Death Valley used to be a nightmare for visiting teams, but those days have felt distant lately. Clemson once stacked up 40 consecutive home wins, a streak snapped by rival South Carolina in 2022. Since then, what was once the Tigers’ biggest advantage has turned into a source of frustration. Dabo Swinney’s group has now dropped four of its last six in Clemson, including a 1-2 mark this season.
“We’ve stunk. We’ve lost three of our last four at home,” Swinney admitted during his weeklyu press conference. “I know last year was a different team, but this team has not done well.”
The Tigers will try to reclaim that home-field edge on Saturday when SMU visits for a rematch of last year’s ACC Championship Game. Clemson has looked sharp on the road in recent weeks, winning back-to-back games in convincing fashion, but now faces the challenge of carrying that same energy back to Death Valley.
“We really didn’t play well in any game until North Carolina,” Swinney said. “We’ve had guys step up individually, but we haven’t played well together as a team.”
When Swinney first took over as head coach, he made it a mission to turn Clemson’s home stadium into one of college football’s most feared venues. For much of his tenure, it was exactly that. But the veteran coach knows that standard hasn’t been met this fall.
Cade Klubnik injury: Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney updates QB’s availability vs SMU https://t.co/q6N1ASXucrpic.twitter.com/OA834Lio3g
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) October 14, 2025
“That was a big goal of mine when I got this job,” he said. “For most of my 17 years, we’ve been great. Lately, we haven’t been, and we’ve got to fix that.”
Clemson now has a chance to reestablish its identity where it matters most — in front of its home fans. “We’ve got to get back on track,” Swinney said. “Hopefully, we can start a new streak.”
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Dabo Swinney on Clemson football’s recent home struggles
