Auburn Football: Amazing Comeback over Utah State Keeps Championship Hopes Alive

So what do you think the people of Auburn will be talking about Monday? Will it be how amazing the game was on Saturday? Or will it be how the defense looked horrible against  Utah State?

Either way today’s opening season win against the Utah State Aggies was a game that will resonate with the Auburn Tigers fan base forever. 

Coming into the game there were questions about who would step up for Auburn since the departures of Cam Newton and Nick Fairley left holes in their offense and defense. 

The Auburn defense couldn’t stop Utah State’s true freshman quarterback Chuckie Keeton. Keeton, on the day, rushed for two touchdowns while completing 21 of 30 passes for 213 yards. 

Keeton wasn’t the only Utah State player to run all-over the new Fairley-less Auburn defense. Utah State’s running backs, Robert Turbin and Kerwynn Williams, contributed to Keeton’s scores to amass five touchdowns on the day and 221 rushing yards. 

However, the Tigers offense didn’t take a step back today. The new offense, without last year’s Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, thrived under Barrett Trotter. 

Sure, Trotter won’t make people on Toomer’s Corner tonight say “Cam Who?” but if not for the passing ability of Trotter, this game could have been a blow out instead of a thrilling victory. 

Where Newton last year was a run first, throw second quarterback, Trotter is the exact opposite.  Barrett provided the accuracy that the Tigers lacked last year under Newton; as in his first game Trotter went 17 of 23 for 261 yards with three touchdowns. 

The last touchdown sparked what would be the comeback that will have everyone talking later today, tomorrow, Monday, and throughout the football year. 

After a fake field goal attempt by Utah State was successful, the Aggies took the ball into the end-zone to give Utah State a 10-point lead with less than five minutes left in the game. 

The Auburn “fans” had enough of the poor defensive showing, as they started to head for the exit. Trotter took the ball with three minutes and thirty-eight seconds left in the game and put this Auburn team on his back. 

Within two minutes Trotter marched this Auburn team down the field for a 15-yard passing touchdown to Phillip Lutzenkirchen and had Jordan-Hare Stadium rocking. The “fans” that decided to head to the exits early stopped in their tracks to watch the showcase that Trotter was putting on. 

A poorly executed on-side kick coverage by Utah State led to Auburn regaining possession, giving Trotter one last chance at bringing Auburn back from an embarrassing loss. 

It only took him 70-seconds to make Auburn fans feel comfortable with Barrett Trotter as the face of the 2011 Auburn Tigers, as he led the offense to the game winning touchdown. 

Welcome to the Barrett Trotter show, he may just be the reason why Auburn is back in the BCS Title hunt.

T.J. McAloon is a Featured Columnsit at Bleacher Report. For more of his work follow him on Twitter: @tjmcaloon