CLEMSON – It is game day in Death Valley where Virginia head coach Tony Elliott returns home as the Tigers battle the Cavs.

The Tigers look to move to 5-0 in the conference with a win over Virginia.

Location: Memorial Stadium (Death Valley)

Kickoff: 12 PM

Television: ACC Network

Announcers:  Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlich, Coley Harvey

2024 Record: Clemson 5-1,  Virginia 4-2

ACC Record: Clemson 4-0, Virginia 2-1

Series History: Clemson leads series 40-8-1

Last Meeting:  Clemson fell 41-23 on October 3, 2020

ELLIOTT TO RETURN AS CLEMSON AWAITS VIRGINIA ON SATURDAY

Clemson will await the return of one of its native sons on Saturday, Oct. 19 when the Tigers host Virginia Head Coach Tony Elliott and his 4-2 Cavaliers. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium in Clemson is scheduled for noon ET.

Elliott played wide receiver at Clemson from 1999-2003 and was a team captain of the 2003 squad for which Dabo Swinney served as Elliott’s position coach in Swinney’s first year at Clemson. Elliott later served 11 years as an assistant coach at Clemson from 2011-21, helping the Tigers to a 130-21 record in his tenure.

On Saturday, Elliott will become the 15th head coach all-time to face Clemson after having previously coached the Tigers in either a head coaching or assistant coaching capacity. He will become the fourth former Clemson player to face the Tigers as a head coach, joining Jules Carson (Wofford), Bobby Johnson (Furman) and Mike O’Cain (NC State).

WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS WEEK

– Clemson attempting to start 5-0 in conference play for the eighth time under Dabo Swinney (2011, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022). It would
be Clemson’s 16th such start since joining the ACC in 1953.
– Clemson facing Virginia Head Coach Tony Elliott — a Clemson graduate, former Clemson player and former Clemson coach — for the first time.
– Elliott becoming the 15th head coach all-time to face Clemson after having previously coached at Clemson in either a head coaching or assistant coaching capacity.
– Elliott becoming the fourth former Clemson player to face the Tigers as a head coach, joining Jules Carson (Wofford), Bobby Johnson (Furman) and Mike O’Cain (NC State).
– Clemson attempting to improve to 28-22-2 alltime against head coaches who were formerly Clemson assistants or head coaches.
– Clemson attempting to improve to 9-3 all time against former Clemson players in head coaching roles.
– Clemson attempting to improve to 41-8-1 against Virginia all-time. A win would move Virginia into sole possession of fifth place on the list of  Clemson’s mostdefeated opponents all-time.
– Clemson attempting to win a sixth consecutive game against Virginia for the first time since opening its alltime series against the Cavaliers with a 29-game winning streak across the 1955-89 seasons. That previous 29-game winning streak is tied for the sixth-longest winning streak in FBS history for one team over another and the second-longest in a series that did not take place over uninterrupted consecutive season.

– Clemson attempting to produce a fifth 40-point game in a season for the ninth time in school history (10 in 2019, nine in 2018, eight in 2020, eight in 2013, eight in 2012, seven in 2015, seven in 2016 and five in 2007).
– Clemson attempting to produce five 40-point games in the first seven games of a season for the third time in school history (five in both 2019 and 2020).
– Clemson attempting to score 28 or more points in a quarter for the fourth time this season to match the school record set in 2012 (four). So far this season, Clemson has recorded a 35-point first quarter against Appalachian
State, a 28-point first quarter against NC State and a 28-point second quarter against Wake Forest.
– Clemson attempting to reach 500 yards in three straight games for the first time since an eight-game streak in 2019.

SPILLER TO JOIN RING OF HONOR

Clemson will honor one of the most dynamic players in school history on Saturday when it inducts former running back C.J. Spiller into the Clemson Ring of Honor before kickoff.

The Ring of Honor is the highest award bestowed by Clemson Athletics. Recipients must have made an outstanding contribution to the heritage of Clemson Athletics, must be a member of the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame and a graduate of a four-year institution for consideration.

Spiller, a native of Lake Butler, Fla., joined Clemson as a running back in 2006 and embarked upon a superlative career that resulted in his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2021 in only his second year
of eligibility.

Over his career, the two-time All-ACC selection set the NCAA record for career kickoff returns for touchdowns with seven, and his 7,588 career all-purpose yards still rank third in NCAA history. That total remains an ACC
record and ranks first all-time among power conference players.

HISTORY VS. NEW COACHES

Saturday’s game against Virginia Head Coach Tony Elliott will be the third of six scheduled games this season in which Clemson is slated to face an opposing head coach for the first time. That list also includes Appalachian State’s Shawn Clark, Stanford’s Troy Taylor, Louisville’s Jeff Brohm, Virginia Tech’s Brent Pry and The Citadel’s Maurice Drayton.

Since 2011, Clemson is 48-7 when facing an opposing head coach for the first time.

WITH THE WIN…

– Clemson has now started 4-0 in conference play for the 10th time under Dabo Swinney, joining the 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022 seasons. It is Clemson’s 19th such start since joining the ACC in 1953 including the 1959, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 2000 seasons.
– Clemson improved to 72-17-1 all-time against Wake Forest. It pulled Wake Forest within one defeat of Clemson’s most-defeated opponent, South  Carolina, which Clemson has beaten 73 times.
– Clemson won its 16th consecutive game against Wake Forest, dating back to 2009, to take sole possession of the longest winning streak in series history (passing its 15-game streak from 1977-91). Clemson’s 16-game winning streak against Wake Forest is the Tigers’ longest active winning streak against an ACC foe.
– Clemson earned its fourth 16-game winning streak against a single opponent in school history, joining a 32-game streak against Furman (1938-present), a 29-game streak against Virginia (1955-89) and an 18-game streak
against The Citadel (1932-present). It joined the Virginia streak as one of two winning streaks of 16-plus games against current FBS programs in Clemson history.

TCI Predictions 

Robert – Clemson 45, Virginia 14

Will – Clemson 41, Virginia 20

JP – Clemson 38, Virginia 17