Thursday July 05, 2007

Death Valley

Death Valley
In October of 2004 I made a tremendous mistake. I picked against Clemson in Death Valley two straight weeks and after Clemson defeated Maryland and NC State in those games I swore I would never underestimate the power of Death Valley again.

In my opinion Maryland was better than Clemson that season but the odds makers made the Tigers a three-point favorite. Clemson was 2-4 coming into that game and proved it could not run the ball against anyone. The Tigers were a mess offensively and had turned into a turnover machine. However, the defense played inspired football and the Death Valley showed its teeth that day. I think the crowd had as much to do with the 10-7 win as any player or coach.

The following week I did not learn my lesson as NC State came to town as a one-point favorite. I knew the Wolfpack had a high powered offense and I did not see how Clemson could outscore NC State. The Tigers picked apart Reggie Herring’s man-to-man pressure defense with crossing routes and slowed down his blitzes with a great screen package. Still in the end it was the crowd that willed the Tigers to a great fourth quarter defensive effort to hold onto a 26-20 win.

The 2004 team went just 6-5 but they won five of their last six and went 5-1 at home. In fact it was a great crowd that helped the Tigers to a 37-30 win in double overtime in the season opener against Wake Forest and an unbelievable atmosphere in the 29-7 win in the season finale victory over South Carolina.

That season taught me a lesson about Death Valley. I grew up watching the Tigers in the mid-seventies and throughout the eighties where Memorial Stadium was considered a pit. I was there for the Notre Dame game of 1977, maybe the loudest game of the decade. I remember when Virginia Tech came to town and the Hokies had to be backed off of the ball several times because they could not hear the signals. Many say Clemson’s Death Valley helped change the rule in college football to where the crowd had to be quiet enough for a team to be able to run an offensive play. The place rocked whenever Georgia came to town in those epic battles. I truly believe that Maryland was beaten before the game started in the balloon release game of 1983.

To me the true power of the place is when Clemson comes in as an underdog at home. That is when the power of the building takes full effect. In the Miami game of 2005 it was the game when noise was felt instead of heard. My old bones could feel the place. The same could be said for the 2003 Clemson win over Florida State. When you walked into the stadium that night it felt different. The Seminoles were a 17-point favorite but left shell-shocked in a 26-10 upset. How many times are the odds makers 33 points wrong?

Speaking of odds makers, do you realize that Clemson is 5-1 the last six games when they came into the game as a home underdog? Those wins were over Virginia and FSU in 2003, NC State in 2004, and Texas A&M and FSU in 2005. The only time the Tigers have lost as a home underdog during that stretch was a 36-30 triple overtime loss to Miami when the Tigers were seven point dogs.

You have been there so you can see why I have so much faith in Death Valley. But the truth is Clemson has lost two of its last three in the sacred stadium. An uninspired effort in a 13-12 loss as a 19-point favorite against Maryland and a 31-28 loss as a five-point favorite to South Carolina have me wondering if I have too much faith in the power of the Valley.

Is Death Valley special? Where does it rank among the toughest places to play in college football? In my opinion atmospheres are the difference in games only when the talent level is close. For example you can’t just look at a team’s record at home and say if it a great atmosphere. Florida State had a great record in Doak Campbell for years but the main reason is because they were so much better than the opponent in most weeks.

I believe that Clemson can be mentioned in the same class as LSU, Florida and Virginia Tech. Georgia and Tennessee can be very good. Auburn can get rocking during big games. The only place in the Big Ten that belongs in the conversation is Penn State. Texas A&M used to belong with this group. I am told that Oregon is tough but would have to see it to believe it. In fact I would put Arkansas in the top ten before Oregon.

My list of the toughest places to play in college football would go something like this:
1. LSU (but only at night)
2. Florida
3. Clemson
4. Virginia Tech
5. Georgia
6. Auburn
7. Tennessee
8. Arkansas
9. Texas A&M
10. Penn State/Oregon
Yeah I am biased and yeah the Southeast dominated the list but I would welcome your list if you wish to submit any thoughts.

What got me on this subject was Labor Day night. I have yet to study FSU’s returning talent and both teams have so many question marks. I don’t know how the snaps at quarterback will be divided at Clemson. I keep hearing how Jimbo Fisher is the greatest coach in the history of the game. FSU fans want to put him in the same class as Lombardi and Landry but I am not sure what effect he will have on FSU’s offense in his first game. I don’t who will be healthy by the time the game rolls around. In fact I have many more questions than answers at this time.

The only answers I have right now are the time and place of the game. They tell me that it will be played in Death Valley and they tell me it will be at night. Before I can take time to get the answers to the above questions I have to go only on what things I know. At this time I have to believe that Death Valley is more powerful than Jimbo Fisher.

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