Way-too-early look: N.C. State

With the football season less than 60 days from opening, we take an early look at each of the Tigers' 12 opponents for the 2019 season. Next up, Clemson's Week 10 opponent, the N.C. State Wolfpack.

Head coach: Head coach Dave Doeren returns for his seventh season in Raleigh and is still looking to climb to the top of the ACC's Atlantic Division.

Doeren's teams have earned five consecutive bowl appearances (2014-2018) and recorded back-to-back nine-win seasons (2017 and 2018). N.C. State's 11 league wins during the last two seasons rank second among ACC institutions.

His teams have qualified for five consecutive bowl games, the second-longest bowl streak in school history, and he is only the second coach in school history to take teams to five straight postseason bowls. Doeren, a candidate for several coach of the year honors in 2017, has now coached bowl eligible teams in 13 of his 16 years in Division 1.

Wolfpack on offense: The Wolfpack has new offensive coordinators for 2019, as Eliah Drinkwitz is now the head coach at Appalachian State.

Des Kitchings, who has been on staff since 2012, and George McDonald, who joined the Pack in 2015, are now co-offensive coordinators.

In addition to having offensive coordinator duties, Kitchings will continue his work with the Wolfpack's running backs. In each of the last three seasons, the Wolfpack produced three straight 1,000-yard rushers for only the second time in school history (1976-78).

McDonald will also server double-duty, as his responsibilities will also involve coaching the wide receivers.

Under his guidance, the Wolfpack became the first team in ACC history to have two wide receivers named first-team all-conference performers, as Kelvin Harmon and Jakobi Meyers were both honored in 2018. Harmon has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving campaigns, and he and Meyers have both reached that milestone this season.

Wolfpack on defense: Seventh-year defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable has helped the Wolfpack to become a force on the defensive side of the ball.

The Wolfpack ranks second in the ACC, and 13th nationally in rushing defense (109.1 yards per game).

N.C. State finished the 2017 season third in the ACC in rushing defense, yielding 131.0 yards per game. The Pack also ranked fifth with 2.31 sacks per game.

Four Wolfpack defenders were taken in the 2018 NFL Draft, including No. 5 overall pick Bradley Chubb (Denver Broncos); N.C. State ranked eighth in the FBS in rushing defense in 2016, allowing just 108.6 yards per game on the ground. That mark ranks fifth in school history.

The early line: The Tigers handled the Wolfpack at home last season by a final score of 41-7. This year, however, the Tigers must travel away from the friendly confines of Death Valley to Raleigh and the always raucous Carter-Finley Stadium.

But even though many teams have had their season's dreams crushed in Raleigh, Las Vegas does not see that happening this year to the Tigers. Clemson is currently a 24-point favorite.

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