CHAPEL HILL – It’s not called Death Valley because of 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 seats 81,500 fans and maintains traditions, such as the pregame downhill run, that make the atmosphere one of the best in college football. On Saturday, coach Bill Belichick will take North Carolina to 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. Saturday’s atmosphere is already attracting Belichick’s attention. “We’re heading into a really hostile environment there at Clemson,” Belichick said Monday as he opened his weekly news conference. “…I’m sure we’ll have a lot of that. We’ve experienced it before. I’ve experienced it before. There are crowd noise situations on offense that you have to be prepared for, and you have to bring your own energy. They’re going to outnumber us in the stands. I’m pretty sure of that.” Home field advantages are real, and crowd noise can drive momentum for the home team. Belichick knows this, 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 the most in its communication in the first two games: the win in Dublin, Ireland, over TCU and the opening blowout at home against East Tennessee State. That communication at the line of scrimmage will be tested at Memorial Stadium. Fortunately for Threatt, it doesn’t arrive inadvertently. He has experienced that atmosphere in Death Valley before. Threatt, a native of Chesterfield, South Carolina, grew up near 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, crazy atmosphere.” During this week’s practice, communication was repeatedly emphasized, and by the end of the week, some ears may be ringing. That’s because to prepare for the environment, the UNC staff turns their speakers on full blast during practice, simulating what it will feel like on Saturday. “We represent it in practice,” Threatt said of his noise planning. “One thing we do is play very loud sounds, music and crowd noise, so we get used to communicating in a noisy 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. I couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity. “That’s one place where I have to give credit where it’s due: Playing in the valley, not everyone can do that,” Shipp said. “That’s something, when I was a kid, I went to a couple of games and that’s something you dream about: playing at Clemson. Like the history behind it and everything. 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. He also won’t put points on the board for the Tigers. The fundamentals remain the same. And while it will be a raucous atmosphere, one that UNC is clearly eager to compete in, the game will still come down to execution. That’s true for every position group on the Tar Heels’ roster, especially the linebackers, who are responsible for communicating calls to the defense. “For us in the room, it’s just getting back to the preparation, the pre-snap process,” outside linebackers coach Ty Nichols said. “What are they looking at? What are my keys? And noise is noise. We can’t do anything about the noise, but we can get them to connect to block out all the extra stuff outside of that.” “As far as crowd noise and stuff, that’s a fun environment for our guys to play in on game day.”
