After beating Louisiana Tech 30-20 last Saturday, NC State now has the 8th best odds to win the 2024 ACC Football Championship heading into Week 4 against #21 Clemson. Prior to the game against the Bulldogs, the Wolfpack was tied for the 4th best odds.

NC State’s odds went from +1800 to +2800.

The top three are the same as last week: Miami, Clemson and Louisville. Prior to Week 3, Virginia Tech, NC State and SMU were tied for the 4th best odds. Now the Hokies have sole possession of the 4th best odds, and SMU, Boston College and Syracuse are tied for the 5th best odds.

Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney had his weekly press conference today. Here’s everything he had to say about NC State leading up to the Textile Bowl this Saturday.

NC State’s a good football team.

They’re undefeated in the league, so this is their first one as well. It’s a big rivalry game every year. It’s been around for a long, long time.

Nobody really talks about the Textile Bowl anymore, but it’s still out there. And, you know, it means a lot to a lot of people on both sides of this game. So this is a very experienced football team that we’re getting ready to play.

You know, they obviously lost their quarterback, but they went and got McCall, who, you know, this guy’s played a million games, and I know he’s, you know, right now just says that he’s not going to be the starter. And then they went and brought in Noah Rogers, you know, 10 (KC Concepcion), had a heck of a year last year, so he’s back. They went and got the running back from Duke (Jordan Waters).

So this is really good. And then all those linemen are back, and then they brought the Center in from Notre Dame (Zeke Correll). So a very, very experienced offensive group.

They’re well coached. They’re tough. They’re physical.

You know, they’re built to run the ball. They challenge you from a discipline standpoint in, you know, leveraging the ball. Eyes on your work.

A lot of, you know, just discipline-type plays in what they do, and then they’re downhill at you. So, you know, this is a good football team. Again, receivers that can make plays on the defensive side.

Really good up front. Physical, strong. You know, this is a defense that’s, you know, I mean, they’re not afraid to challenge you and come after you, and it doesn’t matter who they’re playing.

That’s just their mentality. And then, you know, they’ll play a lot of drop eight as well, you know, just depending on the situation. It could be first down, it could be third and long.

You know, so they do a really good job, you know, from a scheme standpoint. But really, really good football team. Same thing, a lot of guys with a lot of experience.

And, you know, I know they had a couple guys that are questionable, but I would say whoever they run out there on Saturday will be ready to play the Tigers and vice versa. So we’re looking forward to a great opportunity. Dave’s done an awesome job with that program and a place I got a lot of respect for and look forward to a great battle on Saturday.

They try to put him (Kevin Concpecion) everywhere.

They do and I would say you’ll probably see more of that this week. I mean, you know, that we – I would anticipate you might see him in some wildcat situation to try to create, you know, some extra hats in the run game. You know, a lot that they do with McCall.

McCall is a – he’s a really good runner and a very, very willing runner and a smart runner. So, you know, they’ve done that already in the past with Tim (Beck) and I could see them, you know, doing a little bit more of that. But they’re just going to make sure – I mean, he’s a dynamic player, so they’re going to make sure he touches the ball and they move him around.

So it’s hard to just, you know, really isolate on him. You know, they move him around to try to create some mismatches and isolate him on some – on what they think is better matchups. And, you know, but they motion him all the time, line him up everywhere.

So he’s a good football player and they do a good job of getting him, you know, touches. So you have to know where he is every single play. It’s – you know, they’re not going to come out of the game or many drives, if you will, without him being involved.

So you better – you better know where he is. And that doesn’t mean they don’t have other good players. They do.

You know, the Tight End’s (Justin Joly) a good player, they got a couple good tight ends. You know, they got a couple big receivers. You know, Dacari’s (Collins) a good player, a kid that we liked here.

I mean, he’s a big, strong receiver. So, you know, he’s a guy – they brought in Noah. So they got – they got good dudes.

You know, but it all starts with the run game for them. I mean, they’re going to challenge you from a physical standpoint in the run game. And then leveraging the ball.

And obviously how we did in that first game, you know, with the two big plays we gave, you know, just didn’t leverage the ball outside in properly. You know, they’ll challenge that. So we got to do a good job there.

