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No. 9 Tigers Open Season Against Xavier

There has been just one game in the history of Memorial Stadium that has featured a player on each side who finished that same season in the top two of the Heisman Trophy race. That game took place on Oct. 1, 2016, when Clemson defeated Louisville 42-36. It truly ranks as one of the epic games in the 82-year history of Death Valley, and it is fitting that we end our season-long series with a review of this game.

Clemson’s Oct. 21, 2006 game against Georgia Tech was memorable in many ways. The meeting between Tommy Bowden’s No. 12 Tigers and Chan Gailey’s No. 13 Yellow Jackets was the first of top-15 teams in Memorial Stadium since the 1992 opener against Florida State. It was also the first time since 1939 that Clemson wore the uniform combination of purple jerseys and purple pants.

When you ask Clemson fans for a list of the epic games they have seen in the history of Memorial Stadium, many stand out, and I have tried to bring back those memories through this program series in 2023.

Clemson and South Carolina both had “comeback” seasons under second-year nationally known head coaches in 2000. The Tigers won their first eight games and reached a No. 5 ranking in the AP poll under Tommy Bowden. South Carolina started 7-1 under Lou Holtz, with the only loss coming at Alabama.