on (to the sideline) on that. We've got to work on that."

• Is there anything else Newton can do right now? "If we did, he could probably do all the above," he said. "He's that good of an athlete. Right now, we're going to limit it to handing off, running, throwing and now catching."

Gene Chizik has arrived. Here's what he has had to say:

• "It was great to finish up the month of October, which was an extremely difficult month on our schedule."

• On handling the BCS distractions: "I think our players have done a good job of shielding themselves from outside distractions."

• Said teh team doesn't decide ahead of time how much Cam Newton will run. "The plans don't always unfold the way you think they will on gameday."

• On UT-Chattanooga only being able to practice 16 hours a week (APR result): "That basically cuts out a day of practice. I can imagine it's fairly challenging. I don't really have the energy to think about it."

• On TE Philip Lutzenkirchen: "I don't really have a whole lot of information that will be helpful right now." Said he was "beat up."

• Auburn gave up a big run early. "I assess everything on how we did after that." Said the defense got the jet sweep under control. "I thought they responded well."

• On Demond Wasington: "He's got a good feel for it right now. And we're blocking it better. If he hits one of those seams, he's got a chance to go."

• On the BCS: "I don't really have the energy for it, to be honest with you. Our job is to keep winning."

• Singled out Demond and Mike Dyer as having a great game. O-line too. Kodi Burns as a blocker on the perimeter.

• Liked the kickoffs they're getting from Cody Parkey and Wes Byrum.

• On DB Ryan White playing: "Simply by bodies two weeks ago, we had to have the decision to play him." Didn't want to take the redshirt off. "We were at a place and time where we didn't have a choice."

• Auburn only brought four cornerbacks to the game. White was No. 4. Antony Morgan is "banged up."

• Said depth situation is not too different than last year. "This time last year it would have been a walk-on. This year it's a true freshman."

• On the secondary: "They're fighting. They're battling."

• Credited Demond's pick at the 2 as a huge momentum shift. "Demond likes the challenges."

• On yesterday's road Tiger Walk: "It was off the chart."

• On autograph seekers: "There are going to some that don't have their heart in the right place, but most of them do."

• Thought DEs Michael Goggans and Corey Lemonier played with great effort.

• On DE Zach Clayton chasing a running back down for a tackle 25 yards down the field: "Phenomenal. It's unbelievable." Said Clayton still doesn't get enough recognition.

• Said Jonathan Evans filled in fine for LB Daren Bates. "I didn't think there was a noticeable dropoff."

• On Newton: "We just have to limit him to handing it off, throwing, running and, now, catching."

• "This week is about Auburn." Said they're going to look back at the last month and re-evaluate the team.

• On this week's game against UT-Chattanooga, a lower division team: "We will tell them the expectation is to win. And if we do what we should do in the name of improving as a team, then we should have a chance to win the game."

And that's a wrap.

An easy looking win for Auburn tonight, which looked like it answered some of its critics. Here's how tomorrow's game story starts:

OXFORD, Miss. — The Bowl Championship Series' No. 1 team certainly looked the part Saturday night.

Auburn showed no letdown in a 51-31 win at Ole Miss, six days after rising to the top spot in the BCS rankings for the first time in school history.

The Tigers (9-0, 6-0 SEC) avoided the top-ranked curse, doing what Alabama, Ohio State and Oklahoma couldn't in the last three weeks — win a conference road game with a No. 1 ranking next to their school's name.

"We plugged our ears to the media when it came to every week the No. 1 team has fallen short of a victory," quarterback Cam Newton said.

On a day when Michigan State and Missouri fell from the ranks of the unbeatens, Auburn had no such trouble, building an insurmountable lead to silence the 61,474 in attendance at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, the fifth largest crowd in Ole Miss history.

Newton showed off his passing chops (and his potential as a 6-foot-6 receiver), the Tigers scored on a number of explosive plays and the defense did a serviceable job of containing Rebels quarterback Jeremiah Masoli in a runaway win that should silence some of Auburn's critics.

"I don't know what they're going to see when they watch us," head coach Gene Chizik said. "But we've got a good football team."

Let's go through the rest bullet style, shall we?

• Auburn finished with 572 yards of offense and 51 points, the most it has ever scored against Ole Miss. "For us, that's not much of a shock," Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said. "It probably is for the outside world."

• It didn't do it in typical fashion. Ole Miss sold out to stop Newton from running the ball. He threw it at will instead. The Heisman Trophy candidate threw for 188 of his 209 yards in the first half. Newton completed a season-high 18 of 24 passes, spreading the ball around. Often forgotten receivers Darvin Adams, Emory Blake and Terrell Zachery combined for 16 catches, 189 yards and two touchdowns. "I think it is good, because I hear a lot of people say that we're a one-dimensional team and all we can do is run the ball," Blake said. "But we're aware we have talent on the perimeter and we know what our ability is."

• Newton played a new role, too: receiver. He had a nifty 20-yard touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone on a ball thrown by Kodi Burns. How good of a receiver could the 6-foot-6 Newton be if he was a full-time receiver. "Really good," Malzahn deadpanned. "No doubt. Coach Troop is always like, 'He can come in my room' Naw. Naw."

• Blake had a good take on Newton's catch too: "He's 6-6. He better come down with the ball."

• Once Auburn established the pass, it put the game away with the run. The Tigers got 203 of their 343 yards in the second half, topping the 300-yard mark for the fifth straight SEC game. "You rush for the yards that we rush for in this league, your offensive line has to be doing some great things," Malzahn said.

