Auburn (3-0) had rallied from a 17-0 deficit late in the first half and scored three touchdowns in the third quarter.
Clemson (2-1) has lost 14 consecutive meetings in the vintage but long dormant Southern rivalry.
It was the first regular-season meeting since 1971 and the second straight to have extra football, including the 2007 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
Clemson, which had opened with predictably lopsided wins over North Texas and Presbyterian, stepped up for the Southeastern Conference opponent with a fast start in front of the biggest crowd the program had played in front of (87,451).
The rivalry renewal turned into a roller-coaster ride, where the teams took their turns in the driver's seat.
Clemson threatened to score go-ahead points after pushing the ball near midfield on its final drive of regulation but Auburn stuffed a reverse. Then Parker's third-and-long pass under pressure was just out of Dwayne Allen's grasp down the right sideline.
Buried at its own 13, Auburn let the final 1:23 wind down.
Cam Newton completed seven passes for 203 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a 78-yarder to Terrell Zachery in the third quarter to give Auburn its first lead at 24-17. Newton also ran for 68 yards but was intercepted twice.
Darvin Adams caught five passes for 118 yards and a TD. McCalebb gained 81 yards on 10 carries.
Parker was 21-of-35 passing for 227 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Andre Ellington gained 140 yards on 22 carries in a game that was a statistical standoff.
Auburn had 424 yards, Clemson 414.
Auburn scored 24 straight points after getting dominated for 29 minutes. Gus Malzahn's offense racked up 258 yards in the third quarter after getting mostly held in check for the first two.
No comments:
Post a Comment