Wolfpack ready for showdown at Clemson
North Carolina State had a break in the schedule at an ideal time just before the game at undefeated and third-ranked Clemson.
N.C. State (5-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) is up to No. 16 in the rankings and remains unbeaten as well.
The Wolfpack is clearly in position to see if it can take that next step into national prominence. Games against Clemson have been hurdles too high for N.C. State in recent seasons.
“They’re obviously the class of our conference,” coach Dave Doeren said. “We’ve come close in the past few years. We’ve just got to finish it.”
Most notably was the 2016 visit to Clemson when N.C. State had an attempt at a game-winning field goal go awry at the end of the regulation. The Wolfpack ended up losing that game in overtime.
Clemson was off last weekend, too, so both teams have had extra time to prepare for this matchup. With Florida State, Louisville, Syracuse and Wake Forest already with a pair of league losses, the outcome of the N.C. State-Clemson game could go a long way in determining the champion of the ACC’s Atlantic Division.
Boston College is 2-1 in league play.
Doeren said the Wolfpack has taken good advantage of the layoff to be ready for the final portion of the regular season. That has included practicing with crowd noise in anticipation of a hostile environment for the game at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium, where homecoming will be celebrated.
“Kind of reset as we get ready to play a really good football team in Clemson,” Doeren said. “We’re in a pretty good place. You’re never going to be 100 percent during the season.”
The off week gave the Wolfpack a chance to give an in-depth look at some areas of concern that have cropped up in recent weeks.
“(We concentrated on) a lot of it is just about individual improvement across the board,” Doeren said.
Perhaps one of the comforting parts about going to Clemson is that N.C. State has a veteran quarterback in Ryan Finley. He has played there before.
Plus, Finley has shown a good ability to overcome a wayward play and not be distracted.
Even when he had trouble early in the Boston College game, he handled those situations.
“The next play is the most important play, and those are things that when your best players do that, it helps the rest of the team immensely because they can see, hey, this guy made a mistake,” Doeren said.
“Ryan threw a pick and the next series he’s out there playing and playing well and still throwing the type of balls we need him to throw and not being gun shy.
“I think he’s very resilient. He’s very focused, and he cares a lot about the guys around him and he’s encouraging but also demanding, and he’s doing a great job with the role that he has.”
This will be the first October game for N.C. State with two undefeated teams since 2000, when the Wolfpack lost at Clemson.