By Heath Bradley.
By Heath Bradley
CLEMSON — Although not many players or fans know about it, but since 1981, the game between Clemson and NC State has been dubbed the Textile Bowl. There is even a trophy – the Textile Bowl Trophy – that is presented to the winning team and kept at their facility until the two meet again on the gridiron the following season.
The game is called the Textile Bowl because the textile industry as had such a major economic impact on South Carolina and North Carolina through the years, and Clemson and NC State boast renowned textile colleges.
When No. 9 Clemson takes on the Wolfpack Saturday in Death Valley, the Tigers will be looking for their fifth consecutive win over NC State in Death Valley. Today we will take a look back at each of the Tigers previous four victories in Clemson Memorial Stadium over the Wolfpack.
2004: The Tigers narrowly sneaked past the Wolfpack 26-20 on an interception from Clemson defensive end Charles Bennett at the goal line on the final play of the game. Defense was the story of the day for the Tigers, as the Tigers forced six turnovers, five interceptions, one of which was returned 20 yards for a touchdown by Eric Coleman. Justin Miller intercepted two passes and Jad Dean connected on four field goals to lead the Tigers to a 26-20 victory to reclaim the Textile Bowl Trophy.
2006: CJ Spiller paced the Tigers with 154 yards rushing and a touchdown and the Tigers were able to overcome three turnovers to defeat the Wolfpack for the third straight season by a score of 20-14. Dean added two more field goals and Tyler Grisham caught a 9-yard touchdown from Will Proctor to end a two-game losing streak for the Tigers.
2008: Tommy Bowden recorded his final victory in the ACC as the head coach of the Tigers with a 27-9 victory over the Wolfpack. The Tigers won their fifth straight game overall versus NC State on day that started out rough for the Tigers. On the Tigers first play from scrimmage, quarterback Cullen Harper was intercepted by Nate Irving and returned for a touchdown to give the Wolfpack an early lead. Harper settled down, finishing the game by completing 20 of 28 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns.
2010: In a matchup between future minor league baseball teammates, Kyle Parker and the Tigers defeated Russell Wilson and the Wolfpack 14-13. The victory gave the Tigers their seventh consecutive victory in the Textile Bowl and their only victory over a ranked team during the 2010 season. The Tigers battled back from a 10-0 deficit against 25th-ranked Wolfpack on a big day from wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. The freshman caught five passes for 80 yards and a touchdown as Kyle Parker completed 20 of 29 passes for 214 yards. The win kept NC State from reaching the ACC Championship game and left current Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson with a 0-3 record versus the Tigers.