Ninth-ranked Clemson (2-1, 1-0 ACC) travels to NC State (2-1, 0-0) for a 3:30 p.m. tilt on Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C. The Tigers are a 10-point favorite entering the contest.
Former South Carolina, NC State and college football head coach Lou Holtz and former ESPN analyst Mark May gave their predictions for the game, with May picking Clemson to win 21-14 and Holtz picking the Tigers to win 17-14.
You can check out their full comments below:
May: “Looking at these two teams, guess what, quarterback play is going to be the issue in this game, and offensive line play. If you look at North Carolina State, Devin Leary has passed for 67 percent, six touchdowns to just two interceptions on the season. And I break this game down … If you look at Clemson, they’re supposed to be one of the top teams in the country. They score 14 points last week in their game against Georgia Tech. In their opener, just three points against Georgia. Maybe it’s just a Georgia thing. But I’m looking at Clemson as a 10-point favorite in this game, scratching my head saying the way that they’ve played offensively throughout the season, can they score that many points? If NC State scores 14 points in this game, that should be enough to cover. So, guess what, I’m going to take NC State and the 10 points. Clemson wins this game, but it’ll be an ugly seven-point victory. I’ve got Clemson winning this game, 21-14.”
Holtz: “I think that NC State’s a very difficult place to play, and Clemson is really puzzling to me. D.J., their quarterback, for this year, has thrown one touchdown, has one completion over 20 yards. They can’t run the football. Offensively, they have all kind of problems. I’m sure Dabo will figure that out. However, the one thing that they do have is Brent Venables, the great defensive coordinator for Clemson. They have not given up a single touchdown this entire year. I think that will come to a halt at NC State. But I think NC State will lose this football game by a score of 17-14, but it will be a great football game. But if Clemson’s defense doesn’t show up and play outstanding again, they are capable of losing this game unless they straighten out their offense.”
Can #9 Clemson continue to bounce back from a disappointing week 1 on Saturday in Raleigh? Or will the Wolfpack spring the upset? Thoughts from Coach Holtz and Mark May here. #wolfpack #acc #clemson pic.twitter.com/NUfj8JG8Od
— The Crowd's Line (@TheCrowdsLine) September 23, 2021
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