North Carolina prepares for a hostile environment at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium as coach Bill Belichick leads the Tar Heels into a Saturday noon kickoff against Dabo Swinney’s Tigers, where crowd noise and communication will face an ultimate test.
Bill Belichick and North Carolina Brace for Memorial Stadium
It is not called Death Valley for its welcoming reputation. Clemson has built its home-field advantage on winning more than three-quarters of its games at Memorial Stadium, a venue holding 81,500 fans that features traditions like the pregame run down the hill. 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.
The matchup will be televised on ESPN as the Tar Heels look to leave the stadium 3-0. Belichick addressed the daunting atmosphere during his weekly press conference on Monday.
“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.
Simulating the Noise in Chapel Hill Practice
Communication at the line of scrimmage remains paramount when facing the Tigers’ defense. Left guard Andrew Threatt noted that the offensive line has improved its communication across the first two games—a win in Dublin, Ireland, over TCU and a home opening blowout against East Tennessee State. Threatt is already familiar with the venue, having played at Memorial Stadium in 2023 during his time at Charleston Southern.
“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.”
Photo: yardbarker.com
Andrew Threatt, North Carolina left guard
Threatt, who’s a Chesterfield, South Carolina, native, grew up around Clemson football and will have nearly a dozen family members in attendance. 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,
Broader Debates Over the Death Valley Moniker
As the Tar Heels prepare for their test in South Carolina, a separate debate surrounds the nickname of the venue itself. Both Clemson and LSU lay claim to being the real Death Valley. LSU holds a 4-1 lead in the all-time series between the two schools. LSU and Clemson have combined for three national championships within the past 10 years, including a 42-25 victory led by Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow in 2019. The most recent game was last season’s opener in South Carolina, which featured a preseason top-five defensive struggle that saw LSU come out on top, 17-10. Clemson’s lone victory in the series came in the 2012 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, with the Tigers defeating LSU, 25-24, in a game that helped fuel Swinney’s ascent in the college football landscape. There can only be one Death Valley, and the nod has to go to LSU. Clemson fans can point out that their program first coined the “Death Valley” nickname in the late 1940s.
Can UNC Cross Death Valley? | CLEMSON | FINAL THOUGHTS | 2026
