Clemson's going purple jerseys on the road for first time since 2003

Clemson aims to rekindle the past when it takes the field against Georgia Tech on Saturday, featuring a rare alternative jersey switch. 

While the Tigers typically wear white tops/white pants with the patented orange helmets on the road, Dabo Swinney, a known traditionalist, is bucking the trend and going purple tops, based on a social media post from the official Clemson football account. 

The Tigers haven’t worn purple tops on the road since then. They historically reserve all purple for Military Appreciation Day. Today marks the first time they will wear this purple top/white bottom combination in any game since 2008 against Maryland. It's the same uniforms that the quarterbacks wear during practice and in spring games, signifying that they can't be hit. That won't be the case in Atlanta.

The photo on the right is of former Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, who threw three touchdowns and rushed for another in a 39-3 blowout of the Yellow Jackets in 2003 in Atlanta. 

Rumors of the change began surfacing late Friday into Saturday morning, before the school sent out that post. The reasoning is likely in response to Georgia Tech hosting a “white out” at Bobby Dodd Stadium. 

Clemson is also looking for a spark after two lackluster performances. Swinney has not been a fan of alternate uniforms, especially over the last decade. The Tigers only wear orange britches when they’re playing for a championship. 

Maybe going with purple jerseys is a way to fire up his team, especially a struggling offense.  

The first ACC game of the year for both teams kicks off at noon and will be televised on ESPN. The Tigers are a slight 2.5-point favorite after starting the week at -6.5. Clemson will be without three starters in this game.