• Freshman tailback Mike Dyer continued to establish himself as the Tigers' go-to back, rushing 21 times for a career-high 180 yards and a touchdown. "Mike seemed to be the catalyst tonight," Chizik said. Dyer has 723 rushing yards this year, the third most for a freshman in Auburn history. Bo Jackson had 829 in 1982 and Travis Tidwell had 772 in 1946.

• A big night for Demond Washington. First he came up with a momentum-shifting interception on the Auburn 2-yard line after the Tigers handed the Rebels great field position with a fumble. It was 17-14 Auburn at the time and halted Ole Miss completely. "It was huge," Chizik said. "There was no question about it. We knew they were going to throw the ball up to some of their taller receivers. They tried to get Demond matched up on a 6-foot-4 guy, and they threw the ball up.

• Washington added to his night with a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown with 2½ left before halftime to make it 31-17. He broke Tristan Davis' 2006 single-season school record for kickoff return yardage in the process.

• The Tigers took a 34-17 lead into halftime getting a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Demond Washington and a 35-yard field goal from Wes Byrum in the final 2½ minutes. "I couldn’t keep my feet," said Washington, who slipped on two returns that looked like they could have gone for big yardage. "It was there all night, but I couldn’t keep my feet. I kept telling coach, ‘Go back to it, go back to it.’ He said keep your feet this time, and I said I will."

• Defensively, the Tigers allowed 31 points — the sixth time they have allowed 24 or more in a game this year — but that number is slightly misleading. Ole Miss running back Jeff Scott scored on an 83-yard run on the game's second play. And the Rebels scored on a long touchdown drive late in the game against Auburn's second- and third-stringers.

• In between, the Tigers played some pretty good defense. Although they didn't have a sack, they generally corralled Masoli, who threw for 189 yards and a touchdown but was limited to 29 rushing yards on 14 carries. Auburn stepped up big in the third quarter, holding Ole Miss to zero yards on six plays right after halftime. The Tigers scored 10 points on those two possessions to put the game out of reach at 44-17.

• I'm not sure what the status of TE Philip Lutzenkirchen is. He was in street clothes by the end of the game. Not sure exactly when he left.

• Safety Zac Etheridge and running back Rodney Scott had a chance to meet at the post-game prayer circle, a nice capper to their story. Etheridge's family was there as well. "It’s been a tough week for me to really prepare for this game,” Etheridge said. “You start reflecting on a lot of stuff. But I overcame it, we’re 9-0, so I’m happy.”

• Your offensive leaders (not previously mentioned):

• RB Onterio McCalebb: 9 carries, 99 yards (68-yard TD run)
• Newton: 11 carries, 45 yards
• Adams: 6 catches, 75 yards, TD
• Blake: 5 catches, 50 yards
• Zachery: 5 catches, 54 yards, TD
• Burns: 2 catches, 20 yards, 1-1 passing, 20 yards, TD
  
• Third-down conversions: 9-for-13
  

• Your defensive leaders:

• CB Neiko Thorpe: 7 tackles
• Washington: 6 cakles, 1 interception, 1 pass breakup
• S Mike McNeil: 6 tackles
• LB Jonathan Evans: 5 tackles, .5 TFL
• DT Nick Fairley: 4 tackles, 1 TFL
• Ole Miss third-down conversions: 6 of 14
  
• TOP: Auburn 33:14, Ole Miss 26:46
  

• One last thought: the win puts Auburn a step closer to its goal of winning the SEC West and possibly more. The Tigers have at least one backer on the Ole Miss sideline. After the game, a Rebels assistant approached Newton with a simple request: "Go win it all."

OXFORD, Miss. — The Bowl Championship Series' No. 1 team looks the part after one half at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Auburn has a 34-17 lead against Ole Miss after 30 minutes thanks to Cam Newton's passing and a number of explosive plays.

Newton, the SEC's rushing leader, hasn't run much, but he has completed 15 of 21 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown. He also caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Kodi Burns out of the Wildcat formation.

Darvin Adams has six catches for 75 yards and a touchdown. Emory Blake has five catches for 86 yards. The Tigers have 348 yards of offense.

Ole Miss scored first, getting an 83-yard touchdown run from Jeff Scott on the second play of the game.

Auburn answered with Burns' touchdown pass to Newton and went ahead on a 68-yard touchdown run by Onterio McCalebb.

The Rebels tied it at 14 on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Jeremiah Masoli to Markeith Summers, but it was almost all Auburn the rest of the half.

Wes Byrum's 25-yard field goal made it 17-14 before Demond Washington picked off a Masoli pass at the Tigers' own 2-yard line. Auburn drove 98 yards, getting a 24-yard touchdown pass from Newton to Adams to finish the drive.

After an Ole Miss field goal, Washington broke free for a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, the second of his career.

After a fourth-down stop in Rebels territory, Byrum made a 35-yard field goal just before halftime to make it 34-17.

You're looking LIVE at Jerry Hollingsworth Field at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss. It doesn't look like much from the outside but it's a pretty nice stadium once you get inside, as you can see from the above picture.

We're here early in anticipation of a tackle football game that will take place later tonight between the Auburn Tigers and Ole Miss Rebel Landshark Black Bears presented by Hotty and Toddy. Should be an entertaining game.

Personally, I would have chosen Rebel Alliance leader Admiral Ackbar as the school's mascot. He would have fit perfectly into the theme of this game ("IT'S A TRAP!").

As usual, we'll be blogging as the game gets closer with any pertinent information. If you have checked out my game advance, click here to do so. It's about Ole Miss quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, who has been a Cam Newton-lite this year.

You can also follow the blog on Twitter for quick information and in-game musings. Tweet at me if you've got any questions. I usually check often throughout the game.

