Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson: ‘It’s certainly a challenge going to Raleigh’

NC State and Wake Forest are set to clash this weekend, the 118th edition of the longest-running continuous rivalry in the ACC, inside Carter-Finley Stadium. 

For Demon Deacons coach Dave Clawson, who has a long history with Pack coach Dave Doeren dating back to their time in the Mid-American Conference together, this is another opportunity for the two history-rich programs to meet with the second- and third-longest tenured coaches in the league.

“The challenge this week is a very good and very talented NC State team,” Clawson told reporters Tuesday. “This is the 12th or 13th time that coach Dave Doeren have brought our teams against each other. Dave’s an excellent coach. … When you look at their roster, you can see why the expectations this year were so high for them.”

Clawson, who has battled Doeren and the Wolfpack for several recruits over the years, raved about NC State’s offense. He complimented the offensive line, specifically calling left tackle Anthony Belton “an outstanding player,” before turning his attention to the Pack’s skill players. 

And when he got to the offensive weapons, Clawson seemed amazed. 

“Their skill is elite,” Clawson said. “[Kevin] Concepcion was the ACC Rookie of the Year. He is one of the top perimeter players in the ACC. Jordan Waters, we thought he was one of the very best running backs in the ACC last year. … They have one we know well. They have Wesley Grimes. He looks really, really good on film as well. They have elite skill.”

Grimes, who transferred to NC State after two seasons at Wake Forest, was still on Clawson’s mind. The wide receiver caught 24 passes for 372 yards and five touchdowns during his time with the Demon Deacons.

“We’re lining up against one of our own this week,” Clawson said of Grimes. “That’s a decision that guys are allowed to make. … That’s just college football in 2024. He’a a really good player. Worked really hard to recruit him. He thought he had a better opportunity elsewhere and players have the right to do that. There’s no ill will, but those are things you didn’t have to deal with four and five years ago.”

While Clawson noted the different weapons, he turned his attention to NC State’s quarterback position. The Wolfpack began the year with graduate signal-caller Grayson McCall as the starter, but after he was injured late in the second quarter against Louisiana Tech, freshman CJ Bailey took over. 

Bailey has started the last two games and is 42-of-65 passing for 468 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. But even with that, Wake Forest is not entirely sure which quarterback they will see from the Wolfpack. 

“We don’t know who we’re going to see, we’re assuming it’s Bailey,” Clawson said. “But Bailey is a guy we had in our camp, we liked him a lot. We thought he was a really good football player. I’m sure every week that he plays, he gets more comfortable and the offense will evolve around him.”

In addition to the offense, Clawson noted that the Wolfpack defense means business. He called NC State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson “one of the best defensive coordinators in the league.”

“Last year, they pressured us and we didn’t handle it too well,” said Clawson, whose team faced a blitz 53.8% of the time for the Pack to rattle the Demon Deacons. 

Clawson likely expects the pressure again this year as he highlighted senior defensive end Davin Vann’s ability to force three interceptions with his presence in the backfield. He also pointed out junior nose tackle Brandon Cleveland, redshirt junior linebacker Caden Fordham and junior corner Devon Marshall — the latter two Clawson said Wake Forest recruited, losing out to NC State both times.

In all, Clawson was glowing in his review of NC State.

“They’re just a really solid, really good football team,” Clawson said. “Dave always does a really good job. His teams get better as the year goes on. They always seem to play their best football late.”

Now, as Wake Forest is set to visit Carter-Finley Stadium, Clawson noted how tough it is to play in front of the sold-out crowd of 56,919. It is already sold out this weekend, and the Pack holds a 9-2 record at home against the Demon Deacons in the last 11 meetings in Raleigh.

“It’s certainly a challenge going to Raleigh,” Clawson said. “It’s always a great environment, it’s loud. Their fans are always super nice to me and super friendly. They give me some nicknames that I’ve never heard before, but I think it’s what makes college football fun. They have a great crowd at NC State and they’re really into their football team. And they’re a factor too.”