AUBURN -- Auburn quarterback Cam Newton never said he was Superman. But people with a little imagination, Photoshop and a connection to the Internet certainly did.
They turned one of Newton's signature plays this season into something special by placing a red cape on him in a photo in which he seemingly flew horizontal to the ground for 7½ yards to beat a defender to the end zone.
If Auburn didn't know it had its own football hero before the fourth game of the year against South Carolina, it did by the time he landed in the end zone.
The game turned on a combination of allowing Newton to run and fly and have a hand in five touchdowns, along with a stern lecture from coach Gene Chizik to his offensive line to be more physical. Chizik will ask his quarterback and his unbeaten Tigers for an encore performance against the Gamecocks in the SEC championship game in Atlanta Saturday.
Auburn wasn't sure what to do with Newton before he displayed his theatrics.
"Our leading rushers need to be our tailbacks. There's no question in my mind about that," Chizik said after the second game, a 17-14 win over Mississippi State.
But by the fourth game, against South Carolina, the coaching staff gave Newton the green light. The Tigers' tailbacks don't lead the team in rushing because Newton leads the SEC in rushing.
South Carolina was the turning point. Was there a play that was a sign of the special things to come?
"I'd say that one play where Cam ran up the middle, and then cut back and then dove from the 8-yard line," said H-back Philip Lutzenkirchen. "It was kind of the play 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.' So that was kind of the turning point for our season."
Still, Auburn had to rally, as it has in eight of its 12 games this season. The Gamecocks led 20-7 early and 27-20 heading to the fourth quarter before Newton threw two touchdown passes for the 35-27 win.
"That was a special game for him," Chizik said. "The big run he made early in the game was an eye-opening run when you know you're playing against such a great defense with tons of speed, and they're very physical and fast. ... That was one of his games that I think we were able to look back and say, 'Wow, these are some of the things that we can really build on for the next seven or eight weeks.' At that point in time, it was definitely a learning moment for us as coaches on what he was going to be able to do or at least potentially able to do."
South Carolina coach and Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier said Sunday that Newton deserves the Heisman, although his opinion may be skewed by the fact that Newton had 334 yards of offense
against the Gamecocks.
"He can juke a guy -- you're not going to get a hard shot at him hardly at all," Spurrier said. "He's a power runner, and yet he can sidestep you in a heartbeat, also.
"And, really, they beat Alabama throwing the ball. He's a good passer. He's really improved his passing."
The first South Carolina game was no fluke for Newton. He accounted for five touchdowns in that game, and has done the same in two other games. He's also accounted for four touchdowns in four other games, including last week's win over Alabama. He's had his hand in 43 touchdowns overall.
All the while, Auburn's offensive linemen have been more physical after Chizik gave them a tongue-lashing following an overtime win against Clemson the week before playing South Carolina.
"When you're told you're not physical, it hurts," offensive tackle Lee Ziemba said following the turnaround game against the Gamecocks.
The message had gotten through: Auburn leads the SEC -- and is ranked sixth nationally -- in rushing.
Newton leads the way in more ways than one. Safety Zac Etheridge said Newton's halftime speech at Alabama, when Auburn trailed 24-7, helped the Tigers rally for the 28-27 win.
"A lot of seniors stepped up; Cam stepped up and said some things," Etheridge said. "He didn't say much, just, 'Keep on. We're coming.' We feed off of him saying, 'Don't just talk about it. Get the job done.'
"Cam's been through so much all year. He put a lot on his shoulders. We put a lot of trust in him, and we know Cam will get the job done."
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