Here's some pre-game minutia you might care to know:

• Ole Miss has requested to wear white uniforms, which means Auburn will be in its usual home blue. But the Rebels are still calling for fans to wear blue to the game. This is weird, but it is true.

• Auburn leads the series 25-9.

• Auburn had won seven straight games in Oxford before Mississippi won in 2008.

• The Tigers (8-0, 5-0 SEC) are No. 1 in the BCS rankings for the first time in school history.
• Auburn is ranked third in the Associated Press and coaches polls, its highest ranking since No. 2 in 2006.

• The Tigers are the only team in the AP Top 25 that has four wins against ranked teams. Only Wisconsin has beaten as many as two.

• Auburn is fourth nationally in rushing offense (303.3 ypg), 10th in total offense (486.8 ypg) and 11th in scoring offense (38.6 ppg).

• Ole Miss has allowed 32.0 point per game, 12th in the SEC.

• Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, who leads the SEC with 1,077 rushing yards, is the only player in school history to rush for at least 170 yards in four straight SEC games.
• Newton leads the nation with 14 rushing touchdowns and 27 combined passing and rushing touchdowns.

• Ole Miss averages 211.1 rushing yards per game, third in the league. But Auburn has been stingy against the run. The Tigers are third in the league in rushing defense, allowing 103.4 yards a game.

• Auburn has allowed 28 points in the fourth quarter and overtime this season.

• Tigers DT Nick Fairley leads the SEC and is third nationally with 17 tackles for loss. Auburn is 14th nationally as a team, averaging 7.5 tackles for loss per game.

• The Rebels are 0-6 all-time against the nation’s top team.

• Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt has five wins against teams ranked in the top five, including a 50-48 triple-overtime victory at No. 1 LSU while with Arkansas in 2007. In all five games, Nutt’s team was unranked.

• Rebels QB Masoli is one of four quarterbacks nationally to average at least 50 rushing yards and 180 passing yards per game. He's averaged 57.1 rushing yards and 180.0 passing yards per game this year.

• Ole Miss has allowed seven sacks this year, fewest in the SEC. It ranks 17th nationally.

• The line is Auburn by 7.
  

UPDATE, 2:18 p.m.: Ole Miss has just passed out 3D glasses at every press box seat. It appears there are also 3D glasses on every seat in the stadium. On the back: "Comin' at ya at the end of the first half!" I'm intrigued.

UPDATE, 3:08 p.m.: No sign of LB Daren Bates (shoulder) or CB T'Sharvan Bell (hamstring) in the pre-game prayer circle. Judging by his tweets, Bates did not make the trip. Bell I don't know about.

UPDATE, 4:07 p.m.: Apparently Ole Miss has gone with red uniforms today, not white. Not sure why it was imperative that Auburn wear blue. Maybe it's an election thing: blue vs. red.

UPDATE, 4:09 p.m.: Bates and Bell aren't in the pre-game stretching. Looks like they're not here.

UPDATE, 4:49 p.m.: Lineup changes: Jonathan Evans will start at OLB in place of Bates. Mike Dyer will start instead of Mario Fannin.

UPDATE, 5:00 p.m.: And the great uniform debate is over. Ole Miss is wearing all-gray to honor the 1960 national championship team. According to a sheet passed out, it is "believed to be the first time the Ole Miss football team has worn a jersey that was not red, white or blue."

The blog didn't fare so well at the craps tables in Tunica, Miss.. But before we lost our shirt, we filed this game advance about Ole Miss quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and how Auburn will have a tall task trying to contain him tonight. Here's how it starts:

AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn’s defense is well aware of the danger a dual-threat quarterback can present. It sees one of the best in practice every day.

That doesn’t make tonight’s matchup against Ole Miss' Jeremiah Masoli any easier.

The Tigers (8-0, 5-0 SEC) will try to keep their No. 1 Bowl Championship Series ranking at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium by corralling Masoli, a smaller but still-dangerous version of Cam Newton.

“He’s the most athletic quarterback we’ve faced,” Auburn safeties coach Tommy Thigpen said.

Although the Rebels (3-4, 1-3 SEC) have struggled to win this year, it can’t be pinned on Masoli.

The 5-foot-11, 220-pound senior has thrown for 1,260 yards and 10 touchdowns and has added another 400 yards and three touchdowns on the ground in his first year at Ole Miss.

Read the full thing here. And follow the blog on Twitter and Facebook.

AUBURN, Ala. — As Onterio McCalebb raced down the field on his 70-yard, game-winning touchdown run against LSU, Auburn’s wide receivers picked themselves up off the ground behind the play, satisfied with the role they had in it.

Emory Blake chipped a linebacker, Kodi Burns picked up a cornerback while Terrell Zachery buried another 15 yards downfield, springing McCalebb to the perimeter, virtually untouched.

“We knew we were a big part of that play and we made that play spring like it did,” Blake said. “We take a lot of pride in blocking on the perimeter.”

The offensive line has gotten the bulk of credit for the Tigers’ rushing success, and rightfully so, but the blocking by Auburn’s wide receivers has played a major role in helping the team turn itself into a rushing juggernaut.

“The guys have bought in,” Auburn wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor said. “They’re doing a great job. And they understand with the backs and the quarterback we have, if you get them on the perimeter, they have the chance to score.”

I put together a video from Wednesday's interview with assistant coaches. It's got wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor, offensive line coach Jeff Grimes and safeties coach Tommy Thigpen. Enjoy.

And join Thursday's live chat at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT.

I put together a video from today's interviews. It's got quarterback Cam Newton (from a distance, unfortunately), right guard Byron Isom and left tackle Lee Ziemba. Enjoy.

