Ladies and gentlemen, Heisman voters everywhere: We have a statement game. Newton threw for 140 yards and rushed for 188 more in a home-stand barnburner, keeping the Tigers out front for a 65-43 victory over a top-flight Arkansas team.
Newton turned in another dazzling performance Saturday against Arkansas. He ran for 188 yards and three touchdowns. He passed for 140 yards and another score. When it was done, Auburn had scored 28 straight points in the fourth quarter for a wild 65-43 win over the Razorbacks, breaking the record for the highest-scoring conference game decided in regulation.
That was the fourth time Newton has run for more than 170 yards in a game, adding to his lead in the SEC rushing race.
Several Heisman contenders took a tumble Saturday, most notably Michigan’s Denard Robinson, Nebraska’s Taylor Martinez and Arkansas’ own quarterback, Ryan Mallett. All would end up on the sideline — Robinson and Mallett with injuries, Martinez because he was ineffective — and all three of their teams lost.
And don’t you just know that Newton’s old school would love to have him back. With Tebow off to the NFL, Florida has fallen on hard times. The Gators lost their third straight, and second at home, with Mississippi State’s stunning 10-7 upset at the Swamp.Newton has rushed for 860 yards and 12 touchdowns, the sort of numbers that inevitably make people think of Tebow. And like the former Florida star, Newton is no one-dimensional wonder. He doesn’t throw often, but when he does, it’s very effective. His outing against Arkansas left him 80 of 122 for the season, a dazzling 66 percent completion rate. He’s thrown for 13 touchdowns and been picked off only five times.
While Newton is good with the comparisons to Tebow, he doesn’t want it to go too far.
“We’re two different players, two different people,” Newton said. “Tebow is Tebow, and I’m Cam Newton.”
For Auburn — and maybe the Heisman voters — that’s good enough.
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