A-Game Tailgate at Clemson

Game Info
Maryland at Clemson
Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008
Noon (Raycom Sports TV)
Memorial Stadium (80,301)
Clemson, S.C.
Series: Clemson leads, 30-24-2

Tickets ($48 each)
The Clemson ticket office, phone (864) 656-2118, reports the game is sold out.

Previous Trips to Clemson
Clemson will always have a special place in a lot of our hearts because it was the site of the 100th official A-Game Tailgate in 2006. You can read more about that on the Recaps 2006 page, but suffice it to say, it was one of the most memorable tailgates ever. So many factors came together: the historic occasion, cold weather blessing from Mother Nature, a core group of diehard fans making the trip, and of course, a classic comeback by the Terps, who won it at the buzzer, 13-12, on a field goal by Dan Ennis.

The campus is nice, and Clemson fans are some of the friendliest in the ACC. Most people and things are dressed in orange. Memorial Stadium is huge. In 2006, it lived up to its “Death Valley” hype because it was two good teams playing a close game. In 2004, it was bland — two mediocre teams playing ugly football will do that to any environment.

Most Terp fans stay in Greenville, which is about an hour to the north. There are some good chain and local restaurants in Greenville. Plenty of Clemson fans in town, but I did not get the impression that it was a college town. Clemson's not the easiest of places to get to, but it's worth the trip.

Click here for pictures of Team A-Game's visit to Clemson for the Terps/Tigers game in 2004. Click here for pictures of the Maryland/Clemson gameday in 2006. —PK

Note About Liquor Stores
If you need to stock up on your favorite adult beverages for Saturday's tailgate, consider making your purchases in Maryland or somewhere along your trip. In 2004, we luckily walked into a liquor store in Greenville, S.C., at 6:50 p.m. on a Friday and were told to make our purchases and head out prior to the store's mandated 7 p.m. closing. That may or may not be the rule across the state, but just to be safe you should stock up early in the day on Friday, regardless of location.

2008 Evening Festivities
Team A-Game is planning on leaving Baltimore early on Friday to beat D.C. traffic. We're hopeful for a 3 p.m. arrival in Greenville, which could make happy hour a possibility for other early arrivals.

According to maryland.scout.com, a Terp fan runs City Tavern, 128 North Main Street, Greenville, SC 29601. The phone number there is (864) 239-2202. That's the likely first destination. City Tavern happy hour runs from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., with $1 off beers and most liquor drinks.

A South Carolina transplant and friend of Team A-Game has provided some recommendations for dining and beverages if you so opt: Blue Ridge Brewing Company, 217 North Main Street in Greenville, Connolly's Irish Pub, 24 East Court Street in Greenville, and Wild Wing Cafe, 15 West Washington Street in Greenville.

Locals from clemson.scout.com recommended The Corner Pocket, 21 East Coffee Street in Greenville, a block off Main Street from Bergamo Plaza. It's a full-service bar with a variety of beers on tap, an oyster bar, grilled items, pool tables upstairs and several TVs.

Wear Terp gear while you are in South Carolina and make some new friends with other Terps who have made the trip.

Raising of the Flags
7 a.m.

Map of Tailgate Lot
Due to some construction on campus and a reshuffling of Clemson's booster club (IPTAY) parking, the general parking lot we used in 2004 and 2006 now appears to be an IPTAY permit lot marked as Brooks Center/South on the PDF map linked to below. But, there is a general public parking lot just on the other side of Cherry Road, directly opposite the new IPTAY permit lot. Click here for a PDF map of all football parking from Clemson. Click here for a google.com map of the Maryland tailgate lot, which will be at the intersection of Cherry Road and Perimeter Road in Clemson, S.C. Our first attempt will be to get into the lot to the immediate right once you turn right onto Cherry Road. If for whatever reason we are denied, we'll make for nearby general public parking further along Cherry Road or in the area marked as Kite Hill. Look for the flags.

Directions to Tailgate Lot
Click here for google.com directions from southbound Interstate 85 in South Carolina to the intersection of Cherry Road and Perimeter Road in Clemson, S.C. The directions use the Courtyard Greenville-Spartanburg Airport, 115 The Parkway, Greenville, S.C., as the starting point, but they are applicable to anyone coming south on I-85. Turn right onto Cherry Road from Perimeter Road. Then make your first right into the parking lots. Look for the flags and join us. Note that it is a solid 45 minutes to 1 hour from Greenville to Clemson.

Group Photo
All Terp fans are welcome for a group photo, probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 10-10:30 a.m. We will try to circulate through the lot to round folks up just prior to that.

Clemson Weather
Click here for conditions and forecasts in Clemson, S.C., courtesy of weather.com.

Official Web Sites
Maryland www.umterps.com
Clemson www.clemsontigers.com

Team Hotel
Greenville Marriott
One Parkway East
Greenville, SC 29615
Phone: (864) 297-0300
www.marriott.com

Alternate Hotel
Team A-Game is staying at:
Courtyard Greenville-Spartanburg Airport
115 The Parkway
Greenville, SC 29615
Phone: (864) 213-9009
www.marriott.com

Bring the Flag

Setting up at Clemson in 2004. You're looking at Cherry Road. The cars to the right are on Perimeter Road. For the 2008 game on Sept. 27, we will first try the parking lot visible on the immediate left of this photo (Perimeter Road to a right onto Cherry, to a right into that lot).

Clemson was the site of Team A-Game's 100th all-time tailgate in 2006.