It’s been nearly two decades since Clemson last met Tennessee on the football field, but Dabo Swinney remembers the teams’ most recent matchup well.

That’s because Clemson’s coach was involved.

Swinney wasn’t yet the Tigers’ head coach in 2004. That wouldn’t happen for another five years. But Swinney was on the coaching staff when Clemson squared off against the Volunteers that January in the Peach Bowl.

The Tigers went into that game as significant underdogs. Clemson already had four losses going into that postseason while Tennessee, then coached by Phillip Fulmer, was a 10-win team ranked in the top 10, which made the end result all the more memorable for Swinney, who was in his first season coaching receivers on Tommy Bowden’s staff at the time.

“It was special because it was a good way to start off my first year there at Clemson going on 20 years ago now,” Swinney said this week. “That’s what I remember.”

The Tigers shocked Tennessee, 27-14, with the help of a fast start and some trickeration. With quarterback Charlie Whitehurst leading the offense, Clemson jumped out to a 10-0 lead before the teams started back and forth. A pair of touchdown passes from Casey Clausen helped keep Tennessee within a possession well into the second quarter.

That’s when Clemson pulled out the fumblerooksie to take back momentum for good. Facing third-and-goal from Tennessee’s 8-yard line, Clemson’s offensive line hurried to the line of scrimmage as running back Kyle Browning crouched out of view behind it. Whitehurst took the snap, stuck the ball between Browning’s legs and took off running to his right as most of Tennessee’s defense followed.

Browning snuck out to the left with the ball, cut inside the one block he needed and trotted into the end zone to give Clemson a 24-14 halftime lead.

“I think that was Brad Scott there, who was our offensive coordinator,” Swinney said. “I think it was Kyle Browning that was handed that ball, too. Everybody kind of comes out, and you put it under his legs and he comes out the back door. That was a great play in that game.”

Clemson controlled things from there in pitching a second-half shutout. Game MVP Chad Jasmin ran for a career-high 130 yards and a score. Duane Coleman also rushed for a touchdown in the Tigers’ fourth straight win to end that season.

“We went from 5-4 and probably getting ready to be shown the door to 9-4,” Swinney said. “Coach Bowden got (ACC) Coach of the Year, and I got to stay at Clemson longer than 10 months or whatever. I remember that very well. It was a great finish to our season.”

Nineteen seasons later, the roles have reversed. Clemson is the favorite heading into this year’s matchup, though not by much in a matchup of top-10 teams. The Tigers, fresh off an ACC championship, have already won 11 games while Tennessee has 10 wins.

Photo credit: Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Network

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