Video: Cam Newton 'is a young man fulfilling his athletic potential'

Auburn 24, LSU 17. Auburn fans met Gene Chizik's hiring in 2008 with equal parts incredulity and pitchforks. Maybe five years from now, when his current quarterback is in the NFL and his offensive coordinator is presiding over his own team, then their initial instincts will be proven right. At the moment, though, Chizik is the coach of the year, for the sole reason that he convinced Cameron Newton and Gus Malzahn to join his team.

And even Malzahn, the celebrated spread passing guru, has never looked smarter than he has does this year, for scrapping his freewheeling system in favor of the most primitive, run-oriented attack in the SEC. He recognized early what he has in his new quarterback, who is a genuine freak of nature. I don't use the term lightly – in fact, I've never used the term "freak" to describe a player in print, precisely because I was saving it for the day someone did what Cam Newton did today against one of the most blue-chip laden defenses in the country. If the description is ever going to fit, it's here: Newton is 6-foot-5, 250 pounds and runs like he was sired by a classic Mustang. He's not the Alpha and Omega, but he is a freak.

For almost any athlete in that category, the visceral absurdity of their existence is a better gauge than statistics. Auburn slugged out 441 yards rushing – its fourth straight 300-yard effort against SEC defenses – on a unit that came in ranked third nationally in total defense and sixth against the run. Newton had 216 of that number, on 29 carries.True freshman Michael Dyer also cracked 100 yards, and sophomore Onterrio McCalebb broke a 70-yard touchdown run. But it was the sheer velocity of Newton's winding sprint to the end zone in the third quarter that instantly defined the Tigers' run to 8-0: This guy was already the best quarterback in the country over the first half of the season; if he can do that against a defense like LSU's, the sky is the limit for him and whatever team he happens to be playing for.

The title to this post is Verne Lundquist's perfectly understated call of the year to accentuate the run of the year. It comes off as a kind of laugh line – "Ha ha, you can say that again, Verne." But in Newton's case, the oversvation was terrifyingly accurate, and considering the murky path that brought him to Auburn, surprisingly poignant. Newton's potential was always off the charts, but even before his dismissal from Florida, it was never certain he would seize the brief opportunity to fulfill it. Many, many talented phenoms never do. Newton is, and everyone associated with Auburn should be enjoying the ride while it lasts.

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Source: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Video-Cam-Newton-is-a-young-man-fulfilling-his?urn=ncaaf-279361

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