LITTLE ROCK — Don’t call Cam Newton a dual threat quarterback.
That sells the Auburn quarterback short.
Newton flashed another skill Saturday when he lined up at receiver, ran down the sideline and outfought a much smaller defensive back for the ball in the end zone.
Newton caught that 20-yard touchdown pass on the Tigers’ opening series and threw for two more as BCS No. 1 Auburn powered past Mississippi 51-31.
“We practice that play a lot of times,” said Newton, the apparent Heisman Trophy front-runner. “Coach [Gus Malzahn] challenged me that he was going to call it this game because of whatwe’ve seen throughout the week in the film. This was a perfect time to call it, and it worked.”
Newton also made a potential touchdown-saving tackle after Auburn lost a fumble in one of its few offensive miscues.
Just about everything worked for Malzahn’s offense. The Tigers (9-0, 6-0 SEC), who are ranked atop the BCS standings for the first time, easily sidestepped the string of upsets that had struck No. 1 teams in each of the past three weeks.
They did it with Newton’s catching and passing, and the running of Mike Dyer (Little Rock) and Onterio McCalebb.
“Everybody on this team wants to continue to fight,” said Dyer, a freshman who ran for a career-high 180 yards. “We like where we’re ranked, and we just want to stay humble and find ways to keep winning.”
The Rebels (3-5, 1-4) ended Newton’s string of four consecutive 170-yard rushing efforts against SEC defenses, but he still passed for 209. The touchdown catch on Auburn’s opening drive answered a quick touchdown from Ole Miss.
Newton became the third Auburn player to have touchdowns passing, rushing and receiving in the same season, joining Carnell Williams (2004) and Kodi Burns (2009), the quarterbackturned receiver from Fort Smith who threw the pass to Newton. The 6-6 Newton outfought 5-10 cornerback Jeremy McGee inthe role reversal.
Newton has been responsible for 30 touchdowns in nine games.
“It’s hard to defend a 6-6 receiver, or quarterback, whatever you want to call him,” Auburn Coach GeneChizik said. “He has great athletic ability, and we have no problem throwing the ball up for a jump ball.”
Auburn scored on Demond Washington’s 95-yard punt return, McCalebb’s 68-yard touchdown run and Dyer’s 30-yarder in a rare buffet of big plays not involving Newton.
It was the most points the Tigers have ever scored against Ole Miss, which has dropped three consecutive games.
Newton was 18 of 24 passing, and ran 11 times for 45 yards after running wild in recent weeks. He missed a couple of open receivers for possible touchdowns but got more than ample help from his supporting cast against the Rebels.
McCalebb had 99 yards on nine runs, and Darvin Adams gained 75 yards on six catches.
The Tigers racked up 572 total yards.
“We came out wanting to stop No. 2 [Newton] from running the ball and we did that,” Ole Miss Coach Houston Nutt said, “but he has many other weapons.”
Sports, Pages 31 on 10/31/2010