North Carolina State University Athletics
Thursday Football Notebook
11/17/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Game 11: NC State (5-5, 2-4 ACC) vs. Clemson (9-1, 6-1 ACC)
November 19, 2011 • 3:30 p.m. • ABC
Raleigh, N.C. • Carter-Finley Stadium (57,583)
PACK HOPES TO BREAK LOSING STREAK TO TIGERS: NC State has dropped the past seven games to Clemson, a streak which ranks as the longest in the series history between the two schools and is the longest active losing streak for the Pack against any league team. Clemson leads the series handily at 51-27-1.
The Wolfpack has played better on the road than at home against Clemson during the current losing streak. The last four games at Clemson were decided by one, six, six and 18 points, while the three games in Carter-Finley were 21, 22 and 20-point margins.
NC State hasn't defeated Clemson in Raleigh since 2003 (17-15) and at Clemson since 2002 (38-6).
THE TEXTILE BOWL: Although not many of the players in uniform know about it, for the past 30 years (since 1981), the series between NC State and Clemson has been dubbed the Textile Bowl, as that industry has such a major economic impact on both states and both schools boast renowned textile colleges.
The North Carolina textile manufacturers donate money to NC State's scholarship fund every year in honor of the Wolfpack's MVP from the game.
Clemson posts a 21-9 advantage in the Textile Bowl.
PACK TO COLLECT TOYS FOR TOTS: Tom O'Brien is on the national board for the Marine Corps' Toys for Tots program and has brought his passion for that cause to the entire Wolfpack nation. In the past four years, the team has helped raise over $150,000 for Toys for Tots and a highlight each year has been the shopping trip when the Pack players take money donated by the fans and select toys that will be given to children over the holidays.
At last year's designated Toys for Tots game, State and Wake Forest fans donated over $24,000 in cash and thousands of toys. This year, Coke has already donated $15,500 for the 31 touchdowns the Pack scored through the UNC game.
Fans can bring a new, unwrapped toy or a cash donation to the Clemson game. Toys will be collected at all major gate entrances and at the Fan Zone three hours before kickoff. Coca-Cola and Harris Teeter will provide a special coupon to anyone who makes a donation.
O'BRIEN STRONG AGAINST RANKED FOES: This Saturday NC State will host 7th-ranked Clemson at Carter-Finley Stadium. Wolfpack head coach Tom O'Brien has faced 11 nationally-ranked teams in his almost five years in Raleigh and has posted a 6-5 record. Since 2003 when he was the head coach at Boston College, O'Brien's Eagle and Wolfpack teams have faced 22 nationally-ranked foes and defeated 13 of them (.591).
WIN, WE'RE IN: The Wolfpack enters the Clemson game in a must-win situation if the team wants to earn its third bowl bid in the past four years. With a 5-5 slate in 2011, State must win both of its remaining games to qualify for the postseason (The Pack has two wins over FCS teams). That task won't be easy, as No. 7 Clemson comes into Carter-Finley Stadium this weekend.
In his previous 14 years as a head coach, Tom O'Brien has led his teams to 10 postseason bowls, including two in his first four years with the Wolfpack.
DEFENSE GETS IT DONE: The Wolfpack defense could hardly post a better performance than it did in the second half at Boston College. The Eagles passed for just four yards after intermission and lost six yards on 15 rushing attempts for a grand total of minus-two yards of total offense in the third and fourth quarters combined. The defense, playing withouts its leading tackler-for-loss, Markus Kuhn, allowed just one first down in the second half.
For the game, BC managed just 190 yards of total offense, marking the second straight week that the staunch State defense had kept the opponent under 200 yards (UNC had just 165 yards of total offense and did not score).
State has given up just 23 first downs (13 to UNC and 10 to BC) over the past two games.
Despite starting seven different lineups in 10 games and having numerous players miss games due to injuries, NC State ranks fourth in the league in total defense this season. Against ACC competition, the Pack trails Florida State for the league-lead by just 1.2 yards.
AMERSON IS THORPE SEMIFINALIST: Sophomore cornerback David Amerson, the national leader in interceptions, has been named a semifinalist for the 2011 Jim Thorpe Award. Heading into the Clemson game, he has three more INTs than any other player in the FBS ranks. The Greensboro native now has 10 for the season, including a pair in the season opener, another pair versus Central Michigan and another pair versus Virginia. He returned one pick for a touchdown in the win against the Cavaliers.
Amerson set the single-season school record for interceptions against North Carolina, breaking a mark that had been set just a few years before he was born: Art Rooney held the record with eight in 1937 and again in 1938!
Amerson, who was one of just three true freshmen to start a game for the Pack in 2010, is the baby of the defensive secondary, even though midway through his sophomore campaign he already has 19 starts to his credit. Last season, he didn't have a pick in 640 snaps played as he was playing at the boundary corner.
Amerson was named ACC Defensive Back of the Week following the Central Michigan and Virginia games.
Amerson is just one INT shy of tying the ACC single season record of 11, which was set by UNC's Dre Bly in 1996. He is just two picks from ranking among the all-time NCAA leaders in interceptions.
CLOSE, BUT NO `W': NC State has lost four Atlantic Coast Conference contests this season, but has been in the game in three of them. The Wolfpack lost at Wake Forest by a touchdown in September, fell to Georgia Tech by 10 in October and lost at Boston College by four last week. The only run-away game so far was the Pack's 34-0 loss at Florida State.
State's two conference wins had a little more padding, with a two touchdown win at Virginia and a 13 point shutout victory over North Carolina.
GRAHAM GOES FOR RECORD ... AGAIN: Senior T.J. Graham was hoping to break the ACC career record for kickoff return yards two weeks ago against North Carolina. He was just 76 yards shy of breaking the league mark heading into the game and was averaging over 90 kickoff return yards per game.
However, Graham only got one shot against the Tar Heels, as they kicked off to start the game and never kicked off again in the shutout Pack victory. Graham returned that first kick 21 yards.
Against Boston College, he got two more chances, but managed just 26 yards, bringing him within 25 yards of the record.
HOME IS A RUSH FOR PACK: The good news for the Wolfpack in terms of its rushing is that the last two games of the season are at home. State has averaged 148 rushing yards per home game this season, as compared to just 56 rushing yards per game on the road. The Wolfpack managed just 47 rushing yards in the four-point loss at Boston College last week.
The Wolfpack has had four individual 100+ yard performances this season, one by Curtis Underwood and three by James Washington. That marks the first time since 2007 that has occurred and if a State player is to reach the century mark in terms of rushing again this season, it will mark the first time since 2002 that it's happened five times in a season.
