Editor's Note: On this date 10 years ago, Auburn kicked off one of the greatest seasons in program history. Each week, we'll be taking you back in time to relive the journey to the 2010 National Championship.
AUBURN, Ala. – For Auburn fans and college football fans alike, hope springs eternal as the first game of the season approaches. There's a buzz around the team and around the community, a cautious optimism. You don't know yet know what you have, but there's a hope that it's something special.
It was no different in 2010 when Auburn, ranked preseason No. 23, hosted Arkansas State to open the season. At that time, nobody knew what was to come.
"I remember like every first game of the year, you're pretty nervous," offensive tackle Lee Ziemba said. "You don't know exactly what you had yet. I think that goes both individually as a player and as a team. The whole thing is new because you haven't done it in almost a year. You're a different player. You're a different person. The team is totally different with the turnover and having a new addition like Cam Newton."
That new addition, quarterback Cam Newton, put on a show in his Auburn debut as he accounted for five total touchdowns. After punting on its first possession, the offense scored a touchdown on five of the next six drives and finished the game with 608 total yards while averaging 9.4 yards per play in a 52-26 victory.
"Any time you have a first game of the year, you're kind of learning your team still," Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said. "I was the offensive coordinator so I was learning the offense, but I think after that game we knew we had some playmakers that could make plays."
The performance was far from perfect, but it gave the fans inside Jordan-Hare Stadium plenty to be excited about and set the tone for one of the most amazing seasons in college football.
Impact player: Cam Newton
There was a buzz surrounding Newton from the first day he stepped on campus, but like the season itself, nobody knew what to expect from him. Not even the coaches.
"In the spring and fall, he had an orange jersey on," Malzahn said. "You blow the whistle, and you ask yourself, 'Would they have tackled him or not?' That was the first game you could figure out he's extremely hard to handle, and he could handle the game pressure."
Newton finished with 171 yards rushing on 15 carries, setting the school record for rushing yards by a quarterback. He also showed off his passing ability, dropping dimes to Mario Fannin and Quindarius Carr for touchdowns of 36 and 48 yards respectively. He totaled 186 yards through the air on 9 of 14 passing with three touchdowns.
Play of the game: "See. You. Later."
After the game, head coach Gene Chizik talked about how Newton did some nice thing when maybe something wasn't there, turning bad plays into potentially good ones.
A perfect example of that came late in the second quarter when Newton, on what he later called a busted play, ran 71 yards for a touchdown. He faked the handoff, dropped back and took off up the middle. It was effortless at that point as he raced past the Arkansas State defense untouched on his way to the end zone for his second rushing score of the night.
It might not have been as memorable as his touchdown run against LSU, which many tabbed his "Heisman moment," but at 71 yards, it was the longest touchdown run of the season for Newton.
Key stat: Offensive onslaught
With 608 yards of total offense, it was the most yards in a season opener for Auburn since 1985 when the Tigers gained 695 yards against Southwest Louisiana. It was also the second-most yards Auburn put up in a game during that 2010 season.
The key was on the ground where the Tigers rushed for 367 yards as a team. Newton led the way with 171 yards, but he was only part of Auburn's three-headed monster in the backfield. Freshman running back Michael Dyer also shined in his debut with 95 yards and a touchdown while Onterrio McCaleb added 76 yards on nine carries, averaging 8.4 yards per carry. All three players averaged better than six yards per carry.
In their own words
"Every win is great. Every win is hard. But they do not have to be satisfied with the way that we won. Everybody ought to be happy that we won, but I don't think there is anybody in our locker room that was satisfied with how we won because everybody knows there is so much room for improvement." – Gene Chizik
"As all the fans saw, Cam (Newton) is a big part of our offense. He can run the ball, he can throw the ball. The offensive line did a great job opening up holes. He is just a great part of our offense." – Darvin Adams
"Tiger Walk was crazy today. It was live. The DBs, we always try to get the crowd pumped as much as we can. It felt good to go through there with my teammates and see all the fans." – Zac Etheridge