For one night, in the middle of a season defined by historic failure and a crumbling defense, the magic returned to Death Valley. It just happened to be on the sideline, wearing a guest pass.
As Clemson fought to salvage its season against Florida State, Dabo Swinney looked up and saw a familiar, fiery face: Brent Venables.
The architect of Clemson's two national championship defenses, now the head coach at Oklahoma, was back in town. With the Sooners on a bye week, Venables, decked out in Clemson gear, was using his weekend off to do just one thing: "be dad" for his son, sixth-year safety and team leader Tyler "T-Bone" Venables.
For a 3-5 team that had given up 81 points in its previous two losses, Venables' mere presence felt like an exorcism. It was, as Swinney called it, "good mojo."
"We had some good mojo down there," Swinney said after the Tigers' dominant 24-10 win—easily their best defensive performance of the year. "It was great to see him down there."
The visit was a surreal reminder of the program's glory days. Swinney said he couldn't resist falling back into old habits, jogging over to his former coordinator for a mid-game consultation.
"I went over there and said, 'What do you think they're going to call right here on second and 14?'" Swinney said, breaking into a perfect, manic Venables impression: "'Probably a screen or draw! Probably a screen or draw!'"
Venables wasn't the only ghost of champions past. He brought one of his current assistants, former Clemson linebacker and defensive heart James Skalski, who even attended Swinney's team meeting on Friday.
But the trip was, at its heart, about family. Swinney praised Tyler Venables, who blocked a punt in the previous week's loss, as "one of the best leaders that we've had here."
"This kid loves Clemson. He loves this team. He loves everything about Clemson," Swinney said. "For Brent to get back, and (his wife) Julie, for them to be able to get back and just be a part of that is just awesome."
For one night, the win allowed Swinney, his struggling program, and a weary fan base to feel a spark of the "good mojo" that once made them the most feared team in football. As for Venables, after a weekend of being a dad, he now returns to his No. 12-ranked Sooners to prepare for a showdown with No. 4 Alabama.