There is a reason why second-ranked Clemson heads into Saturday’s ACC Showdown at No. 12 Virginia Tech owning an 11-game road winning streak.
“If you are a good player and a good team, then you should be a good player and a good team anywhere, regardless,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said.
That’s easier said than done, especially when 66,000 people will be pulling against the Tigers (4-0, 2-0 ACC). Like Louisville two weeks ago, Virginia Tech (4-0, 0-0 ACC) is dubbing Saturday’s game at Lane Stadium, the biggest game held in Blacksburg, Va., in the history of the program.
It marks the first time two top 12 teams have done battle there. ESPN’s College GameDay will also be in attendance and the game will be televised on ABC as the national primetime Game of the Week.
But this isn’t the first time Clemson has been in this situation. It isn’t even the first time this year.
The Louisville game on Sept. 16 was also played at night and was also on ABC. Also, ESPN’s GameDay broadcasted its show live from Louisville, Ky., as well.
How did the Tigers handle it? They beat the Cardinals by 26 points for their 11th straight road win, a school record.
“It is a mindset,” Swinney said. “You can’t let things that you cannot control determine your performance. If you are distracted by all the stuff, and all that stuff is great, GameDay, whatever, it is great. Just like when it is at home. It’s awesome to have that, but you still have to kick the ball off.
“Then it is going to come down to blocking, tackling, execution and attention to detail and playing fast and physical and being sound in the kicking game. It is the same thing. The same things that win at home will win on the road.”
During the current 11-game road win streak, only four games have been decided by six points or less, while the average margin of victory for the other seven is 28.0 points. Clemson averaged 45 points per game in those seven contests.
Saturday’s game at Virginia Tech will mark the 11th straight game away from Death Valley, counting the ACC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff, in which Clemson has played at seven o’clock or later.
“It seems like we always play these games at night,” Swinney said jokingly.
But the Tigers have won their last nine in those situations because they seem to block everything else out and just play football. In those nine straight wins away from Clemson, the Tigers have won six of them against ranked opponents, including the last four.
“That is just the way it has to be and that has to be a mindset,” Swinney said. “Good players and good teams, they don’t allow their performance to be determined by things that should not matter. You are so locked in and focused on playing well, and then mental toughness sets in.
“When you do go on the road, you have a lot of energy against you. You have to have great focus, poise and mental toughness built into the DNA of your program. But again, it is all about the mindset that you have and the pride in your performance and the consistency in that, regardless.”