And they do it different ways, whether it’s the stretch, it’s the boots, the swap boots, or it’s all the jets that they have where you really have to do a good job of containing the ball and turn everything back to your – to your pursuit.

I mean, you prepare for what they do. I mean, they’re not going to change their whole offense. You know, I mean, they got a week to get ready.

I mean, they’re going to do what they do. They’re going to turn around and hand that ball to them big old backs. Those dudes are good players.

You know, Waters was third in the history of Duke. They’re going to come off the ball with them big offensive linemen and try to – It’s about blocking and tackling, fitting gaps, you know, moving people. I mean, okay, yeah, I mean, he’s got a – I mean, they’re not going to just ask this kid (CJ Bailey) to, okay, go win a game.

They’re going to ask him to do his job. That’s why he’s there and that’s why he’s been practicing and all that stuff. But, I mean, they’re going to tailor what they do maybe to his strengths, but they’re not going to change what they do.

You know, they’re not going to come in here and all of a sudden they’re running the triple option every play. I don’t think. So, you know, we’ll see.

But, I mean, this is – he’s (CJ Bailey) a good player though. And, again, when you watch him, you just – he really sparked them, I thought. And, I mean, just – I watched every play live and I thought he just got better as the game went.

And you could tell there was a lot of energy that he brought into it. He’s a tough kid. You can tell that because he’s not – I didn’t see any fear in him at all.

And he, coming into a situation where, you know, you’re down, right? And you got to go lead your team. And it’s the first time he played. I mean, this is a big moment.

And I thought he handled it very well. So, you know, that’s why they recruited him. But he’s a good looking kid and, you know, look forward to the matchup.

You know, I think you’ve got to give the opponents (WCU, Tennessee and LA Tech) some credit too. You know, but they’re going in to score. It’s 10-3 late second quarter against Tennessee.

And they’re, what are they, on the 15 or whatever? I mean, they’re on a great drive. They’re getting ready to go tie this thing up, pick six. And all of a sudden, man, it just kind of got away from them quick.

And, again, a game like that, it’s, you know, now you’re in a hole. So, you know, it’s not like you’re just going to line up and run the football when all of a sudden you’ve got a pretty big deficit and it’s the second half of a football game against a really good opponent. You’ve got to, you know, it’s probably not going to be quite what you scripted on your game plan.

So some of that stuff is skewed. You know, I mean, there’s a lot of statistics these first couple games that, you know, I wouldn’t pay too much attention to them. You know, I mean, you know, sometimes who you play early can really skew things.

But, you know, the picture will paint itself. But these guys can run the football. And, you know, obviously, they’ve got some new pieces.

You know, really the Center in there, but the backs, this is their first time playing there. Quarterback, McCall’s first time playing and getting there. But, you know, this is a team that will be able to run the ball when it’s all said and done.

I mean, that’s how they’re built. And I don’t have any, that’s what they’ve always been able to do. And then they create explosives.

I mean, they create a lot of explosives and shots, you know, through the run game. So, yeah, I mean, I think the game kind of got a little crazy in the Western Carolina game. That was kind of a same thing.

Weird stuff happens. If you really watch the game, I mean, give Western Carolina some credit too. I think they did a heck of a job.

And then there were some mistakes and some turnovers and some things that happen in games sometimes like that that I think frustrated them. But, hey, they did what they needed to do and won the game. And then the same, again, Tennessee, they’re in a really good battle.

And here’s a pick six, all of a sudden the game’s away. Now you’re not really going according to game plan. Flip side, look at the La Tech game and kind of what happened there.

Quarterback’s out. You know, just some still probably feeling out some things. But when it’s all said and done, this is a team that I think will be able to run the football.

Hopefully not this week. You know, I promise you this, we’ve got to be able to – you better be ready to stop the run against NC State. If you’re not, if you can’t stop the run against these guys, you’re in for a long day.

Because, again, everything comes through that. If they can stay on schedule and create explosives, you know, especially moving the pocket and some of those things, you’ve got some issues.

Well, I mean, you know, first of all, them three guys (NC State’s D-Line) up front, they’re explosive. You know, they got a little twitch to them.

