Brian Kelly adds new layer to battle for ‘Death Valley’ title with Clemson

In college athletics, many teams share the same mascot and it can make for some confusing moments in fandom. Even more so when a location — let’s say Death Valley — is in dispute.

LSU coach Brian Kelly is doing his best to clear up any confusion ahead of a season opener on the road at Clemson. Both schools refer to their home location as “Death Valley.”

Speaking at the Baton Rouge Rotary Club, Kelly provided some red meat for the fans present. With the season opener fast approaching, Kelly made it clear where he believes the real Death Valley resides.

“You need those (Championship) traits when you’re on the road, when you’re at Death Valley Junior,” Kelly said, according to a report from Brian Holland of NBC 33 and FOX 44.

That’s sure to cause a stir and is undoubtedly something the Clemson contingent set to take part in the annual ACC Media Days in Charlotte, N.C., will be asked about on Thursday. You can bet the Tigers — yep, double up on the name, too — will not take it lying down.

That was evident already early on in the morning on the ACC Network. The crew brought it up there and resistance to LSU’s claim was quickly provided.

“Well, see, we like to operate with facts. And the history books for LSU are a decade behind Death Valley, Clemson, South Carolina,” former Clemson offensive lineman and current ACC Network analyst Eric Mac Lain said. “I know people like to change history or rewrite history, but it is what it is. The real one is in Clemson, South Carolina.”

This, of course, is not the first time Kelly has referenced the dispute over Death Valley. He did so at SEC Media Days in Atlanta, too.

“We’ve got an incredible challenge, one we’re excited about,” Kelly said in Atlanta. “One that we’re looking forward to. We still think we are the Death Valley. They can use the name too. We’re letting them borrow it.”

For his part, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney played down the controversy at his last opportunity. It’ll be interesting to see if he takes the same tack on Thursday at ACC Media Days.

“I don’t know the context,” Swinney said after Kelly’s salvo in Atlanta. “I have no idea. It’s not like I’m sitting around, watching press conferences and all that stuff. I have no idea. But I’ve got a lot of respect for Coach Kelly, LSU, I can tell you that… It will be a great game and a great environment with two really, really talented football teams.”