It might be coach speak. He might be telling the truth. Regardless Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney feels NC State is one of the more dangerous 5-2 football teams in the country.
Swinney and the third-ranked Tigers will visit Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C. on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. kick. The game will be televised by ABC.
“They are a very dangerous team,” Swinney said during Wednesday’s ACC Coaches’ Teleconference. “This is a team that is certainly capable of beating us. We are going to have to play well. They can beat anybody on their schedule. They are talented.”
So far the Wolfpack (5-2, 1-2 ACC) have beaten Troy, Eastern Kentucky, Old Dominion, South Alabama and Wake Forest. Those are not wins that exactly strike fear in the eyes of opponents. But they won them nonetheless and they won them all in dominating fashion.
In NC State’s five victories it has outscored the opposition, 220-65.
“They have a good plan in all three phases, and again, they are playing at home. This is a very tough place to go play,” Swinney said.
But what do we really know about NC State? Troy is 2-5 and currently sits ninth in the Sun Belt Conference. Eastern Kentucky is 5-2, but what conference is it even in? It’s the Ohio Valley (FCS) in case you are wondering.
Old Dominion is 3-4 overall and is currently in fifth place in Conference USA. South Alabama is also from the Sun Belt Conference and it is 3-4 overall and currently sits in eighth place.
NC State’s best win? That has to be its 35-17 victory over Wake Forest last Saturday. Though much improved this year, the Demon Deacons are just 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the ACC.
That’s not exactly a stellar résumé. It doesn’t get any better either.
The two more difficult teams the Wolfpack has played this year—Louisville and Virginia Tech—they lost both games. Keep in mind Louisville (3-4, 2-2 ACC) and Virginia Tech (3-5, 1-3 ACC) are having down years.
Granted, NC State’s defense is ranked third in the country in total defense and passing defense, as well as 11th in scoring defense and 15th in run defense, but let’s really exam the teams its played. In scoring offense, Virginia Tech is the best at No. 56, followed by Louisville (91), Troy (94), South Alabama (102), Old Dominion (117) and Wake Forest (119).
As far as total offense is concerned, Louisville ranks No. 76, followed by Virginia Tech (80), South Alabama (84), Old Dominion (100), Wake Forest (105) and Troy (118).
For the record, Clemson ranks 16th in scoring offense (38.4 ppg) and 28th in total offense (465.4 ypg). The Tigers (7-0, 4-0 ACC) have averaged 545.3 yards and 45 points per game in the last three outings vs. Georgia Tech, Boston College and Miami.
When flipping the stats and looking at NC State’s opponents from the defensive side of the ball, only Louisville (No. 19) ranks in the top 20 in total defense, while Wake Forest is No. 35. The other four FBS teams on the schedule rank no better than No. 42 (Virginia Tech).
In scoring defense, Louisville is again on top (No. 38), while Wake Forest is No. 46. After that no one is ranked any better than No. 62 (Virginia Tech).
Where does Clemson’s defense rank? The Tigers are fourth in total defense (262.3 ypg) and seventh in scoring defense (14.3 ppg).
“This is one of those games where you hope you can get off to a fast start and get control of the game,” Swinney said. “That is a whole lot easier said than done. We will get the very best effort that they have. We know we have to play our best each and every week if we are going to have the type of season we want to have.”