I'll be back with more later.

It's been less than a year since quarterback Cam Newton was at Blinn Community College, trying to get his once-promising career back on track.

With all the Heisman buzz surrounding him now that he's helped lead Auburn to an 8-0 start and the No. 1 spot in the BCS rankings, he's having a hard time believing it's all true.

"Every morning I try and pinch myself because I’m in a dream right now," he said. "I can’t even imagine."

Newton can't walk through campus without getting all sorts of attention, a far cry from his time at Blinn in Brenham, Texas.

"The times at Blinn where if I go to Walmart or if I go get some groceries, I would just look at that as if I was just a regular citizen," he said. "Now I can’t even go anywhere that someone doesn’t recognize me.

"That can either be a good thing or a bad thing in some instances, but I never let that get to me or interfere with me as a person because that doesn’t make me or break
me.”

Newton loves the vibe on around town.

"When you walk on campus, you can just feel the love of every single one," he said. "Whether it’s taking a picture or saying ‘War Eagle’ going to class, there is something just special about this campus that I really like and really admire about everybody on this campus. They make you feel special and there is more to it than just football. It’s something bigger.”

As for the official website the school created for him on the athletics page, Newton has seen it.

"I got a chance to glance on it but somehow or another I can’t look at it for real on my phone," he said. "Somebody put some thought into it. I felt kind of good because they did a better job than I could’ve done. It’s bigger than I ever thought it could be."

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Here are some more notes and quotes from the early round of interviews:

• It's no secret Auburn will be a target now that it has a No. 1 before its name in the BCS rankings. "I don’t think there’s any question," Chizik said. "Everybody reads it, everybody sees it and everybody hears it. We fully expect to get everybody’s best shot, not that we didn’t four weeks ago. I think that just simply from the media that surrounds the reality of it, you continue to get everybody’s best shot and we fully expect that. That’s what makes it fun.”

• LT Lee Ziemba said at this point, losing doesn't even enter Auburn's mind. "You don’t think about losing at all. You think about what you can do to win the next game, "he said. "And that’s it. You don’t think about down the road. You can’t. You’ve got to think about one game at a time. That’s how we’ve got here, and that’s how we’ve got to continue."

• Three straight No. 1 teams have lost. Auburn would like to end that streak. "If we do our job, you can cut that statistic out," Newton said. "We feel that our coaches do an excellent job in preparing us for our game so we won’t have the coaches to blame because they’re going to do their job. It’s going to be up to us as players to be able to come in and know their weaknesses and know what they’re good at and be able to attack them from every single direction.”

• Five weeks after challenging the group to be more physical, Chizik followed up on his comments during the o-line's position meeting last Tuesday. "I went in there and told them, for us to win, you have to continue to improve, and you’re much better than you were a month ago, but you’re what makes it go," Chizik said. "So that’s where it starts."

• Chizik was complimentary of the line's play. Since the public challenge, the Tigers have rushed for 300 or more yards in all four of its SEC games, including 440 last Saturday against LSU, the league's top rushing defense. "Coach Chizik, for those who don't know, he doesn't toss around compliments very often," Ziemba said. "Very rarely. For him to come into our meeting and steal five minutes and tell us how good of a job we're doing meant the world to me and to the rest of the guys."

• What was his new message? "Little guys will follow the big guys," Ziemba said. "So it just starts with us."

• Chizik thinks Ole Miss QB Jeremiah Masoli is similar to Newton in some ways. "Well I think they both can give you a lot of problems just by their abilities to make things happen maybe when something isn’t necessarily there," he said. "He brings definitely a dimension to the team that’s two-fold, and his athletic ability is the reason he’s able to do those things."

• Newton said he hasn't been clocked in the 40-yard dash at Auburn. "I wouldn’t consider myself fast, I just consider myself not being able to get caught," he said. "I just don’t want to get caught because that’s going to be the biggest topic on the sideline, ‘Man you got caught.’ I just hate getting caught in the open field. That would be shameful of me.”

• It's been eight straight weeks for Auburn, with three more on the schedule before a bye. "(Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn) used to always say, ‘Embrace the grind,'" Newton said. "This was leading upon two-a-days and he used to always say ‘The moment can never be too big for an athlete to be able to perform.’ There are countless quotes that ol’ Gus Malzahn has in his vernacular. He just keeps spitting them out back to back. He is a wise guy, and just being around him can make you a wise person. He’s just saying that just because he was always saying ‘Great teams embrace the grind.’ You just can’t come out here and expect on Saturday just to practice or play well because it starts on the first day or whenever the installation is for the next team, and you have to love that.”

• Newton said his play hasn't been perfect. "There are a lot of things that I get away with that a lot of people really don’t see, and I just can’t get lax in my ability to get myself out of trouble," he said. "I still have to make the reads and whatnot."

• Ziemba was bummed he didn't get into the play where Auburn moved Mike Dyer in the pile for about five yards after the play appeared done. "I'm kind of ashamed of this," he said. "I blocked my backer pretty good. And then I see the pile behind me and I just kind of watched it, because I really couldn't do anything. I couldn't grab the pile and pull it forward. And I didn't want to get a personal foul and make it all for naught, so I kind of sat there and watched everybody else get involved."

• At least Ziemba's guy didn't get in the play. "Yeah, he didn't get involved either," he said. "That's the main part of it."

