CLEMSON, SC. — It’s Game Day in Death Valley where No. 2 Clemson battles Duke on senior day.  The Tigers hope to continue their run to the College Football Playoff.

Location: Memorial Stadium (Death Valley)

Kickoff:  7:00 p.m.

Television:  ESPN

Announcers:  Steve Levy, Bob Griese, Todd McShay

2018 Record: Clemson  10-0,  Duke 7-3

ACC Record: Clemson 6-0 , Duke 3-3

Series History: Clemson leads 36-16-1

Last Meeting:  Clemson won 56-20 in 2012

WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS WEEK

– Clemson attempting to open a season 11-0 for the fourth time in program history, joining 11-0 starts in 1948, 1981 and 2015.
– Clemson winning the first 11 games of a season for the second time under Head Coach Dabo Swinney (2015). Swinney would become the first coach in
Clemson history to coach the school to multiple 11-0 starts, as legendary coaches Frank Howard and Danny Ford only accomplished the feat once each, in 1948 and 1981, respectively.
– The 2018 Tigers winning an 11th game to tie the 1948, 1978, 2012 and 2013 squads for the fifth-most wins in a season in school history.
– Clemson winning its 51st game in the last four years give the 2018 senior class the most wins in school and ACC history, surpassing the mark set by Clemson’s 2017 senior class.

SERIES HISTORY VS. DUKE

Clemson holds a 36-16-1 lead in the series with Duke, including a 19-4-1 lead in games played in Death Valley. Duke has not won at Clemson since a 34-17 victory over Danny Ford’s second Clemson team in 1980.  Clemson has won 14 in a row over the Blue Devils in Death Valley, including the last meeting, a 31-7 Clemson victory in 2008 in Dabo Swinney’s fourth game as
Clemson’s interim head coach.

In the 14-game home winning streak at Death Valley, Clemson has outscored, Duke 551-187, an average victory of 39-13.

RUSHING SUCCESS VS. DUKE

Clemson has a history of success against Duke in the running game. Clemson players have recorded 23 games of at least 100 yards rushing vs. Duke, more than against any other opponent. That includes a pair of 260-yard games that rank as the top two running games in Clemson history. Raymond Priester had 263 against Duke in 1995 and Cliff Austin had 260 against the Blue Devils in 1982.  Both of those games were at Clemson.

Kenny Flowers had three consecutive 100-yard rushing games against Duke in the 1980s, the only time a Clemson running back has rushed for at least 100 yards three times in a career against the same opponent.

MILITARY APPRECIATION DAY

Saturday’s game against Duke will be Clemson’s 25th Military Appreciation Day. The history of the special day dates to 1994 when Clemson had a special flyover for the Clemson vs. Georgia Tech game on Nov. 12, just one
day after Veteran’s Day. Clemson had a flyover of four F-16s from Shaw Air Force Base during pregame as the highlight of the celebration that day.

Clemson has celebrated its military history every year since with the games held in November or when Clemson plays host to a school with its own military heritage.

Clemson has a 20-4 record in the previous 24 Military Appreciation Day games. The Tigers have won 10 such games in a row, with the last loss coming against Virginia Tech in 2007.

SENIOR DAY

An attempt to encapsulate the full contribution of Clemson’s 2018 senior class may be futile, as the group will eventually conclude its time as Tigers as one of the most successful senior classes in the history of college football. Currently, the 2018 senior class…
… holds a 50-4 overall record in the last four years, one of two senior classes in the country to produce 50 wins in that span.
… can become the winningest class in both Clemson and ACC history with a win on Senior Day.
… will become the first senior class in conference history to play in four consecutive ACC Championship games, and with a win in Charlotte, could become the first class in conference history to win four ACC titles outright.
… is attempting to become only the second senior class in the country ever to earn four consecutive College Football Playoff berths.
… has won 41 games against Power Five conference opponents since 2015, the most in the country.
… has been ranked in the AP Top 15 in every poll of their careers, including a Top 10 ranking in each of the last 55 polls, tied for the longest such streak in the country.
… features 15 players, including players on medical exemptions and underclassmen being honored on Senior Day, who have already earned degrees from Clemson University, as well as another 10 expected to earn their degrees next month.
… is 25-1 in Death Valley, tied for the best home record in the country since 2015. The class can tie the 2017 Clemson seniors for the most wins at Death Valley (27) with victories against Duke and South Carolina.

TCI Predictions 

Robert – Clemson 63, Duke 21

Will – Clemson 56, Duke 10

Joanne – Clemson 28, Duke 7