Junior quarterback Cam Newton contributed to every score in Saturday's win over South Carolina, a feat which earned him SEC Offensive Player of the Week.
This is the second time this season Newton has earned the honor, the first being in week one's win over Arkansas State.
Head coach Gene Chizik said he feels Newton is dealing with the attention well.
"I don't think it's been a distraction for him, and I don't think it's going to be a distraction for our team," Chizik said. "It's something that I just feel like he's very grounded when it comes to that. It's about our team, and it's about continuing to win, and people are going to talk and have ideas about all the awards."
Saturday, Newton rushed for 176 yards and three touchdowns while passing for 158 yards and two more scores.
South Carolina linebacker Shaq Wilson said even with Newton's numbers, he wasn't hard to tackle.
"It's not hard at all--he's a good athlete and all, and he deserves what he gets, but it's not hard at all," Wilson said.
In addition to the SEC honor, Newton has been named the Davey O'Brien Quarterback of the Week and the rivals.com National Player of the Week.
But despite the accolades, Newton is staying humble.
"I think I could have played better, but all the credit goes to the offensive line for stepping up to the challenge," Newton said. "The defense and the offensive line did what they were supposed to do, and it showed statistically."
Of Newton's 25 rushing attempts, 11 went for first downs, and he threw for eight first downs.
Of his 46 offensive plays, only six did not gain yards, and only one lost yards.
An Auburn player has been named the league's top offensive or defensive player for four consecutive weeks.
Chizik said Newton is a great addition to the football and feels the quarterback handles himself well.
"He was a huge reason we won the football game tonight," Chizik said Saturday. "Let's not make any mistake about it, but there were a bunch of others out there that did it, too, and let's not lose sight of that. I am very proud of him and just proud of the whole team."
Newton gives the credit for the win to the whole team.
"We have a lot of guys that are relentless," Newton said. "I am truly blessed to be a part of this team, and we are a special bunch of guys. We are truly blessed to be on a team like this with teammates that want to get better each week."
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