With the expansion of the league and the elimination of divisions, Clemson football has fewer opportunities to play rival ACC teams than it has in the past, with two main exceptions: Florida State and its Week 4 opponent, the Wolfpack.
what: NC State Wolfpack vs Clemson Tigers
when: September 21st, time TBA
where: Clemson Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina
Series History: Clemson leads the series with a 60-30-1 record. The Wolfpack won last year's game 24-17, with the past two games played in Raleigh. NC State hasn't beaten Clemson in Death Valley since 2002.
North Carolina 2023 Statistics
All statistics are for FBS competition only on teamrankings.com.
Points per game: 24.7 (74th)
Yards per game: 337.9 (95th)
Goals conceded per game: 21.9 (29th)
Yards allowed per game: 343.9 (34th)
NC State's defense was good but not the best, and their offense isn't great either in 2023. So how did this team finish with a 9-4 record last season?
While some Tigers fans may find this annoying, head coach Dave Dolan deserves credit for how he handled the 2023 season for his team. The Wolfpack certainly held Clemson to their lowest point of the season, but it wasn't just that weekend. Dolan led the Wolfpack to wins over Miami and North Carolina. Like Clemson, they ended the season on a five-game winning streak.
But Dolan certainly deserves criticism for how he handled the quarterback position last year, with both players he avoided in 2023, Brendan Armstrong and MJ Morris, now gone, and the Wolfpack acquired former Coast Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall to lead OC Robert Annai’s offense.
McCall's No. 1 target should be Kevin Concepcion, last season's conference rookie of the year. The Pack also includes wide receiver Noah Rodgers from Ohio State. Rodgers was a highly-regarded high school player but was lost in the depth charts in Columbus. This will be McCall's first chance to see if he can live up to the hype.
The third key transfer on the offensive line is Jordan Waters from Duke University. Waters was the Blue Devils' leading rusher last season with just over 800 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
If all of these pieces work well under Coach Annai, State's offense will be a force to be reckoned with. The problem is, the same could be said last season, and it just didn't work out.
Don't be fooled by Peyton Wilson's departure. The Wolfpack still have plenty of talent across the defense. Five regulars return and several players filled in when injuries plagued them. Aidan White was a second-team All-ACC cornerback in 2023. Safety Devan Boykin led the team in tackles last season but is still recovering from a torn ACL in December.
N.C. State has a strong chance if all the pieces line up, but it won't be a cakewalk: McCall has never played in a power conference and Rodgers has barely seen the field after redshirting his first season with the Buckeyes.
There's the stat I mentioned above regarding this matchup against the Tigers. It's been over 20 years since NC State last won a game in Death Valley. It's not beyond their capabilities. Dolan has lifted a burden from the Wolfpack many times during his tenure. But Clemson will be able to match their strength (defense) against State's strength (offense).