North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack And Tigers Tangle In Textile Bowl
10/8/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Long before the Bowl Championship series crowns college football's mythical national champion, and long before any post-season bowl bids are extended, Clemson and NC State proudly bring you The Textile Bowl. The 21st annual affair is set to go off Saturday night at Carter-Finley Stadium.
The Clemson-NC State series dates back to 1899. However, since 1981, the contest has been dubbed The Textile Bowl, in reference to the important role the textile industry plays in both North Carolina and South Carolina. For the record, the Tigers own a 12-6 advantage in The Textile Bowl.
Both teams hope to be playing in another bowl game over the holidays, one reason why this game is so crucial. NC State, loser of two straight, is hoping last Saturday's bye will turn out to be a blessing.
"It's definitely been a good time for NC State," said Wolfpack cornerback Lloyd Harrison. "We've had time for a lot of guys to heal-up and people have also had a chance to get away from football for awhile."
The Pack is 3-2 overall, but perhaps more importantly, it is 0-2 in the conference. A loss Saturday would put NC State's post-season hopes in serious danger.
"Since we've lost two already, every game right now is a must win," Harrison said. "We're not really in the situation we wanted to be in at this point, so we have to focus back in and finish out on a strong note."
The Pack looked anything but focused in an embarrassing 31-7 loss at Wake Forest two weeks ago.
A similar type performance against Clemson could produce similar results. Already with impressive victories over Virginia and North Carolina, the Tigers are looking more and more like this year's edition of 'the ACC's most surprising team.'
First year Clemson coach Tommy Bowden has armed his program with a wide-open offense that has captured the imagination of the Tiger faithful. Even a season ending collarbone fracture suffered last week by starting quarterback Brandon Streeter hasn't done much to dampen the enthusiasm in Tiger Town.
The athleticism of back-up quarterback Woody Dantzler adds yet another dimension to a Clemson offense that's averaging 365 yards per game. The scouting report on Dantzler reads this way: average passer, great runner, but short on experience.
"Even though he (Dantzler) is very talented, being able to confuse him and keep him off balance will be a big key for us," said NC State coach Mike O'Cain. "It's going to be important for us to mix-up our coverages so that they can't get a read on what we're doing. If they're able to protect him and he's able to go to the one or two receivers that he wants to go to all the time, then he's going to be pretty good."
And Clemson has a stable of wide receivers to call on. Rod Gardner leads the ACC with 8.25 catches per game. Veterans Brian Wofford and Mal Lawyer are also capable of making big plays in the passing game.
How will the Wolfpack try to defend Clemson's four and sometimes five receiver formations? Tigers coach Tommy Bowden has a hunch. "One of their base fronts is to rush three and drop eight. I've got five eligible wide receivers. Eight can cover five pretty good. There aren't a lot of good routes you can draw-up when they drop eight."
But as it proved in its victory over North Carolina last week, Clemson is capable of running the football if it has to. The Tigers rolled up 256 yards rushing against the Tar Heels.
Meanwhile, NC State is hoping this will be the week its slumbering offense finally wakes up. The fragile confidence that has plagued the entire offensive unit won't improve until something positive happens. A quick start would surely do wonders for the Pack.
"Sometimes you wonder if we're trying to do too much or trying to put too much pressure on ourselves," said NC State wide receiver Ryan Hamrick. "We realize what kind of potential and talent we have. If we can all just play to our own level of ability and play up to our capabilities, then we'll be fine. There's really no sense of panic yet."
If the last two Textile Bowls are any indication, then Saturday night's contest will be a thriller. Two years ago in Raleigh, Matt Padgett drilled a 20-yard field goal with just 19 seconds left to give Clemson a 19-17 victory. Last season, Jamie Barnette's nine-yard touchdown pass to Torry Holt with 0:37 remaining gave the Pack a 46-39 win in Death Valley.
NC State's Mike O'Cain is a 1976 Clemson graduate. As the head coach of the Wolfpack, he is 2-4 vs. his alma mater.
