Clemson Player Seeking Revenge Against NC State After Losing in 2023

The Clemson Tigers will look to beat NC State in Week 3 on the defensive end.

Clemson defensive end T.J. Parker (3) during the Spring football game in Clemson, S.C. Saturday, April 6, 2024. / Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

Clemson will have an opportunity to get some revenge on NC State after losing to the Wolfpack in 2023.

Dropping a 24-17 contest on the road, Clemson will now play host to NC State and look to improve to 2-1 on the year.

NC State was a preseason top-25 team, and while their 51-10 Week 2 loss against Tennessee was an embarrassment, this is still a good football team.

Clemson understands that, too, especially after losing last year.

T.J. Parker, who finished with 33 total tackles and 5.5 sacks a season ago, acknowledged that the loss is behind them.

“It’s a new year,” Parker said, according to Jason Priester of The Clemson Insider. “Obviously, they still have a great team. We are preparing a lot harder going into this game knowing they beat us last year. So they have an edge over us so far since I have been here.”

Clemson has some luck in this one, as true freshman CJ Bailey will make his first career start at quarterback for NC State on Saturday.

“He’s a really good player, a really good athlete,” said Parker. “We are preparing for two quarterbacks, with him being the main guy obviously. We take it day-by-day with them. Just making sure that we prepare well and are ready to play on Saturday.”

Grayson McCall, the Wolfpack's starting quarterback, was injured in their Week 3 win.

Bailey was a four-star out of high school, receiving offers from NC State and multiple other programs in the ACC.

Clemson was not one of the programs that offered the youngster.

They'll be challenged with slowing him down, which they should be able to do with their historically elite defense.

The Tigers' defense bounced back in Week 3, allowing 20 points in a 46-point win against App State.

Parker was upset about their efforts against Georgia, where they allowed 34 points in the season opener.

He understands that will be a big piece to Saturday's game.

Parker has been impressed with what the defense has shown since their rough showing against the Bulldogs.

“I see a great defense,” Parker said. “We continue to stack days. Obviously, we weren’t satisfied with the way we lost to Georgia. We came right back in that Monday and guys had a different mindset. We flushed it and came in ready to focus on App State that week."

It's the start of a new season with ACC play starting, so look for Clemson to come out ready to go.