10 Year Anniversary of the National Championship

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

In honor of the anniversary, I thought it would be cool to throw some memories and stories of what you were doing on January 10th, 2011!

 

I was in the 7th grade and it was a school night but my parents let me and the boys stay up way past our bedtimes to watch, when Mike Dyer’s play was being reviewed for what felt like two hours, my parents almost sent everyone home but when they finally deemed him not down, we cheered and waited for us to win the game!

Afterwards another friend’s dad took us to Hibbit’s Sports to get the National Championship shirt which I wore with pride the next day. We also rode up to Toomers for a little bit and got as close as we could to the trees! Needless to say we were tired 12 year olds the next day.

Throw your stories, pictures, and whatever else in here and let’s get nostalgic. 

[fredst 9,064]

I was there for the game- barely made it out and back with snowstorm in N AL. After all the BS I had put up with from Bammers thru the years I remember thinking “Huh, somehow my life doesn’t seem more valuable after AU won a football natty”. It was very cool and emotional for someone that had spent so much of his life consumed with AU football- but, it did solidify in my mind how pathetic Bammers a a fan base are, lol

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

9 minutes ago, fredst said:

I was there for the game- barely made it out and back with snowstorm in N AL. After all the BS I had put up with from Bammers thru the years I remember thinking “Huh, somehow my life doesn’t seem more valuable after AU won a football natty”. It was very cool and emotional for someone that had spent so much of his life consumed with AU football- but, it did solidify in my mind how pathetic Bammers a a fan base are, lol

I remember being on Facebook and seeing a bunch of my buddy’s profile pictures of the Bama “A” in Yellow and Green and thinking the same thing.

[JDUBB4AU 5,138]

For me it was icy and the roads were garbage here in Cullman county. Went to a buddies house ( swear it took a hour to get 12 miles) , ate good food,  and we lost our minds when the field goal went through . What a night . 

[Viper 3,139]

20 minutes ago, fredst said:

snowstorm in N AL

We had thunder snow the night before. Coolest thing I've ever heard. About 8 inches total. Playing in the snow all day with my son kept my stress level down for the game. Here's the snowman we built that day...

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

5 minutes ago, Viper said:

We had thunder snow the night before. Coolest thing I've ever heard. About 8 inches total. Playing in the snow all day with my son kept my stress level down for the game. Here's the snowman we built that day...

Had the exact same banner on my wall for about 7 years 😂

[AUwent 3,778]

Man, both times we played in the NC, the weather in the Auburn area was arctic.

Hopefully we can bring the 2010 team on the field next year.

2021 has the same calendar as 2010, 2004, and 1993.

[Viper 3,139]

14 minutes ago, ClaytonAU said:

Had the exact same banner on my wall for about 7 years 😂

We got our's at the 2010 Georgia game. After the game, we saw Bo, Cam, Dyer & Darvin Adams among others. Only autograph we got was Darvin's.

[Viper 3,139]

15 minutes ago, AUwent said:

Man, both times we played in the NC, the weather in the Auburn area was arctic.

Yup. 8 inches of snow in N AL on 1/10/11.

4 degrees in N AL on 1/6/14. Frigid.

[Viper 3,139]

https://auburntigers.com/news/2021/1/10/football-perfection-on-the-plains-2011-bcs-national-championship.aspx

Football 1/10/2021 10:00:00 AM By: Greg Ostendorf

Perfection on the Plains: 2011 BCS National Championship

Editor's Note: On this date 10 years ago, Auburn made history. The Tigers completed their undefeated season with a 22-19 victory over Oregon in Glendale, Arizona, to win the second national championship in program history and first since 1957. 

It was supposed to be a shootout. A BCS national championship game pitting Cam Newton and the most prolific offense in Auburn history against a fast-paced, up-tempo Oregon offense that was putting up nearly 50 points a game. "The Shootout in the Desert," they called it. 

But somebody forgot to relay the message to the Auburn defense. 

"Everybody thought it was going to be this high-scoring game, and I remember our seniors saying, 'Nah, they're not going to do that on us,'" Auburn defensive lineman Nosa Eguae said. "They had some ballers – LaMichael James and all those guys. But we knew we had a better team, better players, and we could dominate them on the defensive line."

"They already knew we were coming from the SEC, and we were coming to hit them in the mouth," added running back Onterrio McCalebb. "Our defense was coming to smash them."

On Oregon's first three drives, the Auburn defense forced a 3-and-out and then got back-to-back interceptions from Demond Washington and Zac Etheridge. The Tigers tacked on a safety in the second quarter and made a game-changing stop on fourth-and-1 late in the third quarter to preserve a 19-11 lead. 

"The reality is this wasn't a game like Arkansas where we'd be able to go up and down the field offensively. We couldn't do it," Auburn head coach Gene Chizik said. "So we had to win that game with defense that night, and the defense came through."

But when Oregon tied the game late, Chizik also knew his offense would respond. With 2:33 left, they were more than capable of putting together a game-winning drive because they had done it time and time again throughout that season. 

