North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack, Tigers Clash at Carter-Finley
11/18/2011 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)
TV: ABC/ESPN3 | Radio: Wolfpack Sports Network | Gametracker
Pack Football Twitter | NC State Facebook | Ask the Analyst
NC State Game Notes | #GoPack Twitter Talk | Clemson Game Notes
When the football teams from Clemson and NC State meet for the 80th time on Saturday afternoon, two very different agendas will be in play. Having already captured the Atlantic Division title, the No.7-ranked Tigers (9-1, 6-1) have clinched a spot in December’s ACC Championship game. On the flipside, the Wolfpack (5-5, 2-4) will be fighting to keep its postseason hopes alive.
Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. Radio coverage on the Wolfpack Sports Network begins at 2:30 p.m.
Last week’s lackluster 14-10 loss at Boston College left NC State with no wiggle room. The Pack now needs victories over Clemson and Maryland in its last two games to become bowl eligible. By now, these pressure-packed, all-or-nothing games should be quite familiar to a Wolfpack squad that has seemingly been digging itself out of holes all season.
“We’re down, but that’s when we play our best,” said NC State receiver T.J. Graham, who needs only 25 more yards to become the ACC’s all-time record holder for kick return yardage. “I guess we’re not a front-running team. These last couple of years we’ve made it tough on ourselves.”
Or as Pack coach Tom O’Brien put it: “We dug ourselves a big hole again. We found our way out of it before, now we’re going to have to find our way out of this one.”
And to resuscitate its bowl hopes, NC State will have to beat the ACC’s best team.
Armed with weapons all over the field on offense, Clemson leads the ACC in scoring (37 ppg.), total offense (478) and pass offense (307). So good is the Tigers offense that quarterback Tajh Boyd and receiver Sammy Watkins are probably the top two candidates for ACC Offensive Player of the Year. Boyd is No. 1 in the league in passing yards per game (301) and total offense (320.8). Watkins, a freshman, leads in receptions per game (6.8) and receiving yards per contest (103.4).
Tailback Andre Ellington, receiver DeAndre Hopkins, and tight end Dwayne Allen would also be considered primary ‘go-to guys’ on most teams.
“They have players at quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end that can all beat you,” O’Brien said. “That’s what sets them apart from any other offense. Other offenses might have a guy or two, but they players at four different positions that can go all the way any time they touch the ball.”
With their vast array of weapons on the field, Clemson has proven that no deficit is too large for it to overcome. Three times this year, the Tigers have rallied from 14-point deficits to win games, the last time being a week ago when they knocked off Wake Forest after trailing 28-14 in the second half.
“That is a great quality to have in your football team,” said Clemson coach Dabo Swinney. “Never quitting is a sign of mental toughness as well as physical toughness. That’s what you want in your team. You’re not going to win every game by 21 points. Other teams have good players, too. We’ve come back three times by 14 points or more and that’s a great quality. But we’ve got to stop getting ourselves in those situations.”
Swinney would also like to see his team value the football better. Seven of Clemson’s 15 turnovers for the season have come in the last two games. NC State, meanwhile, has taken the ball away more than any other team in the ACC. With 27 takeaways, including 20 interceptions, the Wolfpack leads the league in turnover margin (+9).
Sophomore cornerback David Amerson has done most of the damage with a national-best 10 picks, one off the all-time ACC mark held by former North Carolina star Dre’ Bly. In order for NC State to knock off a top-10 team for the first time since 2005, takeaways will likely need to be a part of the winning equation.
“With their spread offense, they make the corners and safeties make a lot of tackles and force the linebackers to run sideline to sideline,” said Wolfpack safety Earl Wolff. “I think we have enough athletes to do it, but it’s going to be a challenge.”
Given the fact that this game is sandwiched between last week’s division-clinching triumph over Wake Forest and next Saturday’s intense rivalry showdown with South Carolina, the biggest challenge for Swinney could very well be finding a way to keep his team hungry.
“We haven’t won 10 games here in 21 years, so that’s a big deal,” Swinney said. “Most of these guys weren’t even born 21 years ago. We’ve got to finish strong. The best of the best are never satisfied, they’re always striving to get better.”
On the NC State side, O’Brien is searching for ways to make his offense better. While the Wolfpack defense has picked it up, holding its last four opponents to an average of just 80 yards rushing per game, the offense has gone through some rather anemic stretches.
NC State has produced just 23 points over its last three games. Clemson’s proclivity to put points on the board will place more pressure on the Wolfpack offense to be more productive on Saturday, especially in the red zone.
“We’re going to have to find a way to do it,” said O’Brien. “It’s something we’re spending a lot of time on this week.”
Having redshirt junior R.J. Mattes back fulltime at the all-important left tackle spot will certainly help the cause. With Mattes sitting out the first half of last Saturday’s game at Boston College with an ankle injury, Pack quarterback Mike Glennon was getting a lot of pressure on his backside. The protection on that same side stabilized when Mattes played in the second half.
Clemson has won seven in a row in the annual textile bowl. The Wolfpack’s last victory in the series came in 2003 when quarterback Philip Rivers and company held off the Tigers, 17-15. Last year in Death Valley, NC State dominated for three quarters before Clemson rallied for a 14-13 win.
“Last year it was a real tight game,” Wolff said. “We haven’t beaten them since I’ve been here. It would be a great accomplishment because they’re one of the top-ranked teams in the country. It’s a home game and we’re going to come out pumped up.”
Also on Saturday, the U.S. Marines, Coca-Cola and Harris Teeter will be sponsoring ‘Toys for Tots’ at Carter-Finley Stadium. Marines will be stationed at all gates around the stadium starting three hours before kickoff, collecting toys and cash donations. All collections will be used to support underprivileged families this Christmas.
By Tony Haynes
