Cam Newton: 10 Reasons He's a More Legendary College QB Than Tim Tebow
Cam Newton has already established an unforgettable legacy at Auburn.
In just one year, he's rewritten school records, SEC records and has led the Tigers to next month's BCS National Championship against Oregon. He is also expected to win the Heisman Trophy, just a year after joining Auburn from Blinn College in Brenham, Texas.
"I just been living the dream this whole year I've just been living the dream, and I thank God for putting people in my life that has my best interests," Newton said following his team's 56-17 victory over South Carolina in the SEC Championship. "And I can't stress it enough how blessed I truly am. And I just thank the people that's in my corner."
A national championship would only add to Newton's legacy, but where does he stand right now? Is it possible he's even better than former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow?
Here are 10 reasons why that may be true:
10. Never Second Fiddle
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Keep in mind when he was a freshman, Tebow was the backup for Chris Leak. Cam Newton came in this year and didn't sit for a second.
9. Much Bigger Shadow
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There's something to be said about players who go to programs with a history of legends, including Heisman Trophy winners. They set the bar, and often that's what you're measured by. Tebow came to Florida, following such greats as Emmitt Smith and former Heisman winners Steve Spurrier and Danny Wuerffel.
Pat Sullivan had won the Heisman when he played at Auburn, but so did a certain player named Bo Jackson. And when fans mention you in the same sentence as Bo in terms of dominating a game, that's impressive.
8. Captain of the Ship
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Statistically, Newton has led a much better offense that has eclipsed any of those Tebow played on at Florida. Here's a quick comparison of how they stack up:
Florida
Year - Total yards - Points per game
2006 - 396.1 - 29.7
2007 - 457.2 - 42.5
2008 - 445.1 - 43.6
2009 - 457.9 - 35.9
Auburn
2010 - 497.7 - 42.7
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Supporting Cast
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Tim Tebow put up incredible individual numbers, but he was also surrounded by amazing talent. Last year alone, he had tight end Aaron Hernandez to throw to, along with Riley Cooper. Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey shared the backfield, and came out of high school as two of the fastest track athletes in the nation as well.
The next best rusher behind Newton has only five touchdowns on the season, and he has three receivers with over 25 catches a piece. None, however, are over 1,000 yards.
Both Tebow and Newton are one-man shows, but a quarterback will look even more unbeatable when you have the cast Tebow had. That's not a luxury Newton has had.
6. Close Calls
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Newton's legacy has come with more than enough drama: Of Auburn's 13 wins, six have come by eight points or less. His numbers during that stretch? He averaged 168 yards passing, 128 rushing, threw only four interceptions and finished with 19 total touchdowns.
It's easy to put up big numbers in blowouts, but under pressure is way more impressive.
5. Defining Moments
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Every legendary player has either one, or a few, signature moments. Many will remember Tim Tebow's famous speech following the 31-30 loss to Ole Miss, and how the Gators rallied to eventually win the BCS National Championship.
What's Newton's? You'd have to go with the Alabama game on Nov. 26. Not only was it the regular season finale and the Iron Bowl, but chances at a national championship and a Heisman Trophy appeared to be vanishing. Newton, however, rallied the Tigers back from a 24-0 deficit in the second half, and Auburn won 28-27.
4. Numbers Alone
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Stat geeks can get tripped up here and get into minutiae.
But let's examine two categories: Single-season rushing yards by a quarterback and total yards in a season. Before this year, Tebow held three of the top five single-season SEC records, including a conference record 910 yards rushing in 2009.
Newton? Entering the national championship, he's rushed for 1,409 yards.
Tebow also set an SEC record for total offense in 2007 with 4,181 yards. The mark still stands, but Newton's not far behind. He currently has 3,998 total yards and could surpass it against the Ducks.
3. What Others Say
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Steve Spurrier's seen his share of incredible players, and Newton definitely is among the best.
"I don't like to put anybody at the top," the South Carolina coach said. "But he's certainly one of the best quarterbacks, runners probably ever come through college ball. And it will be interesting to watch him in pro ball. He doesn't take hard hits. Keep thinking somebody's going to put a helmet on his ribs or something, but they can't do it. Jump him, he knows how to get down, get out of bounds after he gets about 20 or 30 yards. So he's a very good player."
Auburn coach Gene Chizik was at Texas when Vince Young led the Longhorns to the national championship, but he hasn't seen anyone better than Newton.
"No. It's that simple. No," Chizik said. "If you look over a 13 game span, I've never seen anything like it, to be honest with you. And it's running the ball, it's throwing the ball. Usually great quarterbacks usually do one or the other better, meaning throw the ball or run the ball.
"I think what God's blessed Cameron with is the ability to be really, really good at both. And I can say this well, we have one game left, so he can't get too big of a head with one game left, but I can say he's probably the best football player I've ever seen."
2. Do the Unthinkable
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Ask yourself this when it comes to the Newton-Tebow argument: When Tebow played in his last bowl game earlier this calendar year against Cincinnati, did you ever imagine anyone could be as dominant a player in the SEC again?
So much for those thoughts.
1. The Glare and Scrutiny
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Tim Tebow? He was a media darling, the guy who went on ESPN talking about mission trips and sharing his faith at prisons.
Cam Newton's continued to succeed not only under the pressure of a college football season, but while media and college football fans wondered whether he accepted money in a pay-for-play scheme. Of course, he was cleared by the NCAA, but to not crack under that kind of heat is amazing.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
