CHAPEL HILL — It’s not called Death Valley for its welcoming reputation for opposing teams. There’s a reason Clemson has won more than three-quarters of its home games at Memorial Stadium.
The Tigers’ home-field advantage has been well documented over the years. The stadium holds 81,500 fans and carries on traditions, like the pregame run down the hill, that make the atmosphere one of the best there is in college football.
On Saturday, coach Bill Belichick will lead North Carolina onto the field in Death Valley for a noon kickoff against Clemson and coach Dabo Swinney, looking to silence the home crowd and leave the stadium 3-0. The game will be televised on ESPN.
The atmosphere on Saturday already has Belichick’s attention.
“We’re heading into a real hostile environment down there at Clemson,” Belichick said on Monday to open his weekly press conference. “…I’m sure we’ll get plenty of it. We’ve experienced it before. I’ve experienced it before. There are crowd noise situations on offense you have to be ready for, and you’ve got to bring your own energy. They’re going to have us outnumbered in the stands. Pretty sure of that.”
Home-field advantages are real, and crowd noise can steer momentum for the home team. Belichick knows that, and communication will be vital for UNC on Saturday, starting up front when Clemson’s defense is on the field.
Left guard Andrew Threatt believes the offensive line has improved most in its communication across the first two games: the win in Dublin, Ireland, over TCU and the home opening blowout against East Tennessee State. That communication at the line of scrimmage will be put to the ultimate test at Memorial Stadium.
Luckily for Threatt, he’s not walking in unaware. He has experienced that atmosphere in Death Valley before. Threatt, who’s a Chesterfield, South Carolina, native, grew up around Clemson football and will have nearly a dozen family members in attendance. But Threatt, who played at Charleston Southern from 2023-25, actually played at Memorial Stadium in 2023.
“One thing I remember about that game is the atmosphere,” Threatt said when asked about his game with Charleston Southern in Death Valley. “…I’m pretty familiar with Clemson. It’s a really good, insane atmosphere.”
During practice this week, communication was repeatedly emphasized, and by the end of the week, some ears may be ringing. That’s because, to prepare for the environment, UNC’s staff turns its speakers all the way up at practice, simulating what it’s going to feel like on Saturday.
“We get it repped in practice,” Threatt said of their planning for the noise. “One thing we do is play really loud sounds, music, crowd noise, so we get used to communicating in a loud atmosphere.”
UNC captain and wide receiver Jordan Shipp, a junior, faced Clemson last season at Kenan Stadium, but has yet to travel to Death Valley for a road test against the Tigers. He couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity.
“That is a place where I’ve got to give credit where credit is due: Playing in the valley, not everybody gets to do that,” Shipp said. “That’s something, as a kid, I went to a couple games and that’s something you dream about: playing at Clemson. Just like the history behind it and everything like that. I know the atmosphere is going to be great.”
While the noise will be clear for the Tar Heels, it won’t move the chains for Clemson. Nor will it put points on the board for the Tigers. The fundamentals still matter the same. And while it’ll be a raucous atmosphere, one that UNC is clearly amped to compete in, the game will still come down to execution. That’s true for every position group on the Tar Heels’ roster, especially linebackers, who are responsible for communicating the calls to the defense.
“For us in the room, it’s just about going back to preparation, the pre-snap process,” outside linebacker coach Ty Nichols said. “What are they looking at? What are my keys? And the noise is the noise. We can’t do anything about the noise, but we can get them dialed into it to block out all the extra stuff outside of that.”
“As far as the crowd noise and stuff, that’s a fun game day environment for our guys to get to play in.”