They play violent. The backers, zero’s (Sean Brown) a heck of a player. Ten’s (Caden Fordham) a good player.

But it’s just their ability to be able to manipulate things in coverage. You know, they can be drop eight on first down and they can be cover zero on first down. You know, and really there’s – that happens a lot and anywhere on the field.

So, you know, they create some challenges. You know, you got to be really disciplined post-snap. I think that’s the biggest thing.

You know, and really diagnosing what they’re going to do coverage-wise. So – but they’re not afraid to take some chances. You know, they can bring a lot of pressure, you know, a lot of twists, a lot of movement up front and how they fit the gaps, you know, with the second and third level players that they have.

But – and then if they drop eight, you know, they really want to challenge you to try to throw the ball down there and it’s hard to throw the ball downfield when you got a bunch of guys. So you have to be able to have some patience and take what’s there. Obviously, you got to be able to run the football against some of that.

But that’s not all they do. You know, I mean, they’re just multiple with – you hear 3-3-5 and you think, okay, well they’re not just a big drop eight team. I mean, they do a lot of that, but they’re cloud, they’re invert.

I mean, it’s straight cover zero. You know, it’s robber, it’s 2D, it’s Tampa. I mean, they got a little bit of everything that they can get to.

So I think really being schooled up post-snap is critical on where to go with the ball in the pass game. But no different for them, for us it starts being able to run the football. You know, we’ve got to be able to get our hands on them.

And again, that’s easier said than done, you know, because they’re moving around and you got to identify guys and make sure everybody’s on the same page. But that’s what we practice for.

Yeah, that’s a fact. If they’re a junior, that’s what they are (1-2 against NC State).

But, you know, if you’re a fourth-year guy or a fifth-year guy, you’ve got a different record. If you’re me, you’ve got a different record. So I’ve been in a bunch of these.

You know, it don’t really matter. None of that stuff matters. We just need to win the game.

We need to win the game. None of that matters. Saturday when you kick it off, you’ve got to go play this game.

That’s the only thing that matters, how you do this week.

Yeah, he’s (Payton Wilson) a great player. Didn’t the Steelers take him? Yeah, there you go. Yeah, I was like, man, that’s a great pick by the Steelers.

I mean, you talk about like just – I think of him, I think of a – he’s a perfect fit for the Steelers. I really love him as a player. I just thought he was a great one.

And a good kid too. So, but, I mean, you know, number 10 stepped in there. Zero was a heck of a player for them last year.

I mean, he’s a really good football player. You know, two (Brandon Cisse) is a guy that’s been kind of in that Dime spot for them. I know he got banged up last week.

But, I mean, they just – they keep bringing in good football players. They do a great job of coaching them. They got a lot of continuity within their staff.

A lot of continuity within their development and teaching. And, again, good experience.

So, I mean, he’s (Wilson) a great one.

He’s gone. But, you know, these guys have done a nice job for him.

True Freshman Quarterback CJ Bailey will be starting for NC State this weekend at #21 Clemson. Here’s everything he had to say after practice today.

What was your reaction when Coach Doeren told you that you would be starting this Saturday?

I was excited. I’m ready to play, man.

I’ve got a big one coming up and I’m ready to step out and have fun on that field.

What was Grayson McCall’s message to you?

Grayson just told me to play my game and, you know, play smart and take care of the ball. That’s the main thing. You know, he’s behind me every step of the way, so that’s a good thing.

How much different is this week of preparation compared to what you’ve done in the past?

It’s pretty much the same. You know, we keep it the same. Of course, we’ve got to train and, you know, work hard every day, but it’s pretty much the same as any other week.

We’re training at the same thing.

When did you find out that you were starting this week?

Um, I’ll say a couple days after the game.

Preparing to play in Death Valley

I’m expecting to go into Death Valley hearing a crowd and hearing everybody, like, screaming, trying to get into our heads, but I’m expecting it. We’re practicing for it, so I’ll be prepared and ready for it when I get there.

How much did your high school career at Chaminade prepare you for this moment?

Yeah, that helped a lot, especially playing at Chaminade.

