This senior class for NC State football has accomplished quite a bit. They were all part of last year’s 9-4 finish that saw the Wolfpack win its most ACC games (six) since 1994. They all played in last season’s big wins over, at the time, top-25 opponents in Florida State and Louisville.

They’ve all been instrumental in this year’s 5-0 start that has NC State at No. 16 in the AP poll and in excellent position to win double-digit games and go to a New Year’s Six bowl game.

The one thing this group hasn’t done? Beaten perennial ACC and National contender Clemson, something it will try to rectify with a trip to Death Valley to face No. 3 Tigers Saturday.

“It’s huge,” senior center Garrett Bradbury said. “I haven’t beaten these guys since I’ve been here. And whenever you finish a game, you never feel like an opponent’s better than you. And so to not have beat a team in the four years that I’ve been here just leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Obviously this is a different team, but at the end of the day it is a goal of mine, it is a goal of this team to beat this team.”

This senior group that includes Bradbury, quarterback Ryan Finley, linebacker Germaine Pratt, defensive tackle Eurndraus Bryant, defensive end Darian Roseboro, running back Reggie Gallaspy Jr., receiver Stephen Louis and others may not have become the first NC State team to beat Clemson since 2011. That team took a 37-13 blowout win behind the heroics of Mike Glennon at quarterback and Tobias Palmer at receiver.

They also haven’t been the first team to beat Clemson on the road since a 38-6 win behind Philip Rivers in 2002. But they’ve come close. They’ve come heartbreakingly, agonizingly close.

In 2016 at Clemson, the Pack had a chance to win the game at the buzzer with a 33-yard field goal attempt, but senior kicker Kyle Bambard pulled it wide right, and NC State fell in overtime. That Clemson team went on to win the National Championship.

Last season at home, the Pack took a 21-17 lead to halftime, but was outscored 14-0 in the third quarter and ended up falling 38-31, despite a chance to tie the game on its last possession.

While the Wolfpack will say all the right things about wanting to put those games behind them and focus on this season, it’s human nature to think about how close those teams came. The key will be taking the right lessons from what the team did well (and there was a lot) against a top-tier team and learning from its mistakes. NC State will also need to find the right balance between using those close losses at motivation and moving forward.

“You want to think about the past a little bit,” Louis said. “For us, just going back and looking at those games, understanding what we did well and understanding what we didn’t do well. Just learning from them, so we have to look back in the past to learn so the future can be better than what the past was. So we have to think about the past, but really you just want to learn from it.”

That past experience can also help the Pack’s leaders prepare for what they’ll face in one of the best atmospheres in college football Saturday.

“I think it’s a good thing,” Finley said. “I think our team is very experienced. I think we’ve got a lot of guys left over from going down there two years ago. It’s exciting. It’s a great challenge for us, great opportunity.”

Finley’s experience against Clemson, particularly in last year’s game when he completed 31 of 50 pass attempts for 338 yards, three touchdowns and two picks, could prove to be a valuable X-factor for a team that may need a career performance from its NFL-caliber signal caller to pull this one out.

“We have a lot of confidence in Ryan every game,” Louis said. “But this one specifically because he’s a great leader; he’s a senior. He’s been made for this moment. He’s ready for this moment. We’re all ready for this moment.”

Joining this senior class in looking for a first this week is head coach Dave Doeren, who is 0 for 5 against the Tigers as NC State’s head coach. Doeren knows this game has the potential to take a program he’s already elevated well past his starting point to another level.

It’s pretty much a must-win game if the Wolfpack wants to achieve its ultimate goal of representing the Atlantic Division in the ACC Championship Game Dec. 1. Doeren knows a hungry, battle-tested group of seniors will the key to taking that next step.

“I think all these seniors have been in some dogfights with Clemson,” Doeren said. “Just finishing the job is something that’s important to them. I think all seniors across the country would say that they want to leave a legacy behind that they can be proud of. And doing something that you haven’t done yet is always a part of that. You talk about raising the bar; that’s something that these guys want to be able to say they did.”

Win or lose Saturday, this senior class has earned its place in NC State lore, especially if this team still goes on to double digit games. However, the importance of this game can’t be understated. The winner will be in the driver’s seat for a spot in the ACC title game, and possibly even the College Football Playoff.

If this group goes down as the first to win the Textile Bowl in seven years, it would also be known as the one that raised NC State football to a new level. Leaving that legacy, and setting a foundation for the players till to come, is something that means a lot to the group that will suit up to face its Atlantic Division rival for the last time Saturday.

“We all want it,” Louis said. “The senior class, that was definitely one our goals and that just sets the standard for the years after we leave. So just having that legacy is important because all the younger guys who come in will understand what the standard is for us.”