Quickly Taking a Look at the History of NC State vs Clemson

RALEIGH NC – Week 4 of the 2021 college football season is just days away, and the NC State Wolfpack get ready to square off with their ACC rival, the #9 Clemson Tigers. The Tigers come into the contest as double-digit favorites, but the Pack certainly can compete, especially since they will be on their home turf at Carter-Finley. However, many things are going against the Pack in this game, and right now, history shows this will be a difficult task.

The matchup between the familiar foes will mark the 89th all-time and the first time since 2019. When you dig into the history, the record is undoubtedly lopsided as the Pack enters Saturday with a 28-59-1 record against Clemson, including a 16-22 home record. Since the two have been in the ACC, the Pack have yet to tally up a conference win, and in the last 10 games against the Tigers, they are a whopping 1-9.

When was the last time the Pack beat Clemson? Well, you have to go back to November 19th, 2011, and before that, it was October 16th, 2003, when Phillip Rivers was the NC State signal-caller. It has been an extended wait since the Pack last celebrated a victory over Clemson and the recent drought of dropping 8 straight to them is the longest losing streak in the 88 games played. 

Last 10 games:
11/9/19 — L 55-10
10/20/18 — L 41-7
11/4/17 — L 31-28
10/15/16 — L 24-17 OT
10/31/15 — L 56-41
10/4/14 — L 41-0
9/19/13 — L 26-14
11/17/12 — L 62-48
11/19/11 — W 37-13
11/6/10 — L 14-13

Though the past says this rivalry is one-sided, it mainly shows how dominant of a program Clemson has become after the arrival of Dabo Swinney in 2009. Since Dave Doeren was hired back in 2013, he has transformed this program into a respectable and competitive one and his 57-47 record is an example of that. He would want nothing more than to record his first win against Clemson. It is possible but it would have to take a near-perfect performance on offense, defense, and special teams to make it a reality.