Clemson football battles to stay undefeated as the No. 5 Tigers (4-0) host Game Day and the North Carolina State Wolfpack (4-0) in Death Valley on Saturday Night in a matchup that could determine the winner of the ACC Atlantic Division.
A confident bunch from Raleigh comes to town with a lot to prove, but the Tigers always have a lot to prove and have a ton of doubters this season.
North Carolina State has always been a physical team under Dave Doeren and that’s no different this year as the Tigers need to be prepared for a different mindset from their opponent than they’ve seen in any game yet this season.
Clemson last lost a game at home on November 12, 2016 as Nathan Peterman led the Tigers past Deshaun Watson and the Clemson Tigers 43-42 on a Chris Blewitt 48 yard field goal with 6 seconds to go.
Since then, the Tigers have beaten all 36 teams that have attempted to take them down in Death Valley. Some were close, others were not, but somehow the Tigers have found a way to win at home.
Having said that, seven seems like a tough number for the Tigers to cover this week, as I expect a close game either way, perhaps within a field goal.
Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei has been very good to date, but he hasn’t faced the talent and physicalness that the Wolfpack defense will present Saturday night.
Clemson football quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei’s legs could end up being just as important as his arm in tonight’s battle of undefeated ACC teams
As we pointed out earlier in the week, his legs could end up being more important than his arm, but make no mistake he’s going to have to make plays with his arm, too.
Best Bet: Over/Under
After dipping below 40 earlier in the week due to weather concerns earlier in the week the over/under has settled at 44.5 and I think that number is too low, given what we’ve seen on both sides of the ball from the Tigers and North Carolina State.
While we have a healthy respect for the Wolfpack defense the schedule has been less than spectacular so far.
In addition, with the status of the Tigers defensive backfield up in the air as of Saturday morning one has to think that’s how the Wolfpack attacks the Clemson defense and that bodes well if you bet the total on this one.
Clemson will struggle to run the ball and rely on the air game themselves and I see this one getting over 50.
(All odds courtesy of WynnBet)