Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney had a message for Tiger fans ahead of Saturday’s primetime, night game at Memorial Stadium.

During his weekly press conference ahead of the highly anticipated showdown against the No. 4 Miami Hurricanes, Swinney praised the Tigers’ faithful and sent a message, saying their fans “deserve” a big-time, elite night game atmosphere.

Swinney noted that it has been a “weird year” with multiple weather delays and lightning disruptions. He pointed out that the 7:30 p.m. slot on ABC might surprisingly be one of Clemson’s earliest kickoffs of the season due to the previous delays before or during the LSU, Georgia Southern and North Carolina games, and then a 10:30 p.m. ET kickoff on the West Coast at Cal.

“Our fans show up no matter what. That’s one thing I’ll say,” Swinney said. “It’s been a weird year. It has been a really weird year. We’re kicking off at 7:30, and this might be one of the earliest kickoffs we’ve had all year. We’ve had two 9:30 kickoffs and a 10:30 kickoff. Even the noon kickoff (vs. UNC) was the longest game in Clemson history. It’s just insane. It has been really, really weird from that standpoint.

“So, my first reaction [to having the primetime game] was awesome. Our fans deserve that. … We really haven’t had a chance to really put it all together – football, fans, band, the pageantry of Clemson. We really haven’t had a chance to really do that yet.”

Saturday’s matchup presents both a huge opportunity and serves as a major test for Swinney’s team. Both programs enter the weekend 2-0 in ACC play, with Miami undefeated at 4-0 overall and Clemson sitting at 3-1 after rebounding with three straight wins following the season-opening blowout loss at LSU.

Miami is coming off a national runner-up finish last season, and Swinney has showered praise on the Hurricanes, including comparing its offensive production to a “video game” and complimenting star quarterback Darian Mensah as a “freak show.”

Discussing the atmosphere for Saturday’s game, Swinney emphasized Death Valley’s unmatched game-day environment at its best, calling it “magical” and stating that it’s second to none in college football when everyone does their part.

“I was excited about it [the primetime game]. There’s no environment better than Clemson,” Swinney said. “This place is magical — it really is — especially when we do our part. Because what we do on the field impacts all the stuff around us. So when we do our part, it’s really a special environment, especially at night. It’s always great. But a night game in The Valley is special.”

Swinney added that he isn’t concerned about the wet forecast Saturday – he simply doesn’t want any lightning around Death Valley.

“I don’t care if it rains,” Swinney said. “Let’s just not have any lightning. … Hopefully we can just play a regulation game and not have to have any delays.”

In a historic rarity for Swinney’s tenure, Clemson enters its home field as a significant double-digit underdog (currently 16.5 points).