Clemson opens ACC play against NC State: 4 things to watch for

CLEMSON – The lows of Week 1 were huge for Clemson and the highs of Week 2 were awfully high.

From three points in the opening game against No. 1 Georgia to 56 in just one half against App State, the No. 22 Tigers have yet to find a baseline.

“We had to deal with the success the same way we dealt with the adversity of the first game. We came into that Monday with a chip on our shoulder and just ready to work,” characteristically poised receiver Antonio Williams said of the noon kickoff against NC State in Game 3.

“We don't want to get too high (after App State) and think that we can't be beaten or that just because we did it once, it's going to happen again every game.”

Clemson (1-1) goes into the ACC games and has to prove week after week that it is capable of scoring a lot of points.

A standout performance won't lower expectations for an offense that has struggled so consistently in recent seasons, and it certainly won't give the Tigers a ticket back to the College Football Playoffs.

Here are four things to watch for as Clemson opens conference play and hopes to build positive momentum.

Nothing too crazy

Quarterback Cade Klubnik did a great job, completing 24 of 26 passes for 378 yards and five touchdowns in just one half against App State.

But at no point in the game did Klubnik try to win everything on his own.

“I didn't do a crazy 360, Johnny Manziel ran around the field and threw a post from behind with my back foot,” Klubnik said. “We were just really efficient at what we do. We protected up front, our routes were crisp. It's really detailed.”

Clemson's performance against App State will be questioned, as South Alabama just gave the Mountaineers 48 points. But regardless of the opponent, the Tigers took what they were given and they took advantage.

Two of NC State's best cornerbacks, Brandon Cisse and Aydan White, were rated “day to day” by coach Dave Doeren. Tennessee was able to rush for nearly 250 yards against the Wolfpack's front seven.

Can the Tigers just take what's there?

“We just do what we do,” said Klubnik, “and then great things will happen.”

Is it OK?

Clemson receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. wants to be anything but a one-hit wonder.

The freshman, who recorded three catches for 130 yards and a score against App State, didn't shy away when asked about Clemson's scoring against NC State.

“I’m just hoping for a fast start, explosive plays and lots of yards and points,” Wesco said.

Klubnik was asked if Wesco and TJ Moore's big plays against App State were important for their confidence, but the quarterback insisted that the first-year wide receivers already have confidence. They just need to do it.

As with the entire offense, the question is whether Wesco and Moore will get it back. Wesco is likely to be back in the starting lineup and force the Wolfpack to defend its vertical threat. Coach Dabo Swinney has been saying for weeks that Moore is “coming,” so perhaps his snaps will increase as well.

The passing game just looked different compared to App State with Wesco and Moore fully involved. Was it just one big play or are the freshmen making big plays?

Bailey v McCall

Clemson needs to prepare more for NC State's offense than for any specific quarterback, as the Wolfpack's passing situation is in flux.

Freshman CJ Bailey was named the starter against Clemson after Coastal Carolina transfer Grayson McCall was injured against Louisiana Tech. Bailey, a mid-year enrollee, completed 13 of 20 passes for 156 yards in a comeback win.

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Bailey is new, but the Tigers don't need to make things unnecessarily complicated. NC State will likely want to establish the run with Duke transfer Jordan Waters (156 yards) and bring receiver Kevin Concepcion (199 yards) to the sideline.

If Clemson can limit those two and force Bailey into second and third-and-long situations, that puts the Tigers in an advantageous position. Clemson has just two sacks through two games, but that's because opposing quarterbacks have averaged just over two seconds from snap to throw.

“We can't control whether a quarterback is going to throw the ball fast or run a certain pattern,” defensive end TJ Parker said. “So we just have to keep playing our game and they'll come to us.”

The trophy

Fun fact: Clemson's fourth-year players have lost more games against NC State than they have won.

Both losses came in close games in Raleigh in 2021 and 2023. The Tigers easily won a home game in 2022.

However, it has been more than two decades since the Wolf Pack won in Death Valley in 2002.

This is a significant game, if only because it kicks off an eight-game conference series, but even within the Tigers' walls, the oft-forgotten Textile Bowl trophy has significance – in part because that piece of trophy has spent too much time in Raleigh.

“Our trophy room is a little empty,” Williams said. “So we want to get that back.”

forecast

Clemson 30, NC State 17