On this day: Clemson snaps Auburn's 17-game streak
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On Sept. 17, 2011, the trajectory of Clemson football was changed forever.
Fresh off an unsatisfactory 35-27 victory over FCS challenger Wofford the week before, the Tigers locked in on an opponent that had been a constant achilles heal for them in prior seasons: the Auburn Tigers.
Auburn, a team coming off a storied national championship run the year before, had won their previous 17 games, which was good for the longest active streak in the country at the time. They had lost quarterback Cam Newton to the draft just months earlier, however, and appeared slightly more beatable to Clemson than ever before.
THE BIRTH OF WRU
Retrospectively, That 2011 Clemson roster was collectively one of the greatest in program history. All-time school passing yardage leader Tajh Boyd was behind center, while running back Andre Ellington carried the load on the ground behind a stellar offensive line.
But when Tiger fans take a look at the depth chart for the wideout position that season, that’s where the jaw-dropping will begin. The Tigers were absolutely stacked with talent at receiver.
The starting wideouts for the Tigers that afternoon were sophomore DeAndre Hopkins and freshman Sammy Watkins. The dynamic pairing came in being backed up by Martavis Bryant and Adam Humphries, respectively.
It’s incredible to look back now and analyze those names, staring at them in awe for the fact that they were all adjacent to one another on the roster at that point. For starters, Hopkins and Watkins are widely considered the two best receivers to ever play at Clemson. Both are critical pieces to their current NFL teams, with Hopkins considered a top-five receiver in the league. But both of their backups, Bryant and Humphries, also later went on to adapt to significant roles in the league as well. Humphries even received a lucrative four-year contract from the Titans in 2019.
On top of the riches the Tigers were bathing in at the wideout position, Tajh Boyd’s arsenal also included one of the best tight ends in program history. All-ACC tight end Dwayne Allen was going into his senior season in 2011, and had presented himself as a force to be reckoned with down the middle of the field.
DABO ON THE HOT SEAT
Coming into the game, head coach Dabo Swinney was under intense scrutiny after Clemson finished 6-7 in 2010. It was the first losing season for the Tigers in twelve years, and a low point that Dabo’s predecessor, Tommy Bowden, had never fallen to.
After Clemson’s narrow escape over Wofford the week before, the pressure was only mounting for Swinney to come away with a statement win.
THE GAME
Clemson dug themselves a hole early, falling behind 14-0 and 21-7 at the hands of Auburn running back Michael Dyer and quarterback Barrett Trotter, before finally turning the game around. An acrobatic Dwayne Allen 6-yard touchdown reception and a 2-yard Andre Ellington scamper into the end zone near the end of the second quarter tied the game at 21 heading into the half. And from that point on, Clemson never looked back.
Gus Malzahn and co. only managed to muster up Cody Parkey field goal (Yes, the double doink guy) from there on out, as the Tigers went on a 17-3 run to come away with a 38-24 victory in one of the most electric atmospheres the Valley has ever seen.
The Tajh Boyd-Sammy Watkins connection was on full display that afternoon, as the pair linked up for a a mind-boggling 155 yards on 10 receptions, including two touchdowns.
Clemson also went with a very balanced rushing attack, with five different players (Andre Ellington, D.J. Howard, Mike Bellamy, Sammy Watkins and Tajh Boyd) splitting a total of 50 carries fairly evenly.
Clemson had their way with a depleted Auburn defense all afternoon long, coming away with 624 total yards, which was the program’s most ever against an SEC school at the time.
THE POSTGAME INTERVIEW
In what may have been the first memorable postgame on-the-field interview of Dabo Swinney’s career, he couldn’t help but grin from ear-to-ear.
“We’ve got greatness in us,” he said to ESPN on the field after the game. “That’s what I told them. You’ve got greatness in you, but you’ve got to make a decision to be great. And today, they made a decision to be great.”
And while the ESPN cameras panned up to showcase the sea of orange surrounding Swinney - as Tiger fans chanted in jubilation all around him - he delivered his first of many truly iconic post game lines.
“I can’t think of a better place to end this streak than Death Valley, South Carolina!” shouted Swinney at the top of his lungs.
As a national audience was looking on, the Tigers had proved at last that they had what it took to hang with the powerhouses in college football.
Clemson would go on to finish 10-4 that season, capturing their first ACC Championship in twenty years. Although it wasn’t a perfect season by any stretch of the imagination (looking at you, WVU), Tiger fans can point back at Sept. 17, 2011 as a day where the football tides finally began turning in Clemson’s favor.
And they haven’t stopped turning ever since.