Dabo Swinney speaks on NC State rivalry

No. 5 Clemson takes on No. 10 NC State this weekend in one of week 5’s most anticipated matchups. ESPN’s College Gameday will set up shop at Clemson for the inter-conference rivalry game between two teams that are a five-hour drive away from each other’s campuses. Clemson has dominated the rivalry historically, and head coach Dabo Swinney was asked if the Wolfpack’s recent success has sparked it up.

“I mean I think they’ve always been good, I mean we’ve won a lot of games but they’ve all been tough games. I think NC State’s always been a really tough opponent ever since I’ve been at Clemson,” Swinney said.

Swinney has been on staff for quite a while, first as a wide receivers coach joining the staff in 2003 before earning the head coaching position in 2009, as he reflected on the early days of the rivalry.

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“I guess it’s my 20th year, but we didn’t play them in COVID, so this is my 19th time to play them and as far back as I can remember, I mean Phillip Rivers was the quarterback when I came in here in 03′, so as far back as I can remember they’ve always been tough,” Swinney said.

Rivers led NC State to a win that day over the Tigers in 2003, but the Wolfpack have only won two other times in the matchup since. The rivalry may be lopsided historically in favor of Clemson, but NC State has the most recent bragging rights, as they won last year in a double-overtime, upset thriller 27-21.

NC State has the momentum of last year’s win and a lot of excitement around their program, as they’re No. 10 AP Poll ranking is their highest since the 2002 season. The Wolfpack have one of their strongest teams in recent history and will be playing in one of their biggest games in recent history as well.

“We’ve had some games, a few here or there, that maybe got out of hand if you will, but most of them have been really hard fought games, and I’m sure this will be the same,” Swinney said.

Phillip Rivers may not be playing in this matchup, but it will be a great quarterback battle between two of the ACC’s best in NC State’s Devin Leary and Clemson’s DJ Uiagalelei. Leary is coming off of a 320-yard, four-touchdown performance last weekend, while Uiagalelei just threw for a career-high five touchdown passes in a double-overtime shootout with Wake Forest.

Both quarterbacks, and teams overall, have been playing some of their best football of the season, and it will be exciting to watch them square off on Saturday night in a primetime matchup that will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.