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College Football | NC State Football faces No. 21 Clemson in ACC opener

NC State (2-1) will play No. 21 Clemson (1-1) on Saturday at 12:00 p.m.

Fans can watch the game on ABC.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Clemson, which climbed one spot in the standings during an off week, can show it can compete for the Atlantic Coast Conference crown and a spot in the College Football Playoff with a league win over the Wolfpack. NC Tate lost its first decisive game by a wide margin to Tennessee and now gets another, although this time it would play a role in whether the Wolfpack can compete for an ACC title.

KEY GAME

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik against the NC State defense. Klubnick struggled in the season-opening 34-3 loss to Georgia, then played the game of his life in the 66-20 win over Appalachian State. He scored seven touchdowns (five passing, two rushing) and threw for a career-high 378 yards against the Mountaineers. It will be up to the Wolfpack to see if they can get a handle on Klubnik and the potent offense the Tigers showed two weeks ago.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

NC State: QB CJ Bailey, who enrolled in January, will make his first career start at Death Valley after starter Grayson McCall was injured in last week's win over Louisiana Tech. Bailey threw for 156 yards and an interception while also running for a score.

Clemson: LB Barrett Carter, known as “Agent Zero” due to his jersey number 0, is a preseason All-American who has yet to fully break through this season, playing 88 snaps with just four tackles, one pass defense and one quarterback pressure.

FACTS & FIGURES

Clemson is one win away from its 800th victory in school history. It would be the 14th FBS program to do so, but the first in the ACC. … The Tigers had won eight straight meetings from 2012-19, but NC State has won two of the last three. … Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is just two wins away from tying the late Florida State star Bobby Bowden for the most wins as the leader of an ACC program. … NC State hasn't won at Clemson since 2002, when Philip Rivers was the team's star quarterback. … This is just the third time in the last 13 years that Clemson has opened ACC play at home. The Tigers have won eight of their last nine conference openers since 2015. … The Wolfpack have won a combined 34 games over the last four seasons. … The series, called the Textile Bowl because of the importance of the two states in the industry, will then be paused until 2027, when the teams next play in Raleigh.

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By Vanessa

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