CLEMSON — Running down the hill at Clemson is one of the great traditions in college football.

When the Tigers host a home game at Memorial Stadium on Saturdays in the fall, the team will load the buses on the west side of the stadium, drive around the north side and then unload at the top of the east side right in front of Howard’s Rock, which overlooks the 81,500 fans waiting to see the Tigers charge down the hill and into the stadium.

Before they go down the 110-foot hill and into “Death Valley,” the Tigers rub Howard’s Rock, which is placed on a pedestal at the top of the hill, for good luck. It is considered the “Greatest 25 Seconds in College Football” a statement made by Hall of Fame broadcaster Brent Musburger prior to the Clemson-Georgia game that year.

No one embodies the Clemson tradition more than Dabo Swinney, so much so he requires every new assistant coach to run down the hill prior to their first home game.

For new defensive coordinator Tom Allen, that day will be on Aug. 30 against LSU.

“I have not done it yet, but I am going to do several practice runs because I am not going to faceplant on national television,” Allen said on the ISB Radio Podcast last month. “I will say this, it is a lot steeper than I thought when you see it on television. I am going to practice that run, and I am going to make sure I nail that sucker.”

Allen said at the time, he is still learning the traditions of why Clemson is called Death Valley and why the Tigers run down the hill and, of course, Howard’s Rock. ISB host Jim Coyle tried to explain the tradition by what he was reading on the internet, but he was nowhere close to relaying the information correctly.

“I do not know the full history. I do not want to say anything that discredits the history and (mess) it all up. So, I do not know the full history of it yet, but it is on a couple of places. I will do my research,” Allen said. “I know Coach (Swinney) talked about it a little bit and he did make it clear I will have to do that in the first game.

“But I will actually do some homework on that and figure it out.”

Allen is aware of how Swinney runs down the hill, but he will take a different approach when he approaches the hill for the first time.

“Hamstring, Achillies, just tripping, and halfway down there is like a little, it is almost like a ramp, so there are several potential pitfalls,” Allen said. “So, I will definitely train for this thing, there is no doubt.”