Tag: NC State Football

NC State vs Boston College Prediction, Game Preview

NC State vs Boston College prediction, game preview, how to watch: Saturday, October 16

NC State vs Boston College prediction, game preview, how to watch: Saturday, October 16

NC State vs Boston College How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 16
Game Time: 7:30 ET
Venue: Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, MA
How To Watch: ACC Network
Record: NC State (4-1), Boston College (4-1)
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NC State vs Boston College Game Preview

Why NC State Will Win

After getting two weeks off, NC State should come back refreshed and roaring after getting way too much of a fight from Louisiana Tech.

There’s nothing sensational about the Pack offense except its consistency, at least with the passing game. There hasn’t been any issue running the ball against the mediocre, but QB Devin Leary and company have been able to push past 230 yards a game without a problem – and they will here, too.

The defense is the star, doing a phenomenal job on third downs, allowing fewer than 16 points per game, and getting great production out of the secondary even though the pass rush is just okay.

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Why Boston College Will Win

Boston College doesn’t have a pass rush, either, and it doesn’t dominate the time of possession battle, but this team absolutely owns third downs.

The offense is converting at a whopping 52% clip – even though it only hit the 30% mark in two of the last three games, and even that’s not too awful – and the defense had problems on third against Missouri, and no one else. Everyone else besides the Tigers has failed to convert more than 25% of their chances.

It’s only a slight coincidence that the one time this year NC State couldn’t move the chains was in the loss to Mississippi State. It wasn’t great on third downs against Louisiana Tech, either, and it struggled to get out easily against a team it should’ve roasted.

However …

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What’s Going To Happen

The Boston College defense is great on third downs, but the NC State D is phenomenal, allowing teams to convert just 24% of their chances.

BC will be tough at home. QB Dennis Grosel has been decent in place of Phil Jurkovec, but he needs the running game to take over and that’s going to be a problem.

The stats are misleading since Mississippi State doesn’t run, Clemson can’t, and that’s not really what Louisiana Tech does, but NC State has been great against ground games so far, allowing just one score and 3.4 yards per carry.

This should be more of a slugfest than you might expect, with NC State’s D doing just a wee bit more.

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NC State vs Boston College Prediction, Line

NC State 26, Boston College 20
Line: NC State -3, o/u: 52
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3

Must See Rating: 3.5

5: Caramel apple anything
1: Pumpkin spice anything

 

 

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Clemson slips in latest ACC Power Rankings

A chaotic season continued for teams in the ACC in Week 4 of the college football season. North Carolina State upset Clemson while Wake Forest and Boston College remained undefeated and finally cracked the Top-25. Georgia Tech also gained momentum …

A chaotic season continued for teams in the ACC in Week 4 of the college football season.

North Carolina State upset Clemson while Wake Forest and Boston College remained undefeated and finally cracked the Top-25. Georgia Tech also gained momentum and knocked off North Carolina at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Each week The Clemson Insider ranks every team in the ACC 1-14 based off their performance from the previous week of competition. Here are TCI’s ACC power rankings after four weeks of the 2021 season.