Sure enough, the Tigers picked up 52 yards on the first two plays – a big chunk coming from Michael Dyer's famous 37-yard run – and marched all the way down to the Oregon 1-yard line to set up a chip shot for Wes Byrum to win the game. The kick sailed through the uprights as time expired, and the confetti immediately started falling from the sky. 

When the team returned to Auburn, the confetti was replaced with toilet paper as the Auburn Family celebrated the national championship by rolling Toomer's Corner. 

"When we got back home and had the celebration, I started seeing how many of my friends and people in Auburn who had actually made it out to that game and spent the money to go out there and get a ticket," offensive lineman Lee Ziemba said. "That's when you kind of realized how special it was for everybody and for the Auburn Family. 

"What a blessing to be a part of something like that. Unbelievable."

Impact Player: Nick Fairley

Auburn had the best offensive player in the country that season in Cam Newton, but the Tigers also had the best defensive player with Nick Fairley. The Lombardi Award winner led the charge for the Auburn defense with another dominant performance. 

Early in the second quarter with Oregon threatening to score, Fairley brough down quarterback Darron Thomas for a 6-yard loss on third down to force a field goal. Later, it was Fairley who got the initial surge on the goal line stand, allowing teammate Josh Bynes to come through and made the tackle. He also made the tackle on the play before. 

Fairley finished with five tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble and was named the Defensive Player of the Game. 

"Our defense, we showed America everything we've done each and every Saturday out there on the field," Fairley said after the game. "We just went unnoticed throughout the year. Now that we got noticed out here on the big stand, we just showed what we can do."
 

Play of the Game: 'He never went down.' 

The game-winning field goal from Byrum will forever live in Auburn lore, but it was Michael Dyer's 37-yard run – where just about everybody in the stadium thought he was down – that put the Tigers in a position to kick the field goal and win the game. 

With just over two minutes left, Dyer took the handoff from his own 40 and was spun down for what looked like six yards. But Dyer's knee never touched the ground. 

"I just remember our players and coaches yelling, 'Run, run,' because even Michael wasn't sure he wasn't down," Chizik said. "He kind of popped up, he heard the players and a couple of the assistant coaches yelling to run, and he just took back off."

Dyer took off running down the Auburn sideline, and with Darvin Adams out in front blocking for him, he carried it deep inside Oregon territory to the  23-yard line.

"Once that happened, I think we kind of knew that Wes had it in the bag because of just who Wes is," Ziemba said. "The guy is cool, calm and collected no matter what situation he's ever in. So we knew he had it in the bag then. It was just up to us to block for it."

Dyer earned Offensive Player of the Game honors after rushing for 143 yards on 22 carries. 
 

Key Stat: 75 rushing yards

Auburn came into the national championship game leading the SEC with 287.2 rushing yards per game. The Tigers were on pace to be the league's best rushing offense in the last 25 years. And yet, they still trailed Oregon who came in averaging 303.8 rushing yards per game. 

That's what makes the performance from the Auburn defense that much more impressive. They held a team averaging more than 300 yards per game to just 75 yards on the ground. Oregon was averaging 6.1 yards per carry through the first 12 games that season. Against the Tigers, they rushed for just 2.3 yards per carry. 

LaMichael James, the Doak Walker Award winner, ran for 1,682 yards and 21 touchdowns in the first 12 games. In the BCS title game, James rushed for 49 yards and no touchdowns. 

Fairley was the game's Defensive MVP, but it was a group effort. Mike McNeil had a team-high 14 tackles. Demond Washington had seven tackles, a tackle for loss and an interception. Nine different Auburn players recorded a tackle for loss against the Ducks. 
 

In Their Own Words

"It is really hard for me to describe the feeling that I have for the Auburn family. I look down here to my left and I see three guys along with a locker room of 100 more that have just defied all the odds. I'm not sure if 15 weeks ago anyone believed that we could do this except us. This is the most unbelievable group of young men I have been around. We said that we wanted to go from good to great, and I can sit here and tell you that the Auburn Tigers are the best football team in the United States tonight." – Gene Chizik

"Anything is possible. I guarantee you five or six months ago, nobody would have bet their last dollar to say that Auburn University is winning the national championship. And now, on January 10, 2011, we're smiling right now." – Cam Newton 

"It was one of those surreal moments where I think if you're in it, you just can't fully appreciate it. But now, 10 years later, you look back on it and you just know it was a complete blessing. More than that, I think we were all destined for it. Everything just happened to work out in our favor that year because we were meant to win the championship, we were meant to have the season that we did, and we were meant to do it for the Auburn Family." – Nosa Eguae 

[jAUSon 2,836]

@StatTiger Posted a cool recap on YouTube today. Warm and fuzzies.

https://youtu.be/0x-47wLBZ9s

[sw6146 27]

Barley made it out before the snow hit Birmingham but was delayed. Southwest held the plane at the gate in Nashville for our connection because they knew we all were going to Phoenix. Made it into Phoenix  the night before the game and the rest is history. Hands down the coolest sports moment I have ever been a part of.

