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Freshman quarterback Kodi Burns led the Auburn offense to three scores including the game winner in OT.
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- Jason McDonald
Au-Burns Clemson in OT
By: Jason McDonald
True freshman quarterback Kodi Burns introduced himself to the Auburn University base in fine fashion leading the Tigers to a 23-20 overtime win over Clemson in the 2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl on New Year's Eve.
On third and 3, Burns put to memory his first career highlight bolting 7 yards through the middle of the Clemson defensive front for the game winning touchdown.
A highlight that left a pretty good impression on head coach Tommy Tuberville. "Offensively, it was a pretty good debut," remarked Tuberville following the game.
How good might the night have been had newly hired offensive coordinator Tony Franklin started the season with the Tigers.
A glimpse of what could or should have been was clear to all who watched Burns take his first snap of the game. Trailing Clemson 7-3 with one half in the books, Burns delivered a 12 yard run on his first snap of the game as if to give a preview of a soon-to-be released feature film.
Six plays later, the 19 year old from Fort Smith, Arkansas gave an encore performance tossing a 5 yard flare pass to a wide open Mario Fannin. Fannin coasted into the endzone untouched to give Auburn a 10-7 lead.
Auburn continued to struggle on its next two possessions of the quarter with Cox at the helm. The fifth year senior's inability to move the offense cost the Tigers the lead early in the fourth.
Crezdon Butler intercepted a pass from Cox at the Auburn 32. Butler's interception energized the Clemson offense to the tune of a 7 play drive capped by a 1 yard touchdown run by James Davis.
Two minutes later Kodi Burns helped guide the Tigers to a game tying score. Runningback Ben Tate dove in for a 1 yard touchdown after a Burns jaunt towards the endzone was stopped short by Josh Miller.
Neither team mounted much of a scoring threat over the remaining 8 minutes of regulation.
In overtime, Clemson struck first with a 25 yard field goal from Mark Buchholz. The celebration among the orange and purple was short-lived as Brandon Cox performed a heroic feat of his own picking up a first down on fourth and 1.
The remaining seconds of the game wrapped up as neatly as a movie of the week with Burns putting his stamp on the future of the Tigers program with his overtime heroics.