Newton leads Auburn past Alabama in thrilling fashion

Cam Newton ran around Bryant-Denny Stadium with a hand over his mouth, having hushed up those who might have thought his shot at the national title was done, along with the Heisman Trophy.

He's very much on track for both, thanks to his most audacious performance yet in this season of triumph and controversy.

No one had ever rallied a team to victory over Alabama after trailing by 24 points. That's just what Newton did Friday at Tuscaloosa, Ala., leading No. 2 Auburn to a stunning 28-27 triumph that kept the Tigers in the thick of the BCS championship race and might have swayed any Heisman voters who had their doubts about voting for a guy hounded by unsavory allegations.

Newton threw for three touchdowns against the ninth-ranked Crimson Tide. He ran for the other score. And a day that started like Auburn might be headed for a staggering blowout ended with No. 2 taking a victory lap around Alabama's hallowed home field.

"Cameron Newton is physically and mentally as tough as I've ever seen," Auburn coach Gene Chizik said. "Period."

Newton again rallied a team that has trailed in eight of its 12 games, leaving the crowd of 101,821 in disbelief. Well, except those orange-clad faithful crammed into one end of the stadium amid all the crimson, celebrating a win no one could have seen coming just a couple of hours earlier: the biggest comeback in school history.

No. 16 Nebraska 45, Colorado 17: At Lincoln, Neb., running back Rex Burkhead passed for two touchdowns and ran for 101 yards and another score, and Nebraska clinched the Big 12 North with a victory over Colorado (5-7, 2-6) in their final meeting before they head to different conferences.

Nebraska (10-2, 6-2) will go to Arlington, Texas, next Saturday hoping to win its third Big 12 title, and first since 1999, before going to the Big Ten next year.