.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
Clemson Football survives freaky season-opening game
The 2016 Clemson football season got off to a strange start with a 19-13 win over the Auburn Tigers on Saturday night.
They tried their very hardest to lose it.
The 2016 Clemson football season got off to a strange start with a 19-13 win over Auburn on Saturday, but it didn’t come easy and it didn’t look pretty.
Auburn got off to a 3-0 lead in the second quarter and Clemson answered back with a great drive capped off with a 1-yard run on fourth down by Wayne Gallman.
In the fourth quarter, Deshaun Watson hooked up with Hunter Renfrow on a spectacular catch for a 16-yard touchdown pass with 9:46 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Dabo Swinney was asked by Scott Van Pelt about the game and his thoughts after a thrilling win over Auburn.
“They say that defense is usually ahead of the offense and that was prevalent tonight,” said Swinney. We made some poor decisions and we didn’t play as intelligent as we need to play, but we found a way to win. I have been down here in Auburn a lot and haven’t come away a winner very many times. The goal was to win the opener and we did that. We’re going to get better.”
There were plenty of questionable play calls, bad penalties, awful decisions, and much more, but at the end of the day: Clemson football is 1-0.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
| Tigers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
| Tigers | 0 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 19 |
One of the biggest questionable calls came with 45 seconds left. Dabo Swinney elected to go for it on fourth down instead of kicking the field goal. That led to Auburn getting the ball back with 40 seconds remaining and the Tigers proceeded to move the ball down inside the Clemson 50-yard line.
Jadar Johnson had to be the hero of the game. Auburn quarterback Sean White took two shots to the end zone and Johnson was able to bat down both of them.
One of them, as a matter of fact, came with him guarding two wide receivers and no secondary help around him.
You have to give Auburn credit for doing what they could to compete.
More from Rubbing the Rock
“My hats off to the defense and my hats off to Auburn,” said Swinney. I think they’ll go on to have a great season, but at the end of the day, we found a way to win in a tough environment in the opening game.”
Deshaun Watson finished completing 19-of-34 passes for 248 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
Mike Williams caught nine of those passes for 174 yards while Wayne Gallman led all rushers with 30 carries for 123 yards and a touchdown.
The defense- particularly Christian Wilkins, Scott Pagano, and Dexter Lawrence- played extremely well, but it seemed they began to wear down as the game progressed. Auburn held possession of the ball for the majority of the second half, but the defense came through at the end.
It was tough to watch.
It was ugly, but at the end of the day, Clemson football is 1-0 and just picked up a win on the road at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Now, the Tigers will turn their attention to Troy as they host the Trojans next Saturday in Death Valley.
This article originally appeared on 