[creed 1,666]

Wife and I flew out a few days early to do some side trips. A few days before the game we drove up to the Grand Canyon via Sedona and Flagstaff. It was interesting how the scenery and temperature changed along the trip. Once we made it to the Grand Canyon we ran into our dentist (AU alum) and a Park Ranger who was wearing a AU Alum pin and greeting visitors with "War Eagle!". Can't remember her name but she's been featured in the Alumni news magazine a couple of times. I think she is the head Ranger of the Smokey Mountains Nation Park now. At the game I caught up with Jason Taylor, who played OL for Auburn, and he told me about his wait on the tarmac in Birmingham. I couldn't imagine him being stuck in a plane seat for hours, especially since he is a big man. The day after the game wifey and I drove over to Old Town Scottsdale and bought her a pair of Tony Lamas and I bought a piece of art made of red canyon rock with Indian graphics and arrowheads. I'm looking forward to another trip where we can enjoy an Auburn championship game in an interesting location. We made it out for the 2013 game in Pasadena too, but the Phoenix game will always be special.  

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

It’s crazy, I don’t remember the snow storm at all! Didn’t realize that it hit so many people! 

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

I was there with wife and several friends. Spent a few days in the area as well as going to the game Great memories.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,819]

it really was such a shock to see these two all time great offensive players for their respective programs, and they largely are ineffective. I remember my friends (in 6th grade that year) legit debating who was better between the two...ton of Bammers in my area though 

[tiger1168 51]

My wife and I flew out of Montgomery and just made it out . We were told we were last plane out due to weather.. it was  an awesome game to be at. Had the feel of an Auburn home game 

 

 

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

17 minutes ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

it really was such a shock to see these two all time great offensive players for their respective programs, and they largely are ineffective. I remember my friends (in 6th grade that year) legit debating who was better between the two...ton of Bammers in my area though 

Didn’t realize you were younger than me 

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

I was in grad school.  Arrived in Arizona Saturday night, two evenings prior to the game.  Sunday was spent hanging around Scottsdale, followed by finding an all you can eat Waffle House in Tempe.  This was a good sign.

On gameday, after picking up my student ticket at the box office, we found our way to the Yardhouse in the bar/restaurant entertainment complex.  If you aren't familiar with the Yardhouse, it typically has over 100 beers on tap.  So some friends and I began to blind order based on the numbers that Auburn greats wore (7, 34, etc).  While sitting there, an older Auburn gentleman pulled out his checkbook and offered me $5,000 for my ticket.  Tempting, but I said no thanks.

Watched the game from my seat and cried like a damn baby when people starting filing out.  Me being in my late 20s, I had experienced perfect season not end with a title, including up close in 2004 which was my senior year.  Younger students had no idea why I was crying.  Finally an older AU fan patted me on the shoulder and said "Let it out man.  Its been a long time coming."

I went back to the entertainment district, found a cigar, and smoked it and offered victory puffs to everyone I passed.  Bought my parents a drink before finally trying to find some food, which ended up being a Denny's at 4 a.m. filled with AU people in the middle of Phoenix.

Note: This was actually the first title game I saw in that stadium.  Had the opportunity to attend Super Bowl 49 there a few years later thanks to a corporate thing.  That was the Patriots/Seahawks game where Wilson threw and INT on the goal line.  Also gave the birth to left shark.

[fredst 9,064]

52 minutes ago, ClaytonAU said:

It’s crazy, I don’t remember the snow storm at all! Didn’t realize that it hit so many people! 

SMH and all the young whippersnappers here, lol. Feeling more like Golf everyday. Is it bad that I’m suddenly craving PBR🤔....?

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

6 minutes ago, fredst said:

SMH and all the young whippersnappers here, lol. Feeling more like Golf everyday. Is it bad that I’m suddenly craving PBR🤔....?

Yes.  Yes it is.

[GrumpyBuck 0]

We flew out on Friday and sat two rows behind Charles Barkley.  He was gracious with making sure we got our photo with him as we left the plane.  Youngest son and his family was living in Scottsdale at the time and oldest son and his family arrived later on Friday.  One big family reunion!

Never thought I'd live to see the day that we were National Champions but I did.  And then got a second chance three years later!

 

[Sully to Beasley 643]

That was a glorious evening. I said back then and repeat it today...I can now die a happy man!

[jAUSon 2,836]

Had a get together, smoked some pork loin. Partied and ate all evening. Ended up caravaning over to Dick's sporting goods that night, who ended up staying open to sell merch. Place was full. We scored Tostitoes official championship shirts hats and coffee mugs that night, and the scene at Dick's was unexpectedly memorable. It was a riot of Auburn fans at near midnight. Turned into a raging improptu parking lot party. Surreal.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,819]

2 hours ago, ClaytonAU said:

Didn’t realize you were younger than me 

Have spent far more time on here than I should’ve! Lol