Clemson is Auburn with a lake?
Try again.
I've heard people say Auburn and Clemson are alike my entire life, and last weekend I made the trip to South Carolina and had a chance to see for myself.
I've returned to the Plains, and my experience tells me that, while there are similarities, Auburn is one of a kind.
The mascot of both teams is the Tigers. Auburn and Clemson are also land-grant institutions in their respective states and are known for having great engineering programs.
The campuses of both schools are a lot alike, except it looks like Clemson hasn't constructed a new building in a decade.
Clemson's Tillman Hall and Auburn's Samford Hall, the iconic clock towers of the campuses, were both designed by Bruce & Morgan, the architectural firm responsible for arranging earlier blueprints of the structures.
Then there's Clemson Memorial Stadium, where part of the student section is a grassy hill. Between its scoreboard and occasional tiger-growl sound over the loudspeaker, I'm questioning why they haven't considered renovations. At least paint the scoreboard to make it the correct color purple.
Everything about the stadium screamed ACC. And when I think ACC, I don't think football.
The ACC is second-rate when it comes to football, other than Florida State. When have you ever been scared to play an ACC team, before Saturday?
For that reason, the attendance surprised me. As the game was starting, the student section wasn't even full, and the game wasn't even a sellout.
Considering how ecstatic Clemson fans were about beating Auburn--despite being favored--you'd think they would sell out an 80,473-seat stadium.
Let me tell you, though, the fans were loud. That was the thing that made me realize Clemson and Auburn had something deep in common.
Clemson fans wasted no time in spreading Tiger spirit. They cheered from kickoff until they rushed the field after the game. Speaking of which, who lets fans go onto the field after the game?
And as sick of hearing their "1-2-3-4..." cheer as I was, I must admit, it was deafening. The entire "Solid Orange" crowd was involved.
Regardless of how the game went, Clemson's fans impressed me during and after. Auburn's fans, however, did not.
After Barrett Trotter's fourth-quarter interception, a few navy-clad fans began making the walk back to their tailgates. By the time Clemson drove down the field, running off the clock, there was a steady stream of Auburn fans leaving. There were still three minutes left in the game. Auburn fans were All In ... the parking lot.
Clemson fans seemed to care more about celebrating the victory than reminding Auburn fans the winning streak was over, other than the few fans that yelled "Roll Tide" at me. Every game should have that kind of sportsmanship afterward.
That night I went to a birthday party for a family friend attended primarily by Clemson boosters, and while we were the only Auburn fans there, you'd have never known.
We actually talked more about South Carolina than the day's game, and the few comments amongst them were all quiet. It was classy.
I may make jokes about Clemson not having the best football facility or newest campus, but the fans are awesome. Other Auburn fans I've talked to have agreed.
In the past year there have been several articles by opponents commenting how nice Auburn fans are, and Clemson is of the same spirit. Saturday was a good nonconference game, and even if the result wasn't what the orange and blue was looking for, the sportsmanship displayed was refreshing.
I hope the kindness in Clemson was an experience for Auburn to bring back to the Plains and continue to practice toward away fans. No one wants to travel hundreds of miles to be taunted.
Also, Auburn fans needs to appreciate the generosity that was given last weekend after the defeat by the home Tigers because I don't think it will be shown on the road for the remainder of the 2011 season, especially at LSU and Georgia.
For the trash talk that is bound to come, keep in mind the words of Jay-Z: "You can pay for school, but you can't buy class.
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