Auburn streak ends at Clemson

CLEMSON, S.C. -- No. 21 Auburn's luck ended yesterday along with its 17-game winning streak as Clemson piled up 624 yards and beat the defending national champions, 38-24.

"It's been a long time since we lost," Auburn safety Demetruce McNeal said. "I guess it's a new feeling for us all."

And a new one for Clemson, which hadn't opened 3-0 since 2007.

Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd completed 30 of 42 passes for 386 yards and four touchdowns in his third start. While Clemson's offense was rolling up yardage, its defense was shutting down an Auburn attack that had a knack for staging late-game rallies. That's what happened a year ago when Auburn overcame a 17-0 deficit to beat Clemson 27-24 in overtime.

Auburn (2-1) took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter before Boyd began hitting his targets. Clemson converted 10 straight third-down attempts during one stretch, sapping Auburn's energy, defensive back Ryan White said. "We got to get off the field on third down," White said. "That killed our spirit."

Clemson scored on five of six possessions at one point and its 624 yards was the most it ever totaled against an SEC opponent.

Michael Dyer led Auburn with 151 yards rushing and two touchdowns.-- AP