  1. Wake Forest – The Demon Deacons dominated Virginia 37-17 this past week in Charlottesville, Va. to remain undefeated. Quarterback Sam Hartman completed 17-of-29 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns while the Wake Forest defense held strong for the victory. Wake hosts Louisville on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
  2. NC State – The Wolfpack stunned Clemson on Saturday for their first Textile Bowl win since 2011 with a 27-21 overtime win. NC State positioned itself well in the race for an Atlantic Division title, it hosts Louisiana Tech on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at Carter-Finley Stadium.
  3. Clemson – The Tigers’ offensive woes continued in the loss at NC State, and they lost key players due to injury in the contest. Clemson hopes to rebound and move over .500 as it hosts Boston College on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
  4. Boston College – The Eagles fought hard for their first win over an SEC opponent since 2001 as they outlasted Missouri 41-34 on Saturday to remain unbeaten. Boston College relied on a steady rushing attack led by Pat Garwo who rushed 25 times for 175 yards and two touchdowns.
  5. Virginia Tech – The Hokies bounced back after a disappointing road loss at West Virginia with a 21-10 win over Richmond on Saturday. Tre Turner went off on the Spiders with six catches for 102 yards and one touchdown. Virginia Tech has the week off before it hosts Notre Dame on October 9.
  6. Georgia Tech – The Yellow Jackets seized momentum it gained from a close loss at Clemson and walloped North Carolina 45-22 on Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta. Quarterback Jeff Simms returned and completed 10-of-13 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown while adding 10 rushes for 128 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Georgia Tech hosts Pitt on Saturday at noon.
  7. Pitt – The Panthers responded to adversity from their loss to Western Michigan with a 77-7 win over New Hampshire last week. Kenny Pickett looked outstanding completing 24-of-28 passes for 403 yards and five touchdowns in the win. Pitt travels to Georgia Tech on Saturday at 12:00 p.m.
  8. Louisville – The Cardinals continued their winning ways with a 31-23 win at Florida State behind outstanding play by Micale Cunningham. Louisville faces a stiff test at undefeated Wake Forest on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
  9. North Carolina – The Tar Heels looked helpless at Georgia Tech this past week in a lopsided loss. North Carolina looked like a completely different team than the group that bested Virginia one week prior. It hosts rival Duke on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. in the Tobacco Road Rivalry.
  10. Miami – The Hurricanes overwhelmed an inferior opponent 69-0 in a win over Central Connecticut. But Miami looked solid behind Tyler Van Dyke who completed 10-of-11 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns in the absence of D’Eriq King. They open their ACC slate with Virginia on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
  11. Syracuse – The Orange eked out a 24-21 win over Liberty in the Carrier Dome on Friday thanks to a last second field goal. Syracuse travels to Florida State on Saturday with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m.
  12. Virginia – The Cavaliers fell short again despite another solid performance by quarterback Brennan Armstrong in a 37-17 loss to Wake Forest last Friday night. Virginia’s defense struggled to slow down the Demon Deacons and the offense failed to capitalize on opportunities in the red zone. The Cavaliers travel to Miami on Friday night at 7:30 p.m.
  13. Duke – The Blue Devils won their third straight contest in a 52-33 win over Kansas at Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday. Duke showed marked improvement for the third straight week but needs to bring its A-game as it travels down the road to face North Carolina on Saturday.
  14. Florida State – The Seminoles’ woes continued as they fell to 0-4 in a 31-23 loss to Louisville. Florida State scored 10 unanswered points in the second half but failed to mount a substantial comeback. It looks for its first win on Saturday as Syracuse comes to town with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Football season has finally arrived. Time to represent your Tigers and show your stripes!

Opinion: The Sooners have flaws, but don’t dub them “losers”

Is concern over the Sooners valid after four weeks of play? Absolutely. But is it fair to dub them one of college football’s “losers?”

Many words adequately describe the start of the Oklahoma Sooners 2021 football season. You could call it surprising; a Lincoln Riley team struggling in three of its first four games is something few anticipated — especially when you consider how easy the nonconference schedule was supposed to be.

You could also label it an offensive disappointment. Fans anxiously awaiting another year of high-flying offense and blowout wins haven’t received what they anticipated. That much is undeniable. 

The one thing you can’t call Oklahoma at this point of the year is a loser. However, that’s precisely how CBS Sports categorized the Sooners after their 16-13 win over the West Virginia Mountaineers.

 The Sooners survived one-score quarterback battles against Tulane’s Michael Pratt and Nebraska’s Adrian Martinez early in the season. Needing a field goal as time expired to beat a mediocre West Virginia team is disgusting.

The game against WVU was the third straight Big 12 game in which Oklahoma scored 27 points or fewer. The Sooners didn’t have a single game under 28 points in Lincoln Riley’s head coaching tenure before this streak. The last time Oklahoma scored fewer than 24 points in consecutive home games at all was 1998, according to ESPN’s Chris Fallica.

Oklahoma is the only team CBS Sports places in the “loser” category after winning its game. 

Mentioned alongside the Sooners is Clemson, who fell to NC State 27-21, and North Carolina, who took a 45-22 drubbing at the hands of Georgia Tech. Both the Tigers and the Tar Heels sit at 2-2 after week four. 

The Sooners? A perfect 4-0. 

Say what you want about the offense’s inability to live up to expectations, but a team that has yet to lose a game absolutely cannot, under any circumstance, be deemed a loser. 

I will concede that this is the year Oklahoma is supposed to be the unstoppable force and the immovable object. To see the defense consistently rise to the occasion while the offense vanishes for drives at a time is certainly frustrating.  

Yes, the fact that this has happened against every FBS opponent Oklahoma has faced is concerning. However, is this pattern instead revealing an identify shift within the team?

