CLEMSON — Something happened at Clemson Saturday night that has not happened in 94 years.

For a second straight year, the Tigers lost on Homecoming. Virginia Tech’s Ethan Grunkemeyer threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Luke Reynolds with 1:44 to play, lifting the Hokies to a 20-16 victory at Memorial Stadium.

Coupled with last year’s last-second loss to Duke, the Tigers lost on Homecoming in back-to-back years for the first time since the 1931 and 1932 seasons.

To make it worse, the last two years marked the first time in the history of Memorial Stadium, which opened in 1942, that Clemson lost on Homecoming Weekend in back-to-back years.

“That really bothers me,” head coach Dabo Swinney said after another loss in a venue where the Tigers won 40 straight games once upon a time.

It should bother Swinney.

From 2013 to 2022 Clemson was an amazing 61-1 at Memorial Stadium, with that one loss coming by a point to Pittsburgh in 2016. They did not lose another game in Death Valley until a one-point loss to rival South Carolina in 2022.

Now, the Tigers (4-3, 2-2 ACC) are losing on Homecoming, something that has rarely happened at Clemson. Since 1971, prior to Saturday, Clemson had lost five times on Homecoming. It now has done it in back-to-back years.

To get an idea how long ago it was the last time this happened, the Tigers’ 1931 Homecoming loss was to Oglethorpe. Yep, that’s right, Olegthorpe.

In case you are wondering, Olegthorpe University is a Division III school in Brookhaven, Ga., that discontinued football in 1941. That’s how long it’s been since Clemson has lost back-to-back games on Homecoming.

I think you heard of the school Clemson lost to in 1932 – that would be Georgia.

But Clemson is not just losing on Homecoming – they have lost a lot in Death Valley the last several years. In fact, the Tigers are 11-8 at Memorial Stadium since 2024.

From 2011-2023, Clemson was 84-5 in Death Valley.

To add insult to injury, the Tigers are just 2-8 in their last 10 home games versus Power 4 opponents.

The hits just keep coming for a Clemson program that once owned the ACC and played for four national championships in five years and made the College Football Playoff for six consecutive years.

Unfortunately, for the Tigers, there is not much “Death” in “Death Valley” anymore, except for Clemson.

“We’ll get it turned around,” Swinney said.