After a heartbreaking loss in Miami to start the second half of the season, Clemson takes a trip to Raleigh, North Carolina. They will play an NC State team looking to also try to make a strong run to end a lackluster season so far. These two programs have a long history with each other with their first meeting occurring in 1899. This will be the 91st game between these teams and many of them have been great games. This game on Saturday has a chance to be another very good one.
Previous Meetings
Right now, Clemson leads the series against the Wolfpack 60-29. Last year the Tigers won the game in Death Valley 20-30. Dabo Swinney’s teams have had some trouble at times going into Carter-Finley Stadium though. The last two times Clemson has lost to NC State were in Raleigh. The most recent was their meeting in 2021 where the Wolfpack won 27-20. Carter-Finley is one of the toughest places to play in the ACC. NC State has sold out every home game this season. It will be important for the Tigers to walk in extra focused going into what could be a hostile environment.
Road Bumps
Clemson is 1-2 on the road coming into this Saturday. The two worst games the Tigers have played this season were away at Duke and Miami. In both those games, Clemson turned the ball over three times. Last week in Miami, Swinney’s team was also penalized eight times. Two things that can put teams in a hole on the road are turnovers and penalties due to trouble communicating because of the home fans. With turnovers already being a big issue for Clemson, they must find a way to quiet the crowd early on.
The Matchup
Strictly talent-wise, Clemson does have the advantage over the Wolfpack. If talent alone won college football games though, this Clemson team’s season would look very different right now. On paper right now these programs are fairly evenly matched. Both sit at 4-3 overall after seven games this season. This puts both right around the middle of the pack in the ACC with Clemson eighth in the standings and NC State tenth. Both teams also have great defenses but questions on offense.
Clemson right now is seventh in the nation in total defense. They are tied for fourth in the ACC for the least points given up so far. The Tigers also have the second-best passing defense in the conference. The Clemson defense has so much talent. They have both upperclassmen and young players who can make plays. The front seven has multiple early-round draft picks in Jeremiah Trotter Jr, Barrett Carter, and Tyler Davis. Offensively though, Clemson has a bad turnover problem. They have 13 turnovers on the season, 10 of them being fumbles. It has hurt the Tigers tremendously, especially in losses. The Tigers also have the ninth-ranked rushing attack in the ACC.
The Wolfpack have been stout on defense this season as well. As of now NC State is tied for the seventh most sacks in the country with 22. This leads the ACC right now. Also, the pack defense has the most interceptions in the conference with eight. This ties them for sixth most in all of the FBS. The NC State defense plays very fast. They fly around and try to confuse quarterbacks and play callers with their blitzes. They have depth at defensive back which is evident in the interception numbers. The best player on the defense though is linebacker Payton Wilson. Already on the year, Wilson has 81 tackles leading the ACC. It is also the ninth most in the FBS.
On offense, the pack has struggled to get much of anything going. They also have a bit of a turnover problem with NC State quarterbacks throwing a total of 10 interceptions on the season. This puts them at 13th in the conference in passing offense. They are dead last in the conference in offensive efficiency.
Keys To Victory
For both teams, the keys to victory are very similar. On offense, both teams need to hold on to the football. Clemson can’t put the ball on the ground and NC State has to do better protecting the ball through the air. On defense, both teams have to keep playing lights out. Both programs have young quarterbacks who are very talented but are still trying to grow. Pressure on both guys will force them to make mistakes. For Clemson though, the run game will be important. Establishing the run game will give them the advantage in the game. If they allow Will Shipley and Phil Mafah to show out they’ll make it a long day for the Wolfpack.
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