We’ve had a couple games like this, and I know how to handle it and, you know, stay level-headed throughout the game and finish the game strong. So, Death Valley is just another one of those games that’s a big crowd, and it’s the same as what I used to do in high school.

When you went back and looked at the film from the Louisiana Tech game, how did you kind of assess the way that you played?

I feel like I did a great job.

The main thing was to forget about the past and just keep moving forward, and I love the way I did, the way I handled myself with the pressure and everything in the second half. I’m looking forward to a whole four quarters at Clemson the same way.

Coach talked about your poise. How do you think your confidence grew throughout the game?

Yeah, it grew a lot. I’ve actually seen those guys on the defense making plays, so once I made a play, my confidence just kept growing, and I kept making more and more plays. So, no, it was just like a domino effect with those guys, and we just kept making plays.

That’s all I’ve got to say.

As far as the experienced guys around you, how much did they help you kind of rally for this game?

Yeah, yeah. Those guys, our leaders, our seniors, they’re doing a great job of letting me know it’s just a normal game.

Just play your game and stay focused and take everything serious. It’s about the detail this week, and every little thing matters. That’s what it’s done in my head.

How much do you think getting some reps in in the Tennessee game, seeing kind of the size, the speed that they play with, maybe prepped you for this weekend?

Yeah, it actually prepped me for last week. Tennessee game, when I got a couple reps, I got to feel the game. I didn’t get talked with in a while since high school, so I got to feel it out in the Louisiana Tech and Tennessee game.

So it’s really prepped me for this week as well.

How has the in-helmet communication helped kind of this transition, just having Coach Roper in your ear a little bit out there?

Yeah, it helps a lot. We don’t have to mainly focus on those signals on the sidelines.

Coach Roper’s in our ear letting us know the play, and it’s better. Hopefully, when we get to Death Valley, the mic’s still working perfectly fine, but if not, we’ll just go over there and get the signal. It’s fine.

I saw you looking at the tablets with Coach Roper there on the bench. How does that change to really help a quarterback like you?

Yeah, actually, when we get those tablets and seeing those couple plays in our whole drive, it helps a lot because now we can see where we can adjust to and the plays we can make going into the next drive. So it’s really helpful to have those tablets on the sideline.

There’s a lot of experience on this team, especially in front of you with the offensive line. What is it like at the same time to know that you’re playing with teammates who are four or five years older than you? I mean, I know age is just a number, but does that kind of ever hit you that you’re so much younger than them?

No, not really. I just think that with those guys, especially the O-line, I feel like I’m way more protected because those guys know what they’re doing.

They’re really advanced. Those guys on defense, it’s great to have those guys because they’re leaders and they go tell me what I should do and what I should not do and how to stay focused and detailed and keep everything orientated. So I think the best thing to do for me is just to keep listening to those guys so everything goes right for the rest of the season because they know what they’re doing in their events.

Coach said that you were super excited when you found out at halftime that you were going to be playing the rest of the game. Is there a moment in the second half where you feel like everything kind of clicked, where maybe you finally felt 100 percent comfortable? Not to say you didn’t going on, but is there a moment where you were like, ‘okay, I can do this?’

Yeah, after that first dig route to Dacari (Collins) in the middle of the field, on that first drive coming out of the half, that solidified it. Just keep making plays because it feels good to make that first play.

I just want to make many more plays like that.

Did you have any family at the game?

Yes, I did.

Are they coming down to Clemson?

Yes, they’re coming to Clemson as well.

Do you know how many are going to be there?

Probably five, six.

Does seeing yourself score a touchdown, you know, watching, I guess, experience throwing some of those explosives, does that take the pressure off? You know, you did it once. You’re going into a tough environment, but you feel like, ‘okay, I know I can for sure.’

Yeah, definitely scoring a touchdown and, like, throwing passes and completing passes, it definitely took some steam off of me. And I want to do that same thing going into Clemson. That first play, I feel like that first good completion I have is going to keep rolling after that.

So it’s great to have those completions, and hopefully I’ll score again this week.

NC State head coach Dave Doeren met with the media yesterday for his weekly press conference leading up to the Wolfpack’s matchup at Clemson this weekend. The videos are below, with the transcript underneath.

