Dabo Swinney shares what makes NC State rivalry unique

Both Clemson and NC State will look to shake off losses from their last matchups as they square off against each other in Raleigh on Saturday in one of the ACC’s oldest rivalries.

The two schools that are both founding members of the Atlantic Coast Conference and share a state border first faced off in 1899 and have battled 89 times since then, and ahead of their latest matchup, head coach Dabo Swinney was asked about what makes rivalry game so tough and unique.

“Well I think that goes way back probably before my time for sure, I mean it’s the Textile Bowl,” Swinney said. “A lot of people forget that, this is actually one of those games where the winning team gets a trophy. It’s the same trophy but it travels, it either comes back to Clemson or it stays in Raleigh. So it’s I think a game that’s meant a lot to a lot of people for a long time as the Textile Bowl if you will.”

The game has been referred to as the Textile Bowl since 1981, but both programs have come a long way since then. Both teams have head coaches who have been there for over a decade now, and while Swinney boasts the stronger resume, there’s no doubt that NC State head coach Dave Doeren has put the Wolfpack on the map during his tenure.

“And the listen, NC State is an outstanding program,” Swinney said. “They’ve always got good players, they’re tough, they’re physical. I think Dave and his staff, he’s got an excellent staff, they do a great job. So it’s a tough game.”

Clemson has been dominant in the Textile Bowl in recent history with a 9-1 record over NC State in their last ten meetings. But Swinney believes records aside that the Tigers will receive NC State’s best shot given their pedigree as they look to defend their home field.

“And then again, we get everybody’s best shot that’s for sure. Clemson has been a great team in the ACC for ever since it was started as a league, we’ve won the league more than any team out there so with that comes, you know, everybody wants to beat you. That’s just part of being Clemson,” Swinney concluded.

The Tigers have already lost three games this year all against conference opponents, representing their most losses in ACC play since the 2010 season with five games remaining in the season.

Winning the remainder of their games and a bowl this year would protect their streak of double-digit win seasons that started in 2011, but it all starts this Saturday when they face NC State at 2:00 p.m. ET in a game airing on CW Network.