Coming out of the bye week, Clemson has a big matchup for its first conference game of the season. NC State arrives in Death Valley Saturday afternoon to play in the rivalry game dubbed the “Textile Bowl”. These two programs have the most wins in the ACC through the 2020s. Whenever these two have faced each other in that time, it is a tough back-and-forth contest.
Both teams enter this game as two of the top four favorites to be in the ACC Championship game. These programs have had some good and bad fortune early in the season. Starting conference play with a win is important for both teams.
Textile Bowl History
This will be the 91st meeting between the Tigers and the Wolfpack. These Atlantic Coast Conference founding members first met on the football field in 1899. The game got its name the “Textile Bowl” in 1981, because of the schools being two of the largest textile universities in the world. Clemson leads the series overall 60-30-1.
The last time these teams met in Clemson, South Carolina the Tigers won 30-20. NC State won last year’s matchup though 24-17. Many of the Wolfpack’s offensive starters will be different from last season. One of the few returning starters is sophomore wide receiver KC Concepcion. The reigning ACC Rookie of the Year had five receptions for 83 receiving yards and two touchdowns in last year’s game. On the defensive side veteran defensive lineman Davin Vann is back for the Pack. He had five tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a sack against Clemson.
Cade Klubnik did not play so well against the Wolfpack last year completing 33 of 50 pass attempts for 263 yards and two interceptions. Phil Mafah did have a pretty good day in last year’s game though with 16 carries for 90 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, Barrett Carter didn’t play badly either with five tackles, a tackle for loss, and a sack.
NC State in 2024
As mentioned, NC State has quite a few new faces, mainly on the offense. It started with transfer quarterback Grayson McCall who will actually be out with an undisclosed injury. In his place will be another new guy on campus for the Pack, freshman CJ Bailey. He took over after McCall went down in the second quarter of the Wolfpack’s win over Louisiana Tech last weekend. In that game, Bailey completed 13 of his 20 pass attempts for 156 yards and an interception. He also ran the ball four times for 27 yards and a touchdown.
NC State also has two new running backs in transfers Jordan Waters and Hollywood Smothers. These two along with returning sophomore Kendrick Raphael were supposed to improve the running game. Late in the Western Carolina and Louisiana Tech games the run game looked to have some life. Early in those matchups though and against Tennessee, the run game seemed non-existent. Against Tennessee, the Wolfpack had no rushers of 50+ yards. In the Louisiana Tech game, Raphael was the only back to eclipse the 50-yard mark with 63 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, the Wolfpack have been feeling the effects of losing Linebacker Payton Wilson to the NFL. They still have veteran leadership though. It starts with Vann up front, but he is not the only one. Former safety turned linebacker Sean Brown, the leading tackler for the Pack in last year’s matchup, also has stepped into a larger leadership role on defense. Corner Aydan White is also back for the NC State defense but was out last week due to injury. As of earlier this week, he is still day-to-day.
Keys for Clemson
For the Tigers, this game is going to come down to running the ball and stopping the run. With Bailey being the starter, this includes the quarterback run game. That is the formula Tennessee used to get the 51-10 win against NC State in week two. Clemson does have the advantage up front, especially on defense. If the front seven can play how they did in the first half of the Georgia game, they’ll give the Wolfpack offense a long day. The Tigers forcing Bailey to beat them throwing from the pocket will give them the best chance to win.
On the opposite side of the ball, NC State is fairly small in size on the defensive line and at linebacker. This played a big role in the Wolfpack defense getting manhandled in the run game against Tennessee. The Vols had 249 rushing yards against the Pack defense. NC State also struggled a bit against the run against Western Carolina and Louisiana Tech at times in those games.
Clemson needs to take advantage of that and feed Mafah. Let him use his power to churn out some good gains in the run game to set up the passing game for Klubnik. The Pack has the speed to keep up with most teams on the back end. Forcing them to step up and help in the run game will open up more of the explosive plays the Tigers had against Appalachian State.
