Despite the rivalry brewing between fans, TJ Parker blocks out the noise and remains focused on the task at hand
It’s impossible not to draw parallels between Clemson and LSU. Both share a mascot, as well as a stadium name. Both experienced success in the 2010s, and have since tried and failed to re-capture that dominance. Both enter the season with Championship aspirations behind a talented slew of transfers, a seasoned Head Coach, and a Heisman contender as their signal caller.
With such similarities, a somewhat territorial rivalry has emerged in recent history between the two programs. Which features the “real death valley” has been a debate since the iconic ‘4th and 16’ New Year’s Six game of 2012. Since then, Clemson has seen far more success. The Tigers have gone 141-27 since that season (compared to 110-41 for LSU) and seen more playoff appearances, conference championships, and national championships. However, LSU of course has the head to head argument, the most infuriatingly irrefutable counterargument in any petty sports debate.
Despite it being a full five years since Joe Burrow defeated Clemson 42-25 in the National Championship, LSU still holds that alleged proof of superiority highly. On July 24th, LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly took a slight dig at Clemson University, calling Memorial Stadium “Death Valley Junior.” TJ Parker responded to the comment on On3; “They can have their opinion, We’re gonna handle all that on August 30. At the end of the day, they can do all the talking. We still got to play. So, we’re gonna see.”
Parker stayed consistent with his more professional demeanor to the question, refusing to give LSU the respect of disdain: “At the end of the day it’s about the ball we play. We’re gonna play on Saturday and that’s what’s gonna hold everything else up.” For Parker, LSU must be treated like any other matchup. You treat every rep, every set, every practice like it’s the 4th quarter of the National Championship. But you treat every day like it’s just another day. It becomes much easier to “act like you’ve been there before” when your program has dominated for over a decade, which is reflective upon Parker’s attitude.
However, while the team is business as usual, the fans continue to defend the honor of the name Death Valley. Any Clemson fan should be able to win any delusional LSU fan in an argument over who owns the venue name. For anyone looking for strong arguments in favor of the Tigers’, here’s a guide for every Clemson fan outlining why we own the name:
- Clemson is the original death Valley, naming the stadium in the late 1940’s, whereas LSU named the stadium in 1959
- Clemson boasts the higher winning percentage in Death Valley (.699) compared to LSU (.643)
- Clemson has been much more dominant at home in recent memory, with the third best home win percentage since 2015 (LSU outside of the top 10).
- Additionally, longest home win streak, home record vs. ranked opponents, and, important for Saturday, home record in night games all fall in Clemson’s favor