Oklahoma’s defense — particularly its defensive front — has forced Tulane, Nebraska, and West Virginia into the mud with them. Opponents convert just 29 percent of their third downs against the Sooners, a mark that leads the Big-12 and is top 25 in the entire FBS. If that’s not enough, OU ranks ninth in the country in rush defense, conceding just over four yards per carry.

Against West Virginia, the defense held quarterback Jarret Doege to 160 passing yards and he rushed for just 1.6 yards per carry. And finally, when the Sooners needed it most, the offense reignited on a 14-play, 80-yard drive that set up Gabe Brkic for the game-winning field goal.  

Is the strength of this Oklahoma team shifting from offense over to defense? I don’t know, maybe. It’s still too soon to tell.

What I do know is the Sooners are undefeated through four games and anything but losers. 

Swinney: ‘We are not getting it done right now’

RALEIGH, N.C. – Clemson fell short at North Carolina State in a 27-21 double-overtime loss at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday. For the fourth straight week the Tigers’ offense failed to meet the standard of head coach Dabo Swinney and offensive …

RALEIGH, N.C. — Clemson fell short at North Carolina State in a 27-21 double-overtime loss at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday.

For the fourth straight week the Tigers’ offense failed to meet the standard of head coach Dabo Swinney and offensive coordinator Tony Elliott. 

Elliott and the staff re-evaluated and self-scouted themselves after last week’s anemic performance in the win over Georgia Tech. But in the coordinator’s assessment the Tigers failed to execute in their first true road test.

“We did some self scouting and tried to break up a couple of tendencies,” Elliott said. “But at the end of the day our job as coaches is to put together a plan that gives our guys the best opportunity to be successful and from there they have to do their part and go make plays.”

The Tigers amassed just 214 yards of total offense in the game that included two overtime periods. But the biggest issue on Saturday was moving the chains on third down.

Clemson (2-2, 1-1 ACC) finished the game just 2-of-11 on third down with its only two conversions coming in the fourth quarter and the first overtime period.

In the passing game D.J. Uiagalelei completed 12-of-26 passes for 111 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

The offensive line surrendered three sacks for a loss of 27 yards and did not get the push it wanted in the run game. Clemson rushed for 103 yards on 23 carries for an average of 4.5 yards per rush.

Swinney expressed his disappointment after the loss because the Tigers have yet to reach the program’s standard. And he also responded to criticism of the team’s lack of offensive prowess.

“You are going to get comments and things like that and it comes with a territory because the expectation and the standard at Clemson and who we are, we aren’t meeting that,” he said. “It’s just that simple, so people can say whatever they want and there’s not really anything we can say because we are not getting it done right now.”

The Tigers showed flashes of rhythm on Saturday particular in their first quarter scoring drive and at the end of the game. But they have yet to reach their standard.

Clemson hopes to right the ship before it hosts undefeated Boston College at Memorial Stadium next Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Football season has finally arrived. Time to represent your Tigers and show your stripes!

Swinney, Clemson not quitting despite rough start

RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina State stunned Clemson, 27-21, Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium to snap an eight-game losing streak to the Tigers for their first Textile Bowl win since 2011. The Wolfpack (3-1, 1-0 ACC) kept the ball out of Clemson’s …

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina State stunned Clemson, 27-21, Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium to snap an eight-game losing streak to the Tigers for their first Textile Bowl win since 2011.

The Wolfpack (3-1, 1-0 ACC) kept the ball out of Clemson’s hands for 41:48 in regulation before securing the victory in the second overtime period.

The Tigers’ loss marked the first time since 2014 they lost multiple games in September.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney knows his team needs to improve particularly on offense after another disappointing performance. And he noted that it has been a long time since one of his teams looked docile on that side of the ball.

“It’s been a long, long time. They had 96 plays to our 45 and I think they had the ball 40 minutes to our 18-19 and wore us down,” Swinney said. “It’s probably been since 2010, maybe, that year we weren’t very explosive and were in transition from a personnel standpoint.”

Clemson’s hopes for reaching a seventh straight College Football Playoff likely died this weekend as well. Since the start of the CFP no team has reached a semifinal after losing two games in the regular season.

The defeat also snapped Clemson’s 36-game winning streak against teams unranked in the AP Poll, the second-longest in school history. Clemson’s most recent defeat at the hands of an unranked squad had come in 2017 at Syracuse in the Carrier Dome.

The Tigers (2-2, 1-1 ACC) still have a lot to play for in the ACC, but face a tough test against undefeated Boston College at Memorial Stadium next Saturday.

