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Clemson’s TJ Parker responds after LSU's Brian Kelly calls Memorial Stadium "Death Valley Junior"

Untitled design (1)by: Julie Boudwin07/24/25
Brian Kelly, LSU. Dabo Swinney, Clemson
© Stephen Lew-Imagn Images & © Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The hype surrounding LSU’s season opener against Clemson just cranked up another notch — and it’s not even August.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly took a playful jab this week while addressing the Baton Rouge Rotary Club, referring to Clemson’s Memorial Stadium as “Death Valley Junior,” a not-so-subtle reminder of which program he believes lays claim to college football’s true Death Valley.

“You want attention to detail on 4th-and-goal. You want great habits when they’re needed on the road and you’re playing in Death Valley Junior — not the Death Valley. That’s what you need,” Kelly said.

Naturally, Kelly’s comments made their way up to Clemson, where standout defensive lineman TJ Parker didn’t hesitate to respond at Thursday’s ACC Football Kickoff.

“They can have their opinion. We’re gonna handle all that on August 30,” Parker said. “At the end of the day, we can do all the talking, we still got to play. So, we gonna see, you know what I’m saying? They’re hyping up everybody across the board, all these transfers they got — we’ll see.”

The back-and-forth only adds fuel to what is already one of the most highly anticipated games of the 2025 college football season. LSU travels to Clemson for a prime-time matchup on Saturday, Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Both teams are expected to be ranked in the preseason AP Top 25, with playoff implications on the line from the opening kickoff.

The Tigers from Baton Rouge haven’t won a season opener since 2019, when Joe Burrow ended the season beating Clemson for the national championship. Since then, Week 1 has been a source of frustration. Kelly is determined to flip the script in Year 4.

“We’ve made it a specific goal,” Kelly said. “It’s tangible for our guys.”

So tangible, in fact, that Clemson paw prints have been added to weight room punching bags, and monitors around LSU’s football facility flash the message to “Go 1-0.”

“I think it’s important—our kids want that. They can taste it,” Kelly added.

Now, the countdown to Aug. 30 begins — with plenty of talk, and soon, real answers on the field.

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