An ESPN analyst has his eyes on the Clemson-North Carolina State game when it comes to a potential upset in Week 4 of the college football season.
Desmond Howard said during ESPN’s Get Up show Friday he has the ninth-ranked Tigers on upset alert in their game against the Wolfpack at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C.
“I actually look at Clemson,” Howard said. “I think Clemson versus North Carolina State, that’s going to be a really, really interesting game.”
Howard believes the Tigers could be in trouble at NC State considering its offensive struggles in the season opener against Georgia as well as vs. Georgia Tech last Saturday, two games in which Clemson scored a total of 17 points with quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei passing for a combined 304 yards in the two contests.
“You look at Clemson’s offense, and they started off the season against Georgia. And we’re looking at Georgia’s front seven against Clemson’s offensive line, and they just dominated them,” Howard said. “And OK, well, that’s Georgia. The Bulldogs, they’ve got one of the best defenses in the country. But then, you look at Clemson against Georgia Tech, and they kind of looked the same way like they looked against Georgia. You’re like OK, wait, this is a bigger issue than we anticipated coming into the season.
“We knew Trevor Lawrence has moved on, they have D.J. Uiagalelei and he’s going to be a great quarterback. But he hasn’t played up to his standards that have been set by the quarterbacks before him.”
Howard added that he thinks the Wolfpack’s disruptive and veteran-laden defense could cause problems for the Clemson offense.
“I think when you look at North Carolina State, this defense has already registered six takeaways, they bring back 10 starters from a year ago, and Dave Doeren has done a very good job with the Wolfpack,” Howard said. “So, keep your eyes on Clemson versus NC State.”
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