Death Valley. Saturday night. Two top-10 teams. A spot in the ACC Championship Game, and potentially the College Football Playoff on the line. What more do you want?
In what is one of the biggest games in school history, the No. 10 NC State football team will travel to take on the No. 5 Clemson Tigers for a heavyweight ACC showdown.
This is the kind of moment the Wolfpack (4-0) has been waiting for. ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Clemson for the game, which is the primetime ABC game of the week and will be the center of the college football universe.
For the Tigers (4-0, 2-0 ACC), this is arguably the biggest game they’ve played in since the 2021 College Football Playoff and the biggest game in Death Valley since a 2016 matchup against No. 3 Louisville, which featured an all-time quarterback duel between Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson.
Similar to the Watson-Jackson classic, all eyes will be on the quarterbacks in this one. Redshirt junior Devin Leary and Clemson’s DJ Uiagalelei are two of the most talented QBs not only in the ACC, but in the entire country, and this matchup could potentially have Heisman implications for both.
As someone who entered the 2021 season with Heisman hype, Uiagalelei’s stock has taken a dip having not lived up to the expectations many had for him last year. However, in Clemson’s thrilling double-overtime victory over Wake Forest last week, Uiagalelei had one of his best games in an orange uniform. Throwing for 371 yards and five touchdowns against Wake, another big performance this weekend could catapult his name back to national prominence.
Similar to Uiagalelei last season, Leary entered this year with Heisman hype as well but got off to somewhat of a slow start, cooling some of that excitement. However, a four-touchdown performance last week against UConn may have been what he needed to get things back on track, and he’ll be looking to become a household name this weekend.
These quarterbacks, like their teams, will be trying to prove something this weekend. For NC State, the Wolfpack is trying to prove that it’s legit, that the team has arrived and is a serious playoff contender. For Clemson, the Tigers are trying to prove that they are back and still among college football’s best after a 2021 campaign that didn’t live up to the program’s standards.
While most all of the hype will be on the quarterbacks, this game poses an intriguing matchup in all facets of the field. Speaking of setting out to prove something, that’s what the two defenses will be doing this weekend.
The Tigers almost always have one of the most fearsome defenses in the nation, but many may be questioning that now after giving up 447 yards and 45 points to Wake Forest last week. They will be looking to prove that their defense is still the best in the ACC and prevent another dominant passing display after giving up six touchdowns to Sam Hartman.
Leading the Clemson’s front seven defensively are linemen Myles Murphy, Bryan Bresee and Tyler Davis, along with linebacker Trenton Simpson, all of whom will be playing on Sundays next year.
NC State has a solid front seven of its own, with redshirt junior Payton Wilson, junior Drake Thomas and graduate student Isaiah Moore forming one of the best linebacking units in the country. The Pack has been saying all offseason that it has the best defense in the ACC and now has the chance to prove it.
Along with Uiagalelei, the NC State defense will have to contend with Clemson star running back Will Shipley, a North Carolina native who was voted to the All-ACC Preseason Team and, as always, a talented Tiger receiving corps.
On top of all the hype and implications the game has for this season, surely on the back of everyone’s mind leading into this one is the epic duel the two teams had last season. In one of the biggest wins in school history, NC State outlasted the then-No. 9 Tigers in a double overtime classic, ending Clemson’s eight-game win streak in the series.
Also likely to be a significant factor in the game is the weather, as Hurricane Ian is likely to bring lots of rain to the East Coast this weekend. However, this wouldn’t be the first time these two teams have played a notable game in wet weather.
State fans will remember all too well the Pack’s 2016 contest against Notre Dame, which was played amidst Hurricane Matthew. In perhaps one of the ugliest games in school history, the Pack somehow beat the Fighting Irish 10-3 thanks to a fourth-quarter blocked punt returned for a touchdown.
For the Tigers, perhaps their most memorable rain-filled game was also against Notre Dame, this one in 2015 during Hurricane Joaquin. The two teams went down to the wire, with Clemson pulling it out after stopping a two-point conversion by the Irish at the end of the game. The game is also most remembered for when Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney coined the phrase “bring your own guts” following the win.
The Tigers will be out for revenge. The Pack will be looking to prove that last season’s win wasn’t a fluke and that the guard has changed in the ACC. The stage is set. This is what everyone has been waiting for. Is the Pack for real? Is Clemson still the cream of the crop in the ACC? All the questions will be answered Saturday night.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. with the broadcast on ABC.