Well, I’d like to start thanking our fans, the parents, the students, recruits that were at the game and a great home game atmosphere. And I really appreciate the folks that were there the whole game and your commitment. It was a great comeback win and guys rallied as a football team and that was what we needed in that moment and comebacks are all about responding and showcasing grit and resiliency, which has been a calling card of our program.

One that we didn’t show the week prior and so something that was talked about a lot coming out of the last loss and I was proud of the way the guys came together as a staff, as a team, and there was some key leadership, which we’ll talk about at some point, I’m sure. But the way that we came back and played as a unit, offense, defense, special teams, sideline energy, down two scores, missing some key players. It said a lot about the fight in our football team.

And Law Tech, you know, did a great job in the first half and obviously we hurt ourselves in some areas. I thought we started fast, you know, three straight completions, one’s an explosive, and then we have a penalty which brings back, you know, a 20-yard gain, goes from 1st and 10 to 1st and 25, which is a drive killer and things that we have to fix. Playing good in the first quarter on offense was not a strength of ours going into that game.

We started fast and then we really self-implode when you have a penalty, particularly one that didn’t need to happen, and so an area we need to improve. I thought we played complementary football in the second half and our will to win in that locker room and on that football field was palpable. I was very proud of our team in the locker room.

It was captains first, you know. Sean Brown did a great job talking to the group right away when they got in there. Davin Vann, you know, offensively, guys speaking up and you could just feel their willingness to be different than they were the week prior.

And we played complementary football and that’s something we have to do for four quarters or longer, however long it takes. And your captains have to be captains in those moments and you see like the first drive of the second half. We go three and out.

Davin Vann comes free on a pass rush, hits the quarterback. Second straight week he’s had an interception created through his quarterback pressure, that second week in a row, it was a pick six as well. Great play by Donovan Kaufman and then the next drive the defense is right back out there three and out.

Offense goes on a 13-play drive, converts on third and short, consecutive two straight times in that drive, which is an area we wanted to be better in and were, and scores the touchdown and takes the two-score game and flips it the other way. We scored on every possession in the second half. Offensively, we possessed the ball, played way more physical at every position group on that side of the football.

I was really proud of a lot of things over there in the perimeter, especially defensively held them to three points in the second half and had a really good goal line stand. I thought that was a key, something we needed to do on defense and Caden Fordham, you know, made a play down there and got him off the goal line and C.J. Bailey came in, played fast, you know, obviously had the one interception, but besides that I thought he made really good decisions. He threw the ball well.

He gave his guys opportunities. He used his legs when he needed to to get us some first downs and you know, to have a comeback victory with a freshman quarterback and both back up corners in the game, I thought was impressive as a football team. And it wasn’t just the three guys that came in.

Obviously, they had a lot to do with it. The next man up always does. But sometimes when injuries take place, the guys around them will start trying to do too much, and I felt like it was the opposite.

They trusted them. They did their jobs. They played really hard and their will to win was there.

And I was really upset, you know, coming out of our last loss. Obviously, when you lose like that, there’s a lot of things to be mad about, but to me it was more about how we played, the lack of physicality that we played with, and it was the opposite. And it was demanded and the guys understood it and they did a great job being resilient and playing to the standard of competitive football, which is physical football at NC State.

And when you watch our film, that’s the first thing you should see if you’re an opponent, is that we’re going to play hard. We’re going to play really hard, and that’s something we’ve always done. And I felt like we did that in that football game, and you can see it in the statistics, you know.

I mean, we talk about winning the line of scrimmage. They rushed the ball for less than two yards of carry. We rushed it for over four yards of carry, and those kind of things show up.

And I stood on that line of scrimmage a lot in that football game to see which way it was going. And the knockback and the strain, the continuing to move my man a direction he doesn’t want to go, and at the end of the day that’s what football is, you know. It’s two people across from each other trying to impose their will.

It’s a physical sport, and it’s got to be played that way. I thought on offense our perimeter blocking was exceptional, and it’s not something that gets talked about a lot, but it was, I thought Daari Collins and Keenan Jackson put on a display of perimeter blocