NC State football scouting report: No. 21 Clemson

By Ethan McDowell

Clemson football started this year with a performance against Georgia that prompted a referendum on the program’s team-building strategy and premature eulogies for a school that dominated the ACC for most of the 2010s. The Tigers responded with a 66-20 victory over Appalachian State.

Coming out of a Week 3 bye and into a matchup with NC State, plenty of mystery continues to surround this program. Which version of the Tigers will be closer to reality? The team that put 56 points on the Sun Belt preseason favorite in the first half, or the program that managed just 188 yards of total offense in its season opener?

NC State is 2-1 after wins over Western Carolina and Louisiana Tech that bookend a blowout loss to Tennessee. The Tigers are much closer to the Volunteers than the other teams on the Pack’s schedule thus far, so this will be a significant road test. Clemson is favored by 20.5 points going into this showdown at Death Valley.

5 Clemson players to watch

1) Junior quarterback Cade Klubnik

Klubnik threw 2 interceptions against NC State last year in a 24-17 loss to the Pack. To date, that is his only multi-pick game of his young career. The junior started his 2024 season with a 142-yard outing against the Bulldogs and struggled to generate much offense in a 34-3 loss.

He bounced back against App State by completing 24 of 26 passes for 378 yards and 5 touchdowns, adding 2 more scores on the ground. Klubnik is a true dual-threat quarterback and a former five-star recruit. Through his first 2 games of the year, he has only recorded 1 turnover-worthy play, an interception against Georgia, and Clemson’s offensive line kept him clean for 73.2 percent of his dropbacks.

2) Defensive lineman Peter Woods

Woods is one of the most disruptive defensive players in the country. Standing 6-3, 315 pounds, the sophomore is explosive enough to start at defensive end and has the frame to play on the interior as well. He recorded 26 total tackles as a freshman last fall. Against App State, he played 12 snaps before that game unraveled into a blowout. Woods recorded an impressive 73.8 Pro Football Focus grade against Georgia, lining up all over the defensive front. He finished that game with 6 total tackles and a sack. The defensive lineman has won 14.7 of his pass-rushing reps so far this fall.

3) Freshman wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr.

Keep an eye on Wesco Saturday — an explosive freshman who is considered a future standout with Clemson. He played 12 snaps in the opener, lining up out wide and catching 1 pass for 5 yards on 1 target. Klubnik targeted him 3 times against App State, leading to 3 receptions for a whopping 130 yards and the receiver’s first career touchdown. At 6-2, Wesco is a promising downfield threat. The expected return of cornerbacks Aydan White and Brandon Cisse would be super helpful as the Pack hopes to contain him.

4) Senior running back Phil Mafah

Mafah emerged as Clemson’s feature back this season after working as a critical part of the rotation last year. He played a lot against NC State, running 16 times for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns. So far this fall, the 6-1, 230-pound senior is averaging 6.8 yards per carry. He’s a physical runner who forced 2 missed tackles against both Georgia and App State. Mafah averaged 10.5 yards per carry after contact vs. the Mountaineers.

5) Sophomore cornerback Avieon Terrell

Terrell is Clemson’s most targeted cornerback by a wide margin this year, and the 5-foot-11 sophomore has been up to the task so far. He started each of the first 2 games and allowed 5 completions for 79 yards. Georgia and App State combined to target him 15 times, and he recorded 4 pass breakups. The defensive back is also the team’s third-leading tackler with 7 total stops this year.

3 keys to the game

1) Defense needs to win on first down

Tennessee averaged 4.8 yards per play on first down against NC State. Louisiana Tech picked up a staggering 9.9 yards on those plays, including 208 passing yards. The Volunteers set the tone on the ground in that game and kept themselves ahead of the chains. Louisiana Tech made the most out of its passing opportunities with long passing plays. Mafah is a very physical runner, and NC State will have to match that to keep him from giving Clemson consistent manageable second and third-down distances to gain.

2) Get the Wolfpack speedsters the ball on the perimeter

Georgia’s early success against Clemson was the result of screen passes, outside runs and other quick plays that kept the ball near the sidelines. Even a team as talented as the Bulldogs was not able to dominate the trenches vs. the Tigers, at least early in the game.

Noah Rogers leads the Wolfpack with a 17.5 average depth of target. Those deep chances might not be there Saturday given Clemson’s talent up front, but NC State needs to find ways to get the talented transfer, along with fellow wide receiver Wesley Grimes and running back Hollywood Smothers, the ball consistently. They have the talent to make plays happen in space.

3) Find ways to get KC Concepcion the ball

In addition to the above playmakers, NC State needs to get KC Concepcion in a rhythm. He finished last week with 22 receiving yards. Louisiana Tech showed that it is possible to slow down the sophomore if the Pack cannot find him downfield. The Pack tried screens and jet sweeps but nothing around the line of scrimmage really worked against a Bulldogs squad that tackled Concepcion well.

If the superstar receiver can return to his explosive ways against the Tigers, quarterback CJ Bailey would have a consistent safety blanket to rely on in his first start. Against Clemson last year, Concepcion caught 5 passes for 83 yards and 2 touchdowns, adding 51 yards on the ground.

1 player who could help decide NC State vs. Clemson

Linebacker Sean Brown

Brown moved from safety to linebacker this offseason in a position change that produced mixed results early. He leads the team in tackles with 22 total stops (12 solo). Brown missed 3 tackles against Tennessee vs. 0 in the program’s other two contests. Through 3 games, he is the Wolfpack’s best pass-rushing linebacker with 4 quarterback pressures, he has also recorded 2 tackles for loss.

NC State struggled to pressure the quarterback and create negative plays in the backfield so far this season. The Pack ranks No. 15 in the ACC in sacks and recorded 11 tackles for loss during its first three games, a steep drop-off from 2023. Payton Wilson was a huge part of that success last fall and, while Brown does not need to rise to quite those heights, helping the Pack create more disruption in the backfield would be huge for the Pack’s success.

Brown led the team in tackles last year against Clemson after playing the final drive at linebacker. He finished that day with 11 tackles — a career-high that he tied against Tennessee two weeks ago. NC State did not blitz Klubnik frequently that day, sending extra defenders on 14 of 54 drop-backs, but the Wolfpack generated pressure on every single one of those plays, leading to 5 completions on 12 attempts for 47 yards and 1 interception.