Auburn takes the belt, 56–17, at a neutral site over South Carolina.
AP poll, week 14: Auburn No. 2 at South Carolina No. 18 · No. 1 that week: Michigan State. The belt vs. the polls →
Where this game sits in the lineage
Auburn took the belt here, ending South Carolina’s run of 21 days and 2 defenses (reign #276) and starting reign #277. It lasted 287 days and 3 defenses, until Clemson took it on September 17, 2011.
For Auburn this was its 13th shot at the belt; it had held the belt 6 times before — and it took it back here.
It was the first of 2 meetings between the two with the belt on the line; all-time it is 1–1.
Recap
Auburn's Cameron Newton was absolutely dominant in this battle for the College Football Belt, orchestrating a devastating offensive performance that left South Carolina reeling. The Gamecocks struck first with Stephen Garcia's 25-yard touchdown pass to Patrick DiMarco, but Auburn responded immediately with Newton scoring on a short 5-yard rush, then launching a 54-yard bomb to Darvin Adams for another score to take control early. South Carolina managed to keep pace briefly, with Garcia finding Alshon Jeffery for a touchdown late in the second quarter, but Auburn answered right back with Newton connecting with Darvin Adams again on a 51-yard touchdown pass as time expired in the half. Auburn's relentless ground and air attack continued in the third quarter, with Newton scoring again on a 1-yard rush and adding an incredible defensive score when T'Sharvan Bell returned an interception 10 yards for a touchdown, effectively putting the game out of reach. The final 56-17 scoreline reflected Auburn's complete dominance, with Newton and the Tigers' offense outgaining South Carolina 589 yards to 349 and converting 9 of 12 third downs to claim the lineal belt.
- Cameron Newton's 54-yard touchdown pass to Darvin Adams in Q1 -- gave Auburn early momentum after South Carolina's opening score
- Newton's 51-yard touchdown pass to Adams with 0:00 in Q2 -- Auburn's answer to South Carolina's late first-half touchdown, extending the lead into halftime
- T'Sharvan Bell's 10-yard interception return for a touchdown in Q3 -- turned South Carolina's offensive mistake into a defensive score that sealed the game
- Auburn's 9-of-12 third-down conversion rate vs South Carolina's 5-of-12 -- demonstrated Auburn's offensive efficiency in controlling the belt-deciding matchup
Written by Claude from the box score and play-by-play on this page — a plain-English recap of the numbers below, not a substitute for them.
Team stats
CFBD box scoreFull team box score from CFBD’s /games/teams data. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have team-level stats that far back.
Key plays
CFBD play-by-play| When | Team | Yards | Play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 9:53 | South Carolina | +25 yd | Stephen Garcia pass complete to Patrick DiMarco for 25 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q1 9:53 | South Carolina | +23 yd | Jay Wooten kickoff for 67 yards returned by Demond Washington for 23 yards to the Aub 26. |
| Q1 9:53 | South Carolina | +0 yd | Spencer Lanning extra point GOOD. |
| Q1 5:31 | Auburn | +5 yd | Cameron Newton rush for 5 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q1 7:25 | Auburn | +20 yd | Cameron Newton rush for 20 yards to the SCaro 30 for a 1ST down. |
| Q1 5:31 | Auburn | +0 yd | Wes Byrum extra point GOOD. |
| Q1 2:09 | Auburn | +54 yd | Cameron Newton pass complete to Darvin Adams for 54 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q1 2:09 | Auburn | +21 yd | Wes Byrum kickoff for 67 yards returned by Bryce Sherman for 21 yards to the SCaro 24. |
| Q1 2:09 | Auburn | +0 yd | Wes Byrum extra point GOOD. |
| Q2 12:40 | South Carolina | +0 yd | Stephen Garcia pass intercepted by Daren Bates at the Aub 24, returned for no gain to the Aub 24. |
| Q2 8:09 | South Carolina | +51 yd | Spencer Lanning 51 yard field goal MISSED. |
| Q2 2:02 | Auburn | +36 yd | Wes Byrum 36 yard field goal MISSED. |
| Q2 0:16 | South Carolina | +1 yd | Stephen Garcia pass complete to Alshon Jeffery for 1 yard for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q2 0:25 | South Carolina | +26 yd | Stephen Garcia pass complete to Marcus Lattimore for 26 yards to the Aub 1 for a 1ST down. |
| Q2 0:16 | South Carolina | +0 yd | Spencer Lanning extra point GOOD. |
| Q2 0:00 | Auburn | +51 yd | Cameron Newton pass complete to Darvin Adams for 51 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q2 0:00 | Auburn | +0 yd | Wes Byrum extra point GOOD. |
| Q3 15:00 | Auburn | +25 yd | Wes Byrum kickoff for 70 yards returned by D.J. Swearinger for 25 yards to the SCaro 25. |
| Q3 10:05 | South Carolina | +42 yd | Spencer Lanning 42 yard field goal MISSED. |
| Q3 8:25 | Auburn | +39 yd | Cameron Newton pass complete to Emory Blake for 39 yards to the SCaro 3 for a 1ST down. |
| Q3 7:56 | Auburn | +1 yd | Cameron Newton rush for 1 yard for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q3 7:56 | Auburn | +0 yd | Wes Byrum extra point GOOD. |
| Q3 8:54 | Auburn | +25 yd | Cameron Newton rush for 25 yards to the SCaro 42 for a 1ST down. |
| Q3 7:23 | South Carolina | +10 yd | Stephen Garcia pass intercepted by T'Sharvan Bell at the SCaro 10, returned for 10 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q3 7:23 | Auburn | +0 yd | Wes Byrum extra point GOOD. |
| Q3 7:23 | Auburn | +21 yd | Wes Byrum kickoff for 70 yards returned by Bryce Sherman for 21 yards to the SCaro 21. |
