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Clemson looks to end 12-game slide against Auburn

Dec 31, 2007 - 12:13 PM No. 15 Clemson (9-3) vs. No. 22 Auburn (8-4) 7:30 pm EST Chick-fil-A Bowl December 31

ATLANTA (Ticker) -- A late defensive breakdown against Boston College cost Clemson a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

While the Tigers settled for a second-place finish in the ACC's Atlantic Division, they can reach another milestone when they face Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on New Year's Eve.

A victory will give Clemson its first 10-win season since 1990, a year before the Tigers won their last ACC title. It also will break Clemson's 12-game losing streak to Auburn that dates to 1951.

The teams are not frequent opponents and have not met since Auburn scored 15 unanswered points to post a 21-17 victory in the 1998 Peach Bowl, which is now the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

After losing to Boston College, 20-17, on November 17, Clemson rebounded to beat arch-rival South Carolina, 23-21, in its regular-season finale.

Freshman Cullen Harper was the ACC's top-rated quarterback, throwing only six interceptions in 400 attempts. Harper passed for 2,887 yards and a school-record 27 touchdowns.

The Tigers also boast one of the nation's top backfield tandems in James Davis and C.J. Spiller. Fuller was the ACC's second-leading rusher with 992 yards while Spiller ranked 11th with 656 yards.

Clemson, which won five of its last six games, paced the ACC in scoring, averaging 34.2 points per contest.

This game offers an interesting contrast as Auburn ranks eighth in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total defense, yielding 298 yards per game. It is sixth against the pass, allowing 179 yards per contest through the air.

Auburn tied for second in the Southeastern Conference Western Division with Arkansas. The Tigers' best victory was a 20-17 win at then-No. 4 Florida on September 29.

However, Auburn ranked 101st out of 119 teams in the FBS, leading to the firing of offensive coordinator Al Borges. Brandon Cox passed for only 1,869 yards with just nine TDs and 12 interceptions.