The scene from downtown Clemson: Fans pour into Tiger Town for latest title game
There was a decided advantage of LSU fans Monday at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans for Monday’s national championship game.
That wasn’t the case in downtown Clemson as fans came in droves to College Avenue to watch the hometown Tigers go for their second straight title.
It’s a scene that’s becoming a routine sight in early January in Tiger Town. For the fourth time in five seasons, the Clemson football program was playing for the national championship. And like previous years, the city threw a big party to celebrate.
“It doesn’t get any better than this,” Midlands native Paul Kiesler said. “Look at the people and atmosphere. There is no place I would rather be.”
Fans began cheering and singing the Clemson fight song hours before the game and erupted when Trevor Lawrence scored on a 1-yard run to give Clemson an early 7-0 lead.
The ending wasn’t what Clemson fans wanted as LSU, behind a record-setting night from Heisman Trophy Joe Burrow, won the school’s second national title with a 42-25 victory.
Still, the loss didn’t dampen the mood for fans like Kiesler.
Kiesler, a graduate of Batesburg-Leesville High School, was born and raised a Clemson fan. It has remained that way as he attended Clemson and was a member of the Tigers’ band.
One of Kiesler’s first games was in the Tigers’ first national title season — he’s been a regular attendee since then. Clemson is in the midst of the best stretch in school history and racking up wins, ACC titles and national championship appearances.
Clemson entered Monday’s game with a 29-game winning streak.
“They had an incredible run back then and I couldn’t imagine it being so much better now,” Kiesler said. “But it is and this team is amazing. Like Dabo said, the best is yet to come.”
Fans started crowding into downtown and bars such as Study Hall and Charleston Sports Pub several hours before the game.
Kiesler was decked out in a purple-and-orange shirt with Mardi Gras-style beads. Other fans that braved the damp, rainy night were decked out in everything from Tiger suits, and Deshaun Watson and Travis Etienne jerseys.
JP Harvey, a sophomore at Clemson, donned a wig to resemble sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Harvey and his friends were in downtown early to get ready for the game.
They also attended last year’s game downtown.
“I remember every single detail,” Harvey said. “It was the best night of my life. It was the craziest night in Clemson by far.”
This story was originally published January 13, 2020 at 10:59 PM.
