Clemson Set to Face The Citadel on Sept. 19

After weeks of speculation, Clemson's lone non-conference opponent for the 2020 season is officially set

Clemson announced today that it has finalized its non-conference contest scheduled for Sept. 19, as the Tigers will host The Citadel Bulldogs at Memorial Stadium.

The teams had been initially been scheduled to play on Nov. 14. Earlier this month, the ACC announced its updated schedule for 2020, featuring 10 games against conference opponents and one game against a non-conference foe, scheduled for Clemson on Sept. 19.

The contest gives Clemson six home games at Memorial Stadium in 2020. Clemson has hosted at least six home games in each of the last 20 seasons, dating to the 2000 campaign. Clemson has hosted an in-state FCS opponent every year since 2007 as part of its current scheduling philosophy.

"We are extremely excited that we were able to keep The Citadel on our schedule for 2020, as annually hosting an FCS opponent from the state of South Carolina remains a key point of our scheduling philosophy," Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich said. "We are grateful to both the ACC and The Citadel for their interest and hard work in preserving this non-conference game for our student-athletes, the Clemson community and the state of South Carolina."

The game will be Clemson's home opener after the team opens the season on the road at Wake Forest on Sept. 12. Both Clemson and The Citadel will adhere to competition testing protocols set forth by the ACC Medical Advisory Group.

The contest will be the 39th all-time between the two programs, dating to Clemson's 17-0 win against The Citadel in the teams' first meeting in 1909. Clemson has won each of the last 17 meetings, including most recently a 61-3 win in 2017, as part of the Tigers' 32-5-1 edge in the all-time series.