North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State and Clemson Meet in 20th Annual Textile Bowl
10/5/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
Fifth ranked Clemson (5-0, 3-0) and NC State (4-0, 1-0) have two things in common: both clubs are unbeaten and both have benefited from excellent quarterbacking. From there, however, the similarities end.
The Tigers have blown away all five of their opponents, winning by an average of 38 points per game. Meanwhile, the Wolfpack has survived three thrillers, including a pair of contests that went to overtime.
At the heart of the early season successes experienced by these two ACC teams have been a pair of quarterbacks with contrasting styles. As a passer, Clemson's Woodrow Dantzler is capable; as a runner, he is the most feared quarterback south of Blacksburg, Virginia. On the flip side is Wolfpack freshman Philip Rivers, a 6'5 pocket passer who is well on his way to rewriting the NC State record book.
What more could you ask for? More than likely, that's exactly what 82,000 excited football fans will be muttering when they filter into Clemson's Memorial Stadium for this enticing Atlantic Coast Conference match-up.
"This game will show how good a 4-0 team we are," said NC State coach Chuck Amato. "I don't know how good we are. I personally don't think we're that good, but don't tell that to our kids. Right now, attitude is so important. These young men believe they're pretty good now, and that's the most important thing. Forget about the stopwatch, the tape measure, the weight room and all those physical parameters. In their mind, which is the most important thing, they feel good about themselves."
Confidence can be a wonderful weapon, especially when you're about to venture into one of college football's most hostile environments. The Clemson faithful always arrive early and leave late. In between, they seem intent on inflicting permanent damage to their vocal cords.
"We know it's going to be loud," Rivers said. "That's something that the team is aware of, and we feel like we've done some things to prepare for the noise. But it's something that's definitely going to be different. It's a closed in stadium, which we haven't been in this year. That's something that's part of it; the crowd can only do so much and we've got to play no matter what."
Rivers is more concerned about moving the ball against a Clemson defense that's yielding just 199 yards per game, a figure that ranks No. 1 in the nation. Through five games, opposing quarterbacks have completed just 44.4 percent of their passes against the relentless Tigers, who employ a pressure package that includes a variety of blitzes. Clemson's gambling, aggressive style will test an NC State offensive line that gave up seven sacks in the Pack's overtime victory over Georgia Tech on September 21.
Speaking of turning up the heat, Clemson's no huddle, fast-break offense has kept opposing defenses gasping for air all season. Led by the irrepressible Dantzler, the Tigers are averaging more than 47 points per game, and have scored more than 50 points on three different occasions.
"The key is tackling," said NC State defensive tackle Jeff Fisher. "We've got to keep the quarterback contained. From the games we've watched, he's really made a lot of guys miss. And even when they make contact, he's always falling forward for four or five extra yards."
Dantzler, a redshirt junior, is on pace to become the first player in Division one history to pass for more than 2,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 in the same season. But unlike most scrambling quarterbacks, many of his yards come as a result of designed running plays. Dantzler is part running back, part quarterback. And he plays both roles exceptionally well.
"He reminds me of Ted Brown running the football," Amato said. "When Ted got tackled anywhere on the football field, he would get upset because he didn't think anyone should tackle him. That's the way Woodrow is.
Talk about high praise. Tailback Ted Brown, who played at NC State between 1975-78, is still the ACC's all-time rushing leader with 4,602 career yards.
The two head coaches in this game know each other very well. Amato and Clemson's Tommy Bowden worked together on Florida State's staff in 1982. They also spent a lot of time together on those many occasions when Bowden would come to Tallahassee to visit his father, Seminoles head coach Bobby Bowden.
Tommy Bowden is very mindful of the fact that NC State was off last weekend and hasn't played since the third week of September.
"They'll have a real good plan and it wouldn't surprise me if they moved the ball down the field, and defensively stopped us for a possession or two until we make adjustments," Bowden said. "I think staff adjustments will be a big key in this game for us, a lot more so than for them. Their execution defensively against our offense is going to be more productive because they've had two and a half weeks of preparation. This in the only team we've played so far with that amount of preparation time."
Clemson leads the all-time series, 42-25-1, but the Pack has won the last two meetings, including a 46-39 victory at Clemson in 1998. Since 1981, this game has been designated as the Textile Bowl in recognition of the excellent textile education programs at the two schools. This year's game will be the 20th Textile Bowl.
