The NC State football team will travel to Clemson, South Carolina for a Saturday game against one of the top teams in the nation. This will be the second consecutive week the Pack has been featured in a nationally televised contest.
The Wolfpack’s (4-1, 1-0 ACC) road matchup with its rival, the No. 3 Clemson Tigers (6-0, 3-0 ACC) in Death Valley will be its toughest test of the season yet by far. Leaving with a victory would be monumental for NC State’s program, and especially head coach Dave Doeren, who has struggled against conference opponents and hasn’t beaten Clemson during his coaching tenure with the Wolfpack.
Unfortunately for the Pack, the odds are not in its favor. Clemson is simply a more talented team that is a legitimate contender for the national championship, and Clemson Memorial Stadium is arguably one of the loudest stadiums in the country. One thing NC State has on its side though, is that it’s coming off of a big win in a close game Saturday in which it was the underdog. Beating Notre Dame in a hard-fought game while playing through a hurricane could give the Pack some confidence.
“It was a tough day to say the least, weather-wise [it was] really challenging,” Doeren told NC State Athletics in a press conference Monday. “It was a great win, it was a hard-fought game by both teams.”
Besides the blocked punt returned for a touchdown that ultimately won NC State the game, Doeren attributed the victory to the Pack’s continued ability to run the ball on offense and stop the run on defense. Whether the team can continue to keep its opponents’ offenses one-dimensional will be a key factor in determining the Wolfpack’s future success or failure.
Of course, keeping an aggressive team like Clemson in check is no small feat. The Tigers’ offense boasts some of the top players in the nation, including its dual-threat and Heisman-candidate quarterback Deshaun Watson.
“They’re a very good football team, everybody knows that, [they’re] very balanced and have great personnel on both sides of the football,” Doeren said. “I think their tailback is a really good runner, [Wayne] Gallman runs hard, [and] he’s quick; Deshaun was one of the most accurate deep-ball throwers in college football a year ago and he’s got great targets that will go get the ball for him.”
The Tigers’ receiving corps that Doeren is referring to has four players averaging over 10 yards per catch. One in particular is redshirt junior Mike Williams, who showcased his dynamic athleticism with a catch against Boston College that made the SportsCenter top 10 plays.
Doeren also credited Clemson’s offensive line, noting that it has only allowed five sacks throughout these first six games of the Tiger’s season.
Doeren believes that the most important things for his defense to do will be getting pressure on the quarterback, limiting big plays, making tackles in space and hopefully forcing some turnovers.
“Creating takeaways for our offense [is important], because in an environment like that, getting a short field as opposed to a long field is a huge deal,” Doeren said.
The Wolfpack defense won’t have the weather or the crowd to help it hinder Clemson’s explosive offense, but anything they can do to get State’s offense back onto the field sooner and in better field position will be helpful.
Although NC State’s offense has been effective so far this year, averaging nearly 200 yards rushing and nearly 250 yards passing per game, playing in a hostile environment against Clemson’s top-tier defense will be incredibly challenging.
“Their defense is, in my opinion, better than it was a year ago,” Doeren said. “They’ve got great personnel, they’re playing hard, they have 21 sacks [and] they’ve forced 14 turnovers, which is number one in the ACC.”
Nine of the 14 turnovers that Clemson has created have come off interceptions. Wolfpack redshirt sophomore quarterback Ryan Finley has not thrown an interception yet this season. If he can keep it up and continue to play smart, the Pack offense might be able to get something going.
Meanwhile, senior tailback Matt Dayes will also hope to continue his success running the football, as he is currently averaging over 100 yards per game. In order to help alleviate the talent differential that the Wolfpack faces, the team will likely continue to utilize others in the rushing attack as well, such as junior do-it-all tight end Jaylen Samuels and redshirt sophomore backup quarterback Jalan McClendon.
The Tigers have the advantage at nearly every position on the field, and will be playing with the help of their raucous crowd, but if they come into this game too cocky and NC State can continue to play as they have, there is the potential for an upset.
However, with another tough road contest against No. 7 Louisville coming up on Oct. 22, followed by a remaining schedule featuring two nationally-ranked teams, the Pack’s goal should be to keep the Clemson game competitive and keep their morale high. An upset is unlikely, but if the Wolfpack can stay focused throughout the next few weeks, making a bowl game should be easily attainable.
