Biggest Game of the Year Comes Against One of the Worst Teams in America

Following seven consecutive conference games since mid-September, Clemson will return home this week for a non-conference contest against UConn on Saturday, Nov. 13.

The Clemson Tigers return home this week for game one of a two-game homestand that will end the regular season inside the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium. Lurking ahead is a showdown with a top-15 Wake Forest team that is eying a berth in the ACC Championship game.

But before that game in 11 days, is a showdown the arguably the worst team in college football—the UConn Huskies. 

The Huskies rank 124th in scoring offense, 116th in rushing offense, 114th in pass offense and 126th in total offense. On defense, they are equally bad, as they rank 120th in scoring defense, 111th in rush defense, 85th in pass defense and 107th in total defense.

While all of the above numbers signal a game that the Tigers should be able to sleep walk to a win in, head coach Dabo Swinney is not taking anything for granted.

"We are super excited to be back in the Valley for a stretch here," Swinney said. "Been on the road three out of the last four games. Haven't played here since October 2. So it's been quite a while and so we looking forward to being in The Valley next couple weeks—the last two home games of the year. You know we all get excited about you know, the season every single year, there's always so much enthusiasm and energy and we got two more home games and the fans will come out and really support this team."

Saturday’s game against UConn will be Clemson's 28th Military Appreciation Day. The history of the special day dates to 1994 when Clemson had a special flyover for the Clemson vs. Georgia Tech game on Nov. 12, just one day after Veterans Day. The flyover of four F-16s from Shaw Air Force Base during pregame was the highlight of the celebration that day. 

Clemson has celebrated its military history every year since during games held in November or when Clemson plays host to a school with its own military heritage. Clemson has a 23-4 record in the previous 27 Military Appreciation Day games. The Tigers have won 13 such games in a row, with the last loss coming against Virginia Tech in 2007.

"Military Appreciation Day It's special," Swinney said. "Really everywhere, but Clemson just does an amazing job. They really do this incredible experience every single year. Hopefully, we'll have a great crowd show up early. Good support all the great military heroes that we have."

The Tigers are coming off a fifth straight one-possession game, a 30-24 win over Louisville last Saturday. While some people may see that as a sign of something being wrong, especially for a program that has spent the better part of the last six years beating up on the rest of the ACC, Swinney has another word for it—exciting.

"I'm telling you, Louisville is a good team," Swinney said. "They're nowhere near what their record is. They played their butts off. That quarterback is outstanding. They've had some heartbreakers. We were very fortunate. We just keep battling and keep finding a way. It'll really pay off for our team and our program. We don't have a single senior on our offensive line and won't have but one next year. We're seeing a great foundation for our players' future. It's exciting man, because we're getting better. We're getting better."

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