5 Storylines for Clemson-NC State Textile Bowl Week

Clemson meets NC State on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. for the 90th time in a series that dates back to 1889.

© Ken Ruinard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Welcome to Textile Bowl Week. 

Clemson meets NC State on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. for the 90th time in a series that dates back to 1889. Dabo Swinney's squad lost to the Wolfpack 27-21 in double overtime last season, but Clemson leads the overall rivalry series 59-29-1. 

The No. 5 Tigers are coming off a 51-45 double-overtime victory at Wake Forest that improved them to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in ACC play. 

The No. 10 Wolfpack knocked off UConn 41-10 in Week 4 to also improve to 4-0, but this will be their first conference game of the 2022 season. 

Here are five storylines to watch for this week heading into one of the biggest ACC showdowns of the year with a trophy on the line: 

1. Buy hype: This game is huge. It feels bigger than the last three top-15 showdowns at Memorial Stadium: Texas A&M in 2019, Miami in 2020 and Wake Forest in 2021. It might be the most hyped game in Death Valley since Louisville in 2016. These two teams do not like each other. Combine that with the stakes of the ACC Atlantic Division and you've got a real slobber-knocker kind of feel to this one. 

ESPN's "College GameDay" knows it, which is why they chose to broadcast their show live from Bowman Field on Saturday morning. ABC opted to make this the prime-time matchup of the week. Dave Doeren vs. Dabo Swinney is just too good to pass up. And there's nothing like a big game on Clemson's campus. This could be the most-watched ACC game of the year.

2. Revenge factor: Emotions are going to run extremely high on Saturday night. Doeren beat the Tigers for the first time in his NC State coaching career last season. He smoked a cigar and drank out of a red solo cup to celebrate. It was a huge deal for Wolfpack Nation to finally get over that hump. 

How personally did Clemson take it? We'll find out more from the players and coaches about that this week. Plus, NC State has been pretty brash and bold about how it feels about Clemson since that win. Will the Tigers reinstate their dominance in the series or will the Wolfpack start a new trend? Clemson fans will make sure they let it be known how they feel about Doeren and his team on Saturday night. 

3. Health issues: Clemson wasn't back to full strength against Wake Forest and it showed. Without cornerbacks Sheridan Jones, Malcolm Greene and safety Andrew Mukuba, the Demon Deacons picked on the Tiger secondary and became the second consecutive opponent to rack up 300 passing yards. Swinney hopes those guys are close to returning. 

Tiger fans are also awaiting the season debut of defensive end Xavier Thomas, who didn't travel to Wake Forest. He would be a welcomed addition to this front with the challenge of NC State's offense ahead. Tyler Davis returned from an injury against Wake Forest and Bryan Bresee was back following a family tragedy, so the Tigers might be as close to full strength as they've been. It would be a good time to be so.

4. Stopping Leary: Don't sleep on the numbers. NC State quarterback Devin Leary isn't among the best passers in the ACC at this moment, but the preseason ACC Player of the Year threw 35 touchdowns and five interceptions last year. He's really good and will command Clemson's attention this week. 

Leary is completing 64% of his passes for 890 yards through four games. He's thrown nine touchdowns to two interceptions. The Clemson defense has had trouble the last few weeks with pass coverage. Leary is plenty good enough to make the Tigers pay the way Wake Forest's Sam Hartman did last Saturday. Will Clemson figure some things out there this week or get exposed again?

5. DJ mania: Long gone are the questions about a QB switch at Clemson. This week, DJ Uiagalelei is riding high and coming off the best performance of his career since the 2020 Notre Dame game in which he had over 400 passing yards. He had 371 and five TD passes against Wake Forest. He's the undisputed leader of the offense at this point. 

NC State comes into the game having allowed the fewest passing yards per attempt (4.9) in the ACC this season. Uiagalelei will be a big test for their defense, though. He has chemistry with receivers and confidence to run the offense. Expect to see the media take a different tone with the Clemson QB heading into the NC State game. He's proven a lot early in the season. 

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