Ahead of Cam Newton’s Jersey Retirement, A Look Back At His Brilliant 2010 Season

2010 Heisman winner Cam Newton will have his No. 2 jersey retired during halftime of the Auburn-Georgia game on Saturday (Oct. 11).

He will be the third Tiger Heisman winner to receive the honor, joining Bo Jackson and Pat Sullivan, which is certainly worthy of a “War Eagle!” salute.

In honor of his, well, honor, let’s look back at some of Newton’s amazing moments in Auburn navy blue and burnt orange.

At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, Newton had the size of an end rusher but the speed of a wideout and the arm of an NFL gunslinger.

He led Auburn to a 14-0 national-championship-winning season, reviving a team that finished 8-5 the season before.

Newton did it by orchestrating one of the most impressive statistical seasons ever by a quarterback. He threw for 2,854 yards and 30 touchdowns and ran for 1,473 yards and 20 scores, leading the SEC in both passing efficiency (182.0) and rushing touchdowns. He was the first player in conference history to register the 2000-yard-passing, 1000-yard-rushing combo.

He was the team’s leading passer AND rusher, his 1,473 yards on 264 attempts breaking an SEC quarterback rushing record while being the fifth-highest single-season rushing total in school history.

Auburn was tested that season and had to overcome deficits in eight of its 14 wins. But Newton and the Tigers found a way. Their final record featured wins over seven ranked teams, including top 10 matchups against LSU and Alabama in addition to their BCS win over Oregon.

He threw at least two TDs in a game 10 times, including three — plus a running score — when the Tigers’ erased No. 10 Alabama’s 24-0 second-quarter lead en route to a 28-27 win in the Iron Bowl.

Against Clemson, Newton led Auburn back from a 17-0 deficit, throwing two TDs during a 21-point third quarter as the Tigers went on to win 27-24 in overtime.

That was game 3. Game 4 saw Newton lead Auburn to a win over No. 22 South Carolina when he not only passed for 158 yards and two scores but he ran for 176 yards and three TDs. That included this ridiculous 54-yard TD run that finished with Newton diving into the end zone from beyond the 5-yard line.

The Gamecocks got a chance at revenge on Auburn and Newton in the SEC title game on Dec. 4, but it didn’t go well. Newton exploded for a season-high 335 passing yards and a season-high-tying four TD passes plus a pair of rushing scores in a 56-17 win over South Carolina.

The performance not only clinched the BCS berth for Auburn, but cinched the Heisman for the Tiger signal caller. A week later, he was announced as the Heisman winner with 2,263 points, more than 1,000 points ahead of second-place finisher Andrew Luck of Stanford.

Newton and Auburn capped off the epic 2010 season by defeating No. 3 Oregon, 22-19, in the 2011 BCS title game. Newton, despite battling a back injury, completed 20-of-34 passes for 265 yards and two scores and rushed for another 64 yards.

Oregon tied the game at 19-19 with 2:33 left, but Newton led the Tigers on a game-winning seven-play, 73-yard TD drive, capped by a 19-yard field goal as time expired.

The following spring, Newton was drafted first overall in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers, starting a pro career that included a 2015 MVP season and a 2015 Super Bowl appearance.