Editor's Note: On this date 10 years ago, Auburn improved to 3-0 with a thrilling overtime victory over Clemson on its way to one of the greatest seasons in program history. Each week, we'll be taking you back in time to relive the journey to the 2010 national championship.
Scoring 52 points to beat Arkansas State in the opener was impressive. Beating Mississippi State on the road the next week was even more impressive. But the first real test early in the season came at home against a Clemson team that won nine games the year before and featured seven future NFL players on its defensive line. From the opening kickoff on, the pads were popping on both sides.
"It really was one of those physical games," Auburn linebacker Josh Bynes said. "It truly felt like one of those Georgia or Alabama games. You could tell on both sides of the ball that we all wanted it."
In the first half, it was all Clemson. The visiting Tigers were the better team for the first 29 minutes and led 17-0 late in the second quarter. Auburn kicked a field goal on the final play of the half but still faced an uphill battle, trailing 17-3 going into the second half.
But Auburn came out looking like a different team in the second half. The offense, led by quarterback Cam Newton, scored touchdowns on three of its first four drives. The defense clamped down, forcing three straight punts. And by the end of the third quarter, it was Auburn who had a 24-17 lead.
"It was huge for me to see Cam come out in the second half," head coach Gene Chizik said. "We didn't do anything offensively in the first half, and in the second half, the third quarter, we scored 21 points. I saw a resilient, tough dude Cam Newton leading the charge, and he never flinched."
Clemson scored again to tie it in the fourth quarter, and the game went to overtime.
Auburn scored first on its opening possession in the extra period with a 39-yard field goal from Wes Byrum. That's when things started to get weird. Clemson nearly won it with a touchdown, but the wide receiver dropped it in the end zone. Then their kicker made a field goal to force a second overtime, but it was called back because of a penalty. He tried again, and the kick sailed wide left. No good. Auburn prevailed, 27-24.
"I'm not going to lie – God was on our side a lot during that season," Bynes said. "I'm thankful he was on our side against Clemson because we definitely needed him.
Impact Player: Darvin AdamsDuring the second-half comeback, the play everybody remembers is the 78-yard touchdown pass from Newton to Terrell Zachery to put Auburn ahead. The stadium erupted at that point. However, it was fellow wide receiver Darvin Adams who jumpstarted the offense after halftime.
Adams caught a 35-yard pass on the first drive of the third quarter. On the next drive, which resulted in a touchdown, he hauled in a 34-yard reception to convert a 3rd-and-1. He then made an 18-yard catch on the third drive, a drive he capped with an incredible 8-yard touchdown catch where he got a foot down before going out of bounds. It was initially called incomplete but overturned after replay.
In the third quarter alone, Adams pulled down four catches for 95 yards and the touchdown. He finished the game as Auburn's leading receiver with five catches for 118 yards.
Play of the Game: The go-ahead FGWith the first possession in overtime, Auburn gained only four yards on a pair of runs and an incomplete pass, but that was enough to set up Byrum for a 39-year field goal that proved to be the game-winner.
While Bryum kicked into the net on the sideline in anticipation of being called on again in a second overtime, the crowd noise told him it would not be necessary after Clemson's kicker saw a make nullified by a procedure penalty, then missed a potential game-tying kick from 32 yards.
The Clemson game was Auburn's second straight three-point victory. The Tigers would go on to win two more games by a field goal, including the national championship against Oregon. Byrum noted that including Auburn's wins over Alabama, LSU and the first South Carolina matchup, half of the Tigers' 14 victories came in one-possession games.
"It's just amazing to look back at a season like that and see that we were able to come out of every game and find a way to win each time," he said.
Key Stat: 21 unanswered in third quarterIt was only his third game at Auburn, but Newton took charge in the locker room at halftime after what was a frustrating first 30 minutes for both the offense and defense.
"Cam started talking at halftime and said we've got another half to play," Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley said. "And nobody had long faces."
Newton's optimism proved prophetic.
The third quarter was vintage Gus Malzahn offense. While Auburn's defense shut out the visiting Tigers, the offense put together touchdown drives of 61, 72 and 83 yards that consumed 2:45, 2:44 and 38 seconds respectively. It was an early example of what would come to be known as Auburn Fast offense.
In Their Own Words"Our team kept their faith the whole game, and it was one of those games where they just kept fighting. You are always trying to figure out who your football team is, and you never know until you get into situations where you've basically embarked on uncharted territory, which is where we were tonight." – Gene Chizik
"We just started executing our plays and everything started slowing down. Everybody started to realize that we can't wait until next drive. We had some guys that stood up and started making some big plays." – Cam Newton on Auburn's third-quarter comeback
"When I go out there on the field, I sometimes play a lot of plays. I remind myself that I am doing this for 90,000 fans and the other guys on the team. I go out there 100 percent like I don't feel any pain." – Josh Bynes