Auburn vs. Clemson: Freshman Burns National Champs for 65-Yard TD

After the Clemson Tigers scored a pair of late first-half touchdowns to enter the break deadlocked at 21 with the defending national champs, Coach Dabo Swinney expounded upon his team's initial ebbs and ensuing flows in fiery fashion, excoriating his guys for the "mistakes" that allowed Auburn to build a two-touchdown lead in the first place.  

He made it abundantly clear to ESPN's sideline reporter that the War Eagle should not be expected to prey on Clemson in its own house, environed by a daunting sea of orange.

The goal for the second half would not be to worry about such "crap" as controlling the number of snaps, but beating Auburn at its own game. As Swinney saw it, the mystique of the visiting Tigers—those big, bad National Champs from the powerful SEC—was already fading; it was now up to his guys to shatter that aura completely.

I think Swinney's guys got the message.   

Clemson came out firing in the second half, ensuring that the momentum would stay firmly planted on their sideline. 

Watch the video above. QB Tajh Boyd throws a perfect strike to lightning-quick freshman wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who pivots and turns up field with a ridiculous burst of acceleration, eluding tacklers with surprising ease and agility. 

Watkins’ first season at Clemson has gotten off to, appropriately, a fast start—one that matches the speed he boasts as such a powerful weapon.  And he managed to torch Auburn’s diminished defense for over 199 yards on 17 touches. 

Could this be the play that years from now paints the clearest picture of Auburn’s fall from the summit? 

If so, this will have been quite the auspicious start to a successful career for Clemson’s explosive Sammy Watkins. If that play is any indication of his skill set, you can expect to see and hear a lot more from him in the future, on Saturdays and on Sundays.