Wolfpack Kickoff: Week 9 vs. Clemson
NC State (4-4, 1-3 ACC) vs. No. 4 Clemson (9-0, 6-0 ACC)
Carter-Finley Stadium (57,600)
7:30 p.m., ABC (PxP: Chris Fowler; Analyst: Kirk Herbstreit, Sideline: Maria Taylor)
Streaming: WatchESPN; National radio: Sirius 134, XM 193; Live stats: GoPack.com
Weather at kickoff: Mostly clear, 42 degrees with almost no chance of rain
Series history: Clemson leads 58-28-1 (21-16 in Raleigh)
Last meeting: Clemson 41, State 7
Last week: State lost to Wake Forest 44-10; Clemson beat Wofford 59-14
BetOnline line: State plus 33 1/2 | Over/Under 54
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
"They're really good. They're experienced, they've got great players, they're well-coached, they've got staff continuity, all those things. And their kids know how to win. I also know that anything can happen on a Saturday. That's why you put the ball down and play. We've got nothing to lose in this football game -- just go play as hard as we can, be better than we were the week before, finish plays better than we did the week before. Anything can happen. That's got to be our mindset. Each week just try to find a way to be better." Coach Dave Doeren
"The last couple of year up there, it's been a grind. They do a great job up there. Dave is a great coach. This is a team this year that's a little different than the past few years in that they've had a lot of injuries. They've got some young guys. But I'm going to tell you, they're incredibly well-coached. They're tough, they're physical and they give their guys a chance to be successful."
"Their crowd, they always show up. That's one of the things I've always had respect for NC State and their fans. They show up regardless of if they're 4-4 or 8-0. They show up and do a good job." Clemson coach Dabo Swinney
"They have a four-down front and bring every blitz in the book you can think of. You really just have to stick to your traditional rules, stay true to your coaching, play fast and not try to out-think too much. Because when you start thinking, you play start playing slow." Offensive guard Joe Sculthorpe
PLAYERS TO WATCH
NC State stats | Clemson stats
| NC State | Clemson | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Passing | Devin Leary | 37-86-2 485 yards 4 TD | Trevor Lawrence | 149-225-8 2,027 20 TD |
Rushing | Jordan Houston | 63 carries, 362 yards 2 TD | Travis Etienne | 123-1,102 yards 11 TD |
Receiving | Emeka Emezie | 239 catches, 410 yards 1 TD | Justyn Ross | 36 catches, 444 5 TD |
Thayer Thomas | 26 catches, 283 yards 3 TD | Tee Higgins | 32 catches, 662 yards 4 TD | |
Defense | Chris Ingram | 56 tackles, 3 TFL, 4 PBU | Isaiah Simmons | 65 tackles, 11.5 TFL, 6.0 sacks |
Payton Wilson | 47 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 3 PBU | Tanner Muse | 50 tackles, 3 INT, 5 PBU |
NOTABLE
This will mark the 10th time the Wolfpack has faced a top-10 team under Doeren. He has lost the first nine. ...
State has lost six straight to the Tigers, but the last three at Carter-Finley Stadium all came down to the fourth quarter -- 14-26 in 2013, 41-56 in 2015 and 31-38 in 2017. In each of the past two meetings, both teams were ranked. Last season, both teams were undefeated entering the contest at Clemson. ...
Senior nickel Stephen Griffin’s father Steve was a running back and defensive back at Clemson from 1982-86. He rushed for 614 yards and five touchdowns in his career, adding a receiving touchdown as well and leading the team in kickoff returns as a senior. One of his touchdowns came on a 10-yard run against the Wolfpack in a 35-34 Tiger win in Raleigh on Oct. 27, 1984. ...
Christopher Dunn has been named one of 20 semifinalists for the 2019 Lou Groza Award as the top placekicker in college football. Dunn leads the ACC and is No. 3 nationally in field goals with an average of two per game. In 21 career games, the sophomore already ranks seventh in school history with 38 career field goals. He ranks fourth in the ACC in scoring with nine points per game. Three finalists for the award will be announced on Nov. 25th. ...
State ranks second nationally in the number of freshmen played this season. To this point in the season, 32 first-year players have seen game action. Last week's game at Wake Forest featured 20 rookies, including seven rookie starters (five redshirts and two two true freshmen). By contrast, only 20 juniors and seniors combined got onto the field against the Deacons.
