Auburn look for one last surprise in BCS Championship game vs Seminoles

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jan/06/bcs-championship-auburn-tigers-florida-state-seminoles

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One of the biggest questions looming ahead of Monday night's BCS National Championship game is whether the second-ranked Auburn Tigers can deliver one more moment of magic to upset the favorites, Florida State.

The Seminoles coach, Jimbo Fisher, oozed confidence on Saturday, when he spoke to reporters about his 13-0 team, which is led by the Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Jameis Winston.

"We expect the expectations, we expect to be here and I truly believe this, I don't believe we've played our best football game," Fisher said of his team, who will play for the national title for the first time since the 2000 season. "I really don't. I think our best football game is still out there and hopefully it'll come on Monday night. I've liked the way we've practiced, I've liked the way we've prepared. I think we're in a great mental state of mind."

Auburn have earned themselves a shot at becoming US college football's top team for a second time in four years – they beat Oregon 22-19 in January 2011 – mainly because of astonishing wins over Georgia and Alabama in November.

Trailing 38-37 with just 36 seconds left in the final quarter against Georgia at their own Jordan-Hare Stadium on 16 November, Auburn faced a fourth-and-18 on their 27-yard line. Quarterback Nick Marshall tossed the ball 60 yards toward his speedy receiver Ricardo Louis but it seemed destined to be caught by one of two Georgia safeties . Against the odds, Josh Harvey-Clemons and Tray Matthews collided, the ball bouncing off Harvey-Clemons' hand to be snapped up by Louis for the winning score.

Two weeks later, the Tigers and the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide were tied at 28-28 in their Iron Bowl showdown with just one second left in the fourth quarter, as Alabama attempted a 57-yard field goal. Adam Griffith was short with his effort and Auburn senior safety Chris Davis, after catching the ball near the back of the end zone, shimmied right before veering left. With virtually every Auburn blocker sprinting to the left sideline to form a protective wall and Alabama slow to react, Davis surged past a few half-hearted tackles to score.

Davis's return earned Auburn a place in the Southeastern Conference Championship game, where they beat Missouri 59-42. The play shot Davis into the limelight and has been described by many as one of the greatest of all time in college football.

"My life has changed a lot since the Iron Bowl and every time I turn on the TV, ESPN, I'm seeing that play," Davis, who was a freshman when the Tigers won the 2011 BCS title game, told reporters this week. "But I'm trying to put that moment behind me. We've got a bigger task at hand come Monday. We're playing for the national championship, and we're trying to bring it back to the state of Alabama."

On Monday night in the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, (12-1) Auburn will face a formidable foe. The Seminoles have won every game by at least 14 points and are the top-ranked team. Their offense, led by Winston, averages 7.8 yards a play while their stingy defense allows only 4.0 yards. 

Auburn's Gus Malzahn, in his first season as head coach, is banking on his team once again being able to come up with the big plays in the fourth quarter.

"Our team has done a very good job this year of not getting distracted by anything," said Malzahn, who was previously offensive coordinator for the Tigers. "This week has been no different.

"The bottom line is our guys have found a way to win at the end of games when the pressure has been on. They've found a way to win in different ways, so I think that's been a big key to us getting here."

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