N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said he won’t let one tough loss to Tennessee define his team’s season. He sounds a lot like Clemson’s coach, Dabo Swinney, after the Tigers faced a heavy defeat against Georgia to start their year.
The Wolfpack (2-1) will play against the 21st-ranked Tigers (1-1) on Saturday in their Atlantic Coast Conference opener. Both teams have a chance to prove their preseason predictions right, as they were expected to be contenders for the league title, with Clemson picked to finish second and N.C. State fourth.
N.C. State dropped out of the rankings after losing 51-10 to the top-10 Vols on September 7. Complicating matters, starting quarterback Grayson McCall got injured during last week’s victory over Louisiana Tech, and the Coastal Carolina transfer is not likely to play this weekend.
If they lose to another ranked team, it could mean another season without a shot at the ACC title for the Wolfpack, who often find themselves close but unable to break through.
N.C. State has won two of the last three matchups, including last year, but hasn’t won at Clemson’s Death Valley since 2002.
“We have a lot of players that have played well against Clemson,” Doeren said. “Obviously we need to get the job done down there. That’s something we haven’t done. We’ve been close, but close doesn’t get it done.”
Clemson regained some confidence in their last game as Cade Klubnik, who faced criticism after the 34-3 loss to Georgia, threw for five touchdowns and ran for two more in a 66-20 victory over Appalachian State.