Swinney, like many Clemson fans, left Carter-Finley with disappointment on Saturday. But he is focused on improving and continuing to approach every week with a “one-game season” mentality.

“There’s not any quit in us, I know everybody is disappointed and I’m disappointed, everybody is hurting,” Swinney said. “But we will show back up on Monday and go to work and see if we can find a way to win a game, that’s all we can focus on and all we are going to focus on.”

Clemson kicks off against the Eagles at 7:30 p.m. BC is 4-0 after Saturday’s overtime win against Missouri.

Football season has finally arrived. Time to represent your Tigers and show your stripes!

Wolfpack break Tigers hearts

RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State outlasted Clemson 27-21 in double overtime at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday. The loss snapped an eight game win streak by the Tigers and was their first loss to the Wolfpack since November 19, 2011 in Raleigh. NC State …

RALEIGH, N.C. — NC State outlasted Clemson 27-21 in double overtime at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday.

The loss snapped an eight game win streak by the Tigers and was their first loss to the Wolfpack since November 19, 2011 in Raleigh.

NC State controlled the flow of the game and dominated time of possession with 41:48 compared to the Tigers’ 18:12 and outpaced Clemson in total plays 96-49. 

The lopsided pace of play took a toll on the Tigers’ defense as linebacker James Skalski and defensive tackle Bryan Bresee left the contest with injuries.

Clemson struggled offensively and finished the contest with 214 total yards and 103 yards rushing. D.J. Uiagalelei completed 12-of-26 passes for 11 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, he also led the Tigers in rushing with nine runs for 63 yards.

The teams traded touchdowns in the first quarter as Uiagalelei completed a 32 yard pass to Justyn Ross that gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 9:11 to play in the frame. 

NC State responded with a nine yard touchdown pass from Devin Leary to Emeka Emezie with 0:05 left in the first quarter to tie the game at 7-7, which would hold at the half time break.

The Wolfpack took their first lead with 5:10 to play in the third quarter on a 12 yard pass from Leary to Devin Carter to put them up 14-7.

Clemson bounced back with a seven play 80 yard drive in 2:41 capped off by a five yard Will Shipley touchdown run with 10:52 to play in the contest to tie the game at 14-14.

NC State kicked Christopher Dunn missed what would have been the go-ahead field goal as time expired and sent the game into overtime tied at 14, Dunn missed two other field goal attempts earlier in the contest.

Clemson opened with the ball in the first overtime and scored in five plays as Uiagalelei found Ross for a nine yard score on third-and-7 to give it a 21-14 lead.

NC State Answered with a two yard touchdown pass from Leary to Thomas Thayer to tie the game at 21 and force a second overtime.

It only took the Wolfpack two plays to put the pressure on Clemson with a 22 yard touchdown pass from Lary to Devin Carter to give them a 27-21 lead after a failed two point conversion.

Clemson turned the ball over on downs and NC State sealed a 27-21 win over the Tigers.

Football season has finally arrived. Time to represent your Tigers and show your stripes!

Halftime Photo Gallery: Clemson 7, NC State 7

RALEIGH, N.C. – Ninth-ranked Clemson and NC State were tied 7-7 at the half of Saturday’s game at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. The Tigers struck first on a 32-yard touchdown pass from D.J. Uiagalelei to Justyn Ross less than six minutes into …

RALEIGH, N.C. — Ninth-ranked Clemson and NC State were tied 7-7 at the half of Saturday’s game at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

The Tigers struck first on a 32-yard touchdown pass from D.J. Uiagalelei to Justyn Ross less than six minutes into the opening quarter. The Wolfpack responded with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Devin Leary to Emeka Emezie with five seconds left in the first quarter to even the score at seven points apiece.

Check out The Clemson Insider’s photo gallery of the first-half action: LINK.

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Photo Gallery: Clemson arrives at Carter-Finley Stadium

RALEIGH, N.C. – Ninth-ranked Clemson has arrived to Carter-Finley Stadium for today’s game against NC State. Check out The Clemson Insider’s photo gallery of the Tigers’ arrival for the matchup with the Wolfpack: LINK. Time to get the latest Clemson …

RALEIGH, N.C. — Ninth-ranked Clemson has arrived to Carter-Finley Stadium for today’s game against NC State.

Check out The Clemson Insider’s photo gallery of the Tigers’ arrival for the matchup with the Wolfpack: LINK.

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ESPN analyst eyeing Clemson-NC State game as potential upset

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 …

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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Did former N.C. State, Gamecock coach pick the Tigers over the Pack?

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 …

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.”

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