Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is celebrating 10 years at the helm of the Tigers this week, and perhaps the one clip that elevated the young head coach into national consciousness came after Clemson knocked off defending national champ Auburn at home in 2011.
The Tigers had appeared in one ACC Championship Game in 2009 and lost to Georgia Tech and suffered through a 6-7 season in 2010. That included a 27-24 loss at Auburn that helped propel those Tigers to a Cam Newton-driven national title.
No. 21 Auburn entered the game that day riding a 17-game winning streak and the momentum of a national championship, but the nation’s longest winning streak ended thanks to a 386-yard, four-touchdown afternoon from Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd (making just his third start), and 155 receiving yards from freshman sensation Sammy Watkins.