• Ziemba admitted he's not the best trash talker. "Back when I was a freshman, I remember Tyronne Green – he plays for the Chargers – he would have to back me up because I’d get all tongue-twisted," he said. "I’m not good at talking crap, talking smack. I would just be like kind of ‘Uh, yeah, shut up.’ And he’d have to come in there and like help me out with some of that and back me up. I remember that kind of stuff. And all the guys make fun of me because I’m not very good at talking smack. I’ve improved, I think. I’ve got some go-to lines.”

• It's another part of his game Ziemba has honed. "I’ve gotten a lot better since then," he said with a laugh. "A lot better, I’d have to say. The guys don’t think so, but I do.”

• Who's the best trash talker on the team? "I don’t know," Ziemba said. "Looks like our defense does a lot of it."

• One more Newton tale from Blinn. He remembered the spring of 2009, when Blinn coach Brad Franchione made the team paint the stadium. "And it wasn’t like the paint brushes you get at Home Depot, these were like the sample ones," he said. "You had to keep dipping it like three times. It was bad."

• Newton said it's part of what kept him humble while at Blinn. "I can revert back to that and remember where I came from," he said. "It was during the time that I had just gotten there maybe a month, month and a half and I was like, ‘Man, a couple of months ago I was drinking Gatorade looking at NFL prospects. Now I’m looking at guys that aren’t even in the same league as my little brother.’ I still keep up with those guys to this day and they are genuine guys."

• Despite Mario Fannin's fumbling problems, Chizik said the Tigers aren't giving up onthe running back. "We’re right there with him," Chizik said. "We need Mario to win. There’s no question about that. We’re right there with him. I could turn on the film and show you a lot of guys that have made mistakes throughout the games that no one did notice, but they were huge. That’s our whole team. We’ve all made those mistakes and we’re sticking with our guys.”

• Chizik said Auburn stresses ball security as much as it can. "Coach (Curtis) Luper continues to work it with all the running backs all the time from the time they get out there and stretch to the time they leave the field," Chizik said. "Again, it’s just something we’ll continue to stress andhopefully we’ll have a better result."

• Although Quindarius Carr hasn't done much in the punting game, Chizik doesn't anticipate making any major changes back there.

• Lots of feel good stuff about Zac Etheridge nearly a year after his scary neck injury a year ago against Ole Miss. "He’s blessed," Chizik said. "A year ago now was a very hard time for everybody, for him, for his family, for our team. Just the fact that he’s sitting here playing in this game is amazing. I’m in amazement when I really step back and think about that day. He’s very blessed, he knows he is and it’s just going to be somewhat of a little bit of an emotional deal for him possibly. I don’t know, we haven’t really talked about it. I know he knows how lucky he is, and I’m sure he’s not going to forget that."

• Ole Miss' Jesse Grandy had an 82-yard kick return for a touchdown last year against Auburn. Chizik is well aware. "When you have somebody that good at what they do, that’s where it really becomes a huge point of emphasis for us for all of our coverage units," he said. "I think it’s going to be a huge special teams game."

• Another player who got challenged a couple weeks ago? RB Eric Smith. "A couple of weeks ago I didn’t think he was playing near up to the potential that he should be," Chizik said. "And we challenged him a couple of weeks ago and I think we’ve seen a significant change in the way he’s played."

• Chizik likes Smith because "he does dirty work. He knows that’s his job. It’s not always glamorous or glorious, but it’s what we have to do to be successful offensively with what his role is in our run game and in our protections."

• Chizik was asked if he is enjoying this moment (presumably being undefeated and No. 1 in the BCS) because it doesn't happen to often. "I enjoy every day I come here," he said. "Today is no different to me than a month ago. Not one bit. I did the same things this morning I did one month ago. I’ll do the same things this afternoon I did eight weeks ago. I’ll do the same thing tonight I did seven weeks ago. I’m just blessed to be able to get up every day and come to work here. Other than that, nothing’s changed."

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

• "We've got our work cut out for us. Just a great challenge again on the road. We'll start again today. We'll start getting better at some things."

• On Jeremiah Masoli: "A lot of the plays you see him as extremely effective is breaking the pocket and getting out in space. He does a lot of things extremely well. He brings a whole other dimension to their offense that makes it challenging to stop."

• Said a lot of the stuff Masoli does is by design, but he can improvise as well. "His athletic ability is the reason he can do those things."

• Chizik on how fast things have turned around: "Haven't really stepped back to think about it, to be honest with you. You can be happy with the result, but you shouldn't at all be satisfied with where we're at."

• On maturity helping being able to cope with being No. 1: "I think it helps. Young guys these days, they hear it. They see it. There's really no way of getting away from it."

• On if opponents raise their game: "I don't think there's any question. We fully expect to get everybody's best shot. ... That's what makes it fun."

• On Mario Fannin: "We're right there with him. We need Mario Fannin to win. I can turn on the film and show you a lot of guys who made mistakes throughout games that no one did notice that were huge. We've all made mistakes."

• Said team is prepared to put another punt returner back there if it needs to.

• On Zac Etheridge: "He's blessed, man. Just the fact that he's sitting here playing in this game is amazing."

• Thinks the offensive line has continued to improve since he called them out before the Clemson game. "When you challenge our guys, as a coach you look for guys to respond. If they don't respond, you have issues."

• "This is going to be a special teams, field position deal Saturday. I really believe that."

• Said he challenged RB Eric Smith to step up his game a couple weeks ago and has seen a step forward. Said he wasn't as physical as he should be and wasn't playing up to his potential. Chizik likes what he adds, though. "I like him because he does dirty work."

• "I enjoy every day I come here. Today's not different from a month ago. I'm just blessed every day to get up and come to work here."

• On breaking into the top 2 in the BCS rankings after not being able to do that in 2004: "Haven't really thought about it."

