Clemson Football: Oppo Research – North Carolina State Wolfpack

The Clemson Football 2023 schedule rolls on in Week 9 when the Tigers visit Carter-Finley Stadium to face their long-time ACC rival, the North Carolina State Wolfpack. The game is scheduled for October 28th. Time and network have not been announced.

Clemson currently leads the all-time series 60-29-1 over the Pack. The Tigers won last season’s contest 30-20 in Death Valley. NC State was victorious over Clemson the last time they played in Raleigh in 2021. NC State will be an annual opponent for the Tigers in the new division-less ACC.

Did you realize head coach Dave Doeran is entering his 11th season in charge of the NC State program? He may not be particularly popular among Tiger faithful, but he is easily one of the most successful coaches in Pack program history.

Considering the hype surrounding the 2022 Wolfpack offense and starting quarterback Devin Leary, NC State finished the season with paltry numbers on that side of the ball. The 2022 offensive coordinator left to take over another program, so Doeran brought in former Virginia and Syracuse coordinator Robert Anae to be the playcaller.

Leary elected to transfer out of the program, and will be with Kentucky this season. While it appeared that NC State had two good options at quarterback in MJ Morris and Ben Finley, State elected to bring in transfer Brennan Armstrong from Virginia.

The reasoning makes sense, however, because when Anae was the offensive coordinator at Virginia. When he called plays for Armstrong, the quarterback had a career year for the Cavaliers. Armstrong had 4,449 passing yards and 31 touchdowns against only 10 interceptions in 2021. Anae moved on to Syracuse in 2022, and Armstrong’s numbers decreased significantly.

NC State is betting that Anae can bring the best out of Armstrong. If he can, the Wolfpack should have a potent air attack if they can identify reliable receivers. Thayer Thomas is now with the Minnesota Vikings, and Devin Carter has transferred to West Virginia.

An NC State team flying below the radar will host Clemson Football in late October

There is returning experience at running back. Demie Sumo-Karngbaye has transferred to Kentucky as well, so Jordan Houston and Michael Allen will split the carries.

The Pack defense was very good in 2022. They did lose some players to the NFL but return linebacker Payton Wilson and cornerback Shyheim Battle, as well as three returning starters on the line.

The Tigers got revenge against the Wolfpack in 2022, but the game returns to Raleigh this year. The State defense will be good. Whether they are great remains to be seen. The real question mark is the offense. If Anae can bring out the best in Armstrong and they can find pass catchers, the State offense will be formidable. I think Armstrong will flourish with Anae. Will they find reliable receivers? I’m not so sure of that.

North Carolina State 2022 Statistics

All stats per teamrankings.com against FBS competition only

• Points per game: 21.8 (99th)
• Yards per game: 323.3 (109th)
• Points allowed per game: 20.5 (15th)
• Yards allowed per game: 341.7 (26th)