Wes Byrum split the uprights on a 19-yard field goal as time expired, sending No. 1 Auburn to a 22-19 victory over No. 2 Oregon in the Tostitos BCS National Championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ.
Auburn (14-0) quarterback Cam Newton completed 20-of-34 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns. Newton also rushed for 65 yards on 22 carries. Michael Dyer rushed for 143 yards on 22 carries and both Darvin Adams and Emory Blake had 54 receiving yards on four catches.
Oregon (13-1) quarterback Darron Thomas completed 27-of-40 passes for 363 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Heisman trophy runner-up LaMichael James rushed for 49 yards on 14 carries for the Ducks.
The Tigers amassed 520 yards (255 rushing) while the Ducks totaled 455 yards. Auburn had 28 first downs and Oregon had 23. Both teams had two turnovers.
Neither team scored in the first quarter. Oregon jumped on the board first with a 26-yard field goal from kicker Rob Beard with 14:17 remaining in the second quarter. Auburn responded with the game's first touchdown, a 35-yard touchdown pass from Newton to Kodi Burns with 12:09 left in the second.
Just over one minute later, Oregon scored its first touchdown on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Thomas to James. The Ducks converted on a two-point conversion, as Beard rushed to the right into the end zone, putting Oregon up 11-7 with 11:05 left before halftime.
Auburn tied the game on a safety, stopping James for a one yard loss in the end zone with 3:32 to play in the half. The Tigers took the lead back at the 1:54 mark in the second quarter when Newton connected with Blake for a 30-yard touchdown pass.
Wes Byrum accounted for the only points of the third quarter, kicking a 28-yard field goal with 11:34 left in the quarter to build Auburn's lead to 19-11.
Auburn had a chance to run down the clock late in the fourth quarter, but Newton fumbled, giving Oregon new life. The Ducks converted on the opportunity, as Thomas tossed the ball to James for a two-yard touchdown on third and one at the Auburn two yard line, cutting Auburn's lead to two, 19-17, with 2:36 left.
Thomas then tied the game at 19 on the two-point conversion, finding Jeff Maehl in the back of the end zone.
On the ensuing Auburn drive, the Tigers caught a break when running back Michael Dyer rushed for a 37-yard gain down the right sideline. Dyer was taken down by an Oregon defender, but his knee never hit the ground, allowing him to take the ball to the Oregon 23 yard line.
Three plays later, Dyer took the ball up the middle 16 yards to the half yard line with ten seconds left. Newton then rushed up the middle for no-gain, taking eight seconds off the clock.
With the national championship on the line, Byrum hit the 19-yard game-winning field goal as time expired, handing Auburn its second national championship in school history.