| Q4 11:14 | Auburn | +7 yd | Cameron Newton pass complete to Emory Blake for 7 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q3 0:26 | Auburn | +22 yd | Onterio McCalebb rush for 22 yards to the SCaro 33 for a 1ST down. |
| Q4 11:14 | Auburn | +0 yd | Wes Byrum extra point GOOD. |
| Q4 7:48 | South Carolina | +33 yd | Spencer Lanning 33 yard field goal GOOD. |
| Q4 9:22 | South Carolina | +36 yd | Connor Shaw rush for 36 yards to the Aub 15, AUBURN penalty 15 yard Personal Foul accepted for a 1ST down. |
| Q4 2:22 | Auburn | +6 yd | Mario Fannin rush for 6 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q4 2:22 | Auburn | +0 yd | Wes Byrum extra point GOOD. |
| Q4 3:41 | Auburn | +34 yd | Barrett Trotter rush for 34 yards to the SCaro 14 for a 1ST down. |
| Q1 13:20 | Auburn | +12 yd | Cameron Newton pass complete to Onterio McCalebb for 12 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q1 14:14 | Auburn | +62 yd | Cameron Newton pass complete to Darvin Adams for 62 yards to the SCaro 14 for a 1ST down. |
| Q1 13:20 | Auburn | +25 yd | Wes Byrum kickoff for 70 yards returned by Bryce Sherman for 25 yards to the SCaro 25. |
| Q1 13:20 | Auburn | +0 yd | Wes Byrum extra point GOOD. |
Scoring plays, turnovers, and gains of 20+ yards, pulled from CFBD’s play-by-play. This section only appears for belt games with play-by-play on file (2003 onward).
Player stats
CFBD player statsPassing
South Carolina
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Garcia | 16/28 | 170 | 6.1 | 2 | 2 | 52.6 |
| Connor Shaw | 4/5 | 23 | 4.6 | 0 | 0 | 58.6 |
Auburn
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cam Newton | 17/28 | 335 | 12.0 | 4 | 0 | 96.6 |
| Barrett Trotter | 1/1 | 16 | 16.0 | 0 | 0 | 100.0 |
Rushing
South Carolina
| Player | TD | CAR | YDS | AVG | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Lattimore | 0 | 16 | 84 | 5.3 | 16 |
| Connor Shaw | 0 | 6 | 49 | 8.2 | 36 |
| Stephen Garcia | 0 | 7 | 18 | 2.6 | 8 |
| Brian Maddox | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 5 |
Auburn
| Player | TD | CAR | YDS | AVG | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onterio McCalebb | 0 | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | 22 |
| Cam Newton | 2 | 14 | 73 | 5.2 | 25 |
| Michael Dyer | 0 | 14 | 64 | 4.6 | 12 |
| Barrett Trotter | 0 | 2 | 37 | 18.5 | 34 |
| Mario Fannin | 1 | 6 | 28 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Terrell Zachery | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 |
| Kodi Burns | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 4 |
Receiving
South Carolina
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick DiMarco | 2 | 38 | 19.0 | 1 | 25 |
| Alshon Jeffery | 4 | 36 | 9.0 | 1 | 13 |
| Marcus Lattimore | 3 | 36 | 12.0 | 0 | 26 |
| Tori Gurley | 3 | 32 | 10.7 | 0 | 18 |
| D.L. Moore | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | 0 | 18 |
| Mike Triglia | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 |
| Ace Sanders | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | 0 | 9 |
| Kenny Miles | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 |
Auburn
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darvin Adams | 7 | 217 | 31.0 | 2 | 62 |
| Emory Blake | 5 | 63 | 12.6 | 1 | 39 |
| Eric Smith | 2 | 23 | 11.5 | 0 | 14 |
| Philip Lutzenkirchen | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 0 | 18 |
| Derek Winter | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 0 | 16 |
| Onterio McCalebb | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 1 | 12 |
| Terrell Zachery | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 |
Show more stats (5 more categories)
Interceptions
South Carolina
No recorded stats in this category.
Auburn
| Player | INT | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| T'Sharvan Bell | 1 | 10 | 1 |
| Daren Bates | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Kick Returns
South Carolina
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryce Sherman | 5 | 95 | 19.0 | 25 | 0 |
| D.J. Swearinger | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | 25 | 0 |
| Cedrick Snead | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 18 | 0 |
| Kenny Miles | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 |
Auburn
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demond Washington | 2 | 42 | 21.0 | 23 | 0 |
| Onterio McCalebb | 1 | 19 | 19.0 | 19 | 0 |
| Eric Smith | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 11 | 0 |
Kicking
South Carolina
| Player | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Lanning | 1/3 | 33.3 | 33 | 2/2 | 5 |
Auburn
| Player | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wes Byrum | 0/1 | 0.0 | 0 | 8/8 | 8 |
Punt Returns
South Carolina
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ace Sanders | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
Auburn
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darvin Adams | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | 10 | 0 |
Punting
South Carolina
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Lanning | 3 | 150 | 50.0 | 0 | 0 | 53 |
Auburn
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Shoemaker | 1 | 36 | 36.0 | 0 | 0 | 36 |
Full player stats from CFBD’s /games/players data, split out by team. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have player-level stats that far back. Linked player names go to that player’s stat line in every other belt game they’ve appeared in.
Sources Box score at ESPN · Game record: College Football Data (id 303382579) · This game in the downloadable dataset