• On preparing for SEC running games: "It's what you get in the league. It's tough every week."

• On Cam Newton: "I think everybody has to be mindful that he's been in this offense for eight games." Thinks he's had a steady progression. "I think he's made significant strides on being the true leader of the offense. Kind of like his game has evolved, week-by-week he's gotten better. Leadership is an action. It's not a position. I think by his actions, his leadership with this team is out there for everybody to see. He does it by action because of his effort and competitiveness."

Some bonus Newton quotes:

• On his website: "Somebody took some thought into it. I felt good because they did a better job than I could have done. It's bigger than I thought it would be."

• "Every morning I try to pinch myself because I'm in a dream right now."

• Apparently Newton and his team at Blinn JC had to paint the stadium before the spring when he was there. "Times like that keep me humble now."

• "Now I can't even got anywhere without people recognizing me. It's a great feeling, honestly. I can remember going on campus and people weren't looking at me like they're looking at me now."

• Said the Auburn campus is unique in how people treat him.

• "I don't consider myself fast. I just don't want to get caught."

• Said Gus Malzahn is full of motivational stuff like: Great teams embrace the grind. "He's a wise guy and just being around him is a wise person."

• On being No. 1: "It doesn't matter after Week 8 to be No. 1. There's only one week that matters, and that's at the end of the year."

• Said there are things he needs to improve on. Reads, specifically. "There's a lot of things that I get away with that a lot of people don't really see. I'm not satisfied with my performance and I don't think I'll have that game where I'm satisfied."

• On Masoli: "He's an elusive guy. He's a guy that's fun to watch, also. Just what he can do, it's a scare for defenders just looking out on the field."

• On not having a break so far: "Bye week or no bye week: we signed up to play in the SEC. Week-in and week-out, you put your best foot forward."

• On the No. 1 team losing the last three weeks: "If we do our job, you can cut that statistic out."

And that's a wrap.

Today's newspaper story is about defensive tackle Nick Fairley, who is going to get some national award consideration himself at the end of the season:

I put together a video from tonight's interviews. It's got safety Zac Etheridge, defensive end Nosa Eguae, defensive tackle Nick Fairley, offensive lineman Mike Berry and defensive coordinator Ted Roof. Enjoy.

There were some other notes from tonight other than Auburn's No. 1 BCS ranking. We'll just get straight to the bullet points:

(After you follow the blog on Twitter and Facebook of course.)

• Defensive coordinator Ted Roof stopped short of saying Saturday's effort against LSU was the defense's best of the year. But he praised his team, which gave up only 243 yards and three first downs in the second half. (Although it should be noted that LSU is not exactly the Indianapolis Colts out there.) "We were more consistent,"Roof said. "That’s one of the things that we’ve been preaching and trying to become is a more consistent defense. We need to become more consistent next Saturday than we were last Saturday. I keep coming going back to that, but that’s the whole deal."

• Roof said the tape makes it easy sell that the group still has to get better. "Is it tough to sell? No, it’s not tough to sell," Roof said. "Because when you turn on the tape, they see the mistakes. When you watch a game, there’s a lot of things you don’t see -- good and bad. The beautiful thing about tape is you get to rewind it and go over and over it and the tape doesn’t lie. The tape doesn’t buffalo you."

• Both Roof and head coach Gene Chizik had faint praise for outside linebacker Jonathan Evans, who filled in for an injured Daren Bates. Chizik said he played adequate. Roof implied he did just OK.

• Roof was a little more forthcoming about CB Chris Davis' effort. "I was pleased with him," he said. "I thought he competed well. He didn’t fold. He didn’t cower down to the magnitude of what some people may have perceived that game. He just went out there and played football. I was real proud of him."

• Roof said linebacker Craig Stevens had his best game this year. The senior LB had seven tackles and a TFL. “I felt like it was an all right game for me," Stevens said. "I don’t know if I would say it was the best. You’re always going to have a few mistakes or whatever. I just feel like there’s always room for improvement. I don’t just want to put a stamp on one game being my best game. I just look at it as another game I played well, but I can always play better.”

• Stevens can play both weak-side and strong-side linebacker, which should help Auburn's rotation if Bates is out for some considerable time. "I feel comfortable at either side," he said.

• LOTS of talk about Ole Miss being a trap game. It figures to be after Auburn played three straight emotionally-charged games in a row. The Rebels are 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the SEC. "We're not going to let our guard down," safety Zac Etheridge said. "We came into this thing together as a team and we all go in and really compete. We all have got each others' back. We play for each other. And everybody's got their mind set that we don't want to lose and we're not going to lose. So it's going to be tough going into the hostile environment, but I think we did a lot of games on the road, I think the team can handle and prepare well."

• It was about this time a year ago that Etheridge suffered a scary neck injury against Ole Miss that left him motionless on the field. Etheridge has credited Rebels RB Rodney Scott with helping him avoid further injury. Scott finished underneath Etheridge at the end of the play but remained still while trainers tended to the injured Auburn safety. It's a compelling story people like to hear about. "I guess just because you see two great guys with great character and belief and trust in God, and that's something that a lot of people want to see," Etheridge said. "And I really can't tell you besides that that we just happened to be in the right place at the right time." (I'll have more on this later this week).

• LOTS of Nick Fairley talk today. I plan to write my story for Tuesday on him, so I'll save the "A" material. But here's a taste: Fairley has knocked quarterbacks out of the last two games. He even body slammed LSU's Jordan Jefferson on his final sack Saturday. "That’s normal for Nick," Stevens said. "Nothing out of the blue.”

• OK, one more Fairley note: He thinks Auburn's afternoon of hits on LSU's quarterbacks played a factor in Jarrett Lee running out of bounds short of the markers on fourth down late in the game. "He was like, let's get out of here," Fairley said. "Let's go back home."

• OK, one more: left guard Mike Berry said Fairley talks a little trash on the field. "He's got the right to."

• Ole Miss QB Jeremiah Masoli probably runs the ball better than any quarterback Auburn has seen this year (well, except for maybe Randall Cobb). "It puts a lot of pressure on the defense when you’re going against a quarterback that’s a dual threat like that," Stevens said. "It’s like other defenses see with Cam (Newton). You always have to keep in mind that this guy can run. When you’re back playing the pass, you’ve always got to keep an eye on him. See he doesn’t get out of that pocket.”

• Auburn stays in Montgomery now the night before games instead of LaGrange, Ga. Sounds like a nicer hotel. "Yeah. A lot nicer than an old Holiday Inn … a shack," Stevens said.

• Mike Dyer kept churning out yards after running into a pile yesterday. The o-line got in on the fun and when it was over, Auburn had an extra five yards out of the play. "I just felt a bunch of guys on the team kind of pushing me," Dyer said. "I kept moving, kept my legs moving. It really showed that that we wanted to win the game, that we have experience, our competitiveness, the family atmosphere. Everybody was just doing their part. I just went the extra mile. It was big for me to be part of that moment."

• "I was right there in the middle of it with all those guys," center Ryan Pugh said. "You could just hear the stadium going nuts when you were doing it. ... I don't know where Dyer was. I don't even know who I was pushing at that point. I was going in the direction we needed to go. It took me a second to really realize after the play was kind of over, because I did get a 15-yarder the week before for hitting a guy standing around the pile. It took me a second to realize do I really want to do the punishment again for that 15-yard penalty? It was fun."

• Berry's take on that play: "That run right there maybe shouldn’t have even gotten a yard.”

• Auburn had a new wrinkle on offense, lining up in a half-huddle very close to the line of scrimmage. The Tigers would send the receivers out first, then break the huddle and rush to the line for a quick snap. "It doesn’t give the defense a chance to get set or the ability to see what formation we’re in," Berry said. "It’s something else the defense has to deal with.”

• Berry said Auburn's line took things a little personal heading into the LSU game. "All we kept hearing was how great LSU was and how physical," he said. "I’m not going to take anything away from them, they are that, but we’re physical also. It was definitely something were we had something to prove. People were like, ‘Yeah, they’re a great offense, but what are they going to do when they face a great defense?’ It was one of those things that we took personally.”

• The line is dealing with the usual bumps and bruises at this point of the season. "It's part of the grind that you play in the SEC," Pugh said. "There's going to be days when it's tough to get out of bed, but that's what good teams do. Championship teams find a way to get better every day whether it's easy or not. At this point people have played seven or eight games already and there's no clear-cut end in sight. You're going to do the same thing this week you did last week; this week's game is just as big as last week's."

• Sounds like Pugh enjoyed Saturday's win quite a bit. "I don't think I even went to bed last night, I was so excited," he said. "It was just one of those things where it was a big game and so much build-up during the week and people showing up on Tuesday for the game, the atmosphere and things. We just sat around and talked about things all night. It was fun and it was something that you don't get to do very often. It was just one of those things where we just sat around and really wanted to soak up the moment. You've got to have a short memory. You've got to go back to work this week."

Auburn cranked up its Cam Newton-for-Heisman campaign last week, having the quarterback do a national teleconference and launching a website for the star player.

Head coach Gene Chizik thinks the best thing he and his coaches can do to help Newton win the Heisman is to continue to do what they've been doing.

"At the end of the day, it is a team award and the best thing we can do to promote any of our guys for any of our postseason awards is to continue to try to coach them to give them a plan every week to win," he said.

Newton made a strong push for Heisman consideration after running for a career-high 217 yards in a 24-17 win against No. 6 LSU on Saturday.

He leads the SEC in rushing with 1,077 yards and leads the nation with 14 rushing touchdowns and 27 touchdowns accounted for.

"In my opinion, a player's statistics and all the things that go into him warranting that attention, I think that's out there for everybody to see," Chizik said. "Do we have a guy that warrants that? Absolutely. There's no question about it."

Chizik said it will be important to manage Newton's time as his media demands are likely to increase in the upcoming weeks.

"If you talk about postseason awards and you talk about recognition and things of that nature, that's only going to come with him being able to focus on being a football player," Chizik said. "At the end of the day, he's got to do the things that are going to help him be the quarterback at Auburn."

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Some other notes and quotes from Chizik's teleconference:

• DT Nick Fairley is going to start getting some national award recognition the way he's playing. The junior had 3.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks Saturday. He has 7.5 sacks and 17 TFL this year (second and third in the SEC, respectively). "I think the numbers speak for themselves," Chizik said. "Anybody that watched the game yesterday would have a hard time denying the fact that he's one of the best defensive linemen in the country."

• Why is Fairley so good? Chizik thinks it's a rare combination of suddenness and power. "You can use the suddenness for in-and-out type moves that keep guys off-balance and once they get off-balance, you can come back and counter with a power move where you can take a guy back to the quarterback," he said. "That's what you look for in a defensive linemen. And those things are sometimes rare."

• Fairley has knocked two quarterbacks out of the game in back-to-back weeks. First Arkansas' Ryan Mallett. Then LSU's Jarrett Lee. It's probably enough to rattle future quarterbacks. "I just think anytime you pressure a guy, and whether you're putting him on the ground with the ball in his hand or you're putting him on the ground after he releases it, eventually that starts to build up in their minds," Chizik said. "And that's what pressures and sacks, that's what the result is. Bad balls being thrown down the field, that's what you hope you're getting when you get to the quarterback, especially when you can get to the quarterback without blitzing."

• Fairley body-slammed Jordan Jefferson to the ground on his final sack. "I don't think we've named that yet," Chizik said.

• Auburn could be No. 1 when the BCS rankings come out later tonight, something head coach Gene Chizik is trying to keep it out of his players' minds. He doesn't know how well that will work. "I can only control how we proceed in this building," he said. "We just had a team meeting and we talked about being very grounded and understanding that every week is a another new week and another opportunity. It probably sounds to them the same old sad song every Sunday. But that's what we do. Hopefully they'll continue to prepare -- I don't see any reason why they wouldn't -- like they have every other week."

• No news on LB Daren Bates, who left just before halftime with a right shoulder injury. "We'll have to wait and see," Chizik said. He said Jonathan Evans or Eltoro Freeman are potential replacements there.

• CB Neiko Thorpe had a bounceback game after the Arkansas debacle, despite playing with a cast on his left hand/arm that looked pretty cumbersome. "I was really proud of him," Chizik said. "I felt like he’s playing in kind of an uncomfortable situation. He’s beat up, he’s banged up like half of our football team is. But as a DB, sometimes that can get in your mind. He came back after last week and had a chance to make that pick there early. He was in great position, we were playing cover-three and did a great job breaking on the ball. Gained some confidence. Was able to spin out of some blocks and make tackles on the perimeter."

• Chizik liked the powerful way Mike Dyer ran the ball, especially when he moved the pile five or six yards on a third-quarter run. "We're looking for that physical type of running back," Chizik said. "Mike runs with his shoulders so low. He runs low to the ground, he's extremely powerful, he hangs onto the football and he's one of those guys that he can move a pile. His feet never stop and you're looking for those type of physical runs, even those ones where he gets hit at the line of scrimmage where he gets hit by a linebacker, because they brought an eighth guy down to the box and he was unblocked and he still gets a 2-yard gain out of a no-yard gain. You have to have a running back on your team that can do that."

• Strong praise for the offensive line too: "I don't think there's any question in my mind: everything has started with the offensive line playing much better than they did earlier in the year. That's what makes it go."

• Chizik was very disappointed in the way the special teams played. He thought Quindarius Carr could have field a few of those punts that got downed inside the 2-yard line. Chizik said the team is "going to get that fixed. ... We can’t operate like that. That’s a special teams nightmare."

• To the surprise of no one, Chizik would still like to see his team play a complete game. "If they'll look at the film and evaluate themselves accurately, there shouldn't be any reason for them to beat their chest at this point," he said.

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

• "We obviously feel very fortunate that we were able to win again Saturday. That was a great challenge for our football team."

• On Ole Miss: "Looking at them in generics, it appears to be the same type of Houston Nutt team every year. They run the football. They're physical up front. ... They'll be ready to play. They have some great athletes on their football team."

• Chizik on Cam Newton: "I'd have to say that anybody who watches him play knows he's in an elite group."

• Thinks teams has improved on chemistry, working together to win games since last trip to Mississippi (Starkville in the second week).

• On probably being No. 1 in the BCS standings: "I can only control how we proceed in this building." Said they just had a team meeting about staying grounded. "It probably sounds to them the same old sad song every Sunday."

• On not paying attention to records this week: "It's hard to play your best game every week. Fortunately or unfortunately, we haven't played our best game every week."

• Thought special teams was lacking the other day. Thought team could have put up more points based on the amount of yards it had. Special teams a big factor in that.

• "There really shouldn't be any reason for them to beat their chest right now anyway."

• Chizik admits his approach is boring: one day at a time, one play at a time. But he thinks it's effective.

• Newton is a Heisman guy. Auburn's even promoted it. "Do we have that a guy like that? Absolutely." Said the best thing the coaches can do it put him in a position to continue to be successful.

• "He's a great football player. That's why he is getting the attention he's getting."

• On demands on Newton's time: "I think it's really important. ... That's only going to come with him continuing on focus on how to be a good football player."

• Nick Fairley could get some award conversation too. "I don't think there's any way you could say he isn't. Anybody who watched the game yesterday would have a hard time denying the fact that he's one of the best defensive linemen in the country."

• Said he's got a rare combination of suddenness and power.

• He's knocked two quarterbacks out as well. It's the byproduct of pressure and sacks: "Eventually, that starts to build up in their minds."

• Thought CB Chris Davis did well. Said LB Jonathan Evans "played adequate enough for us to win."

• No new news on Daren Bates' injury. Said the fact that LB Craig Stevens can play Sam and Will gives team some flexibility.

• On Dyer moving the pile: "He's one of those guys who can move the pile. His feet never stop. You have to have a running back on your team that can do that."

• "Everything starts with the offensive line playing much better than it was the beginning of the year. That's what makes it go."

• On getting the ball inside its own 2-yard line several times: "We could have done a much better job of keeping ourselves out of bad field position. ... It was a special teams nightmare."

• On the defensive effort: "It's certainly up there with one of the best, for sure."

• Thought Mike McNeil did well. "I consider him a starter."

• On Neiko Thorpe, who played with a cast on his hand: "He's playing with an uncomfortable situation. ... It was good to see him bounce back and play well." Said the near pick he had early gave him confidence to go forward in the game.

And that's a wrap.

Auburn will play under the lights again when it goes on the road Oct. 30 at Ole Miss. The Tigers and Rebels will start at 6 p.m. ET., the sixth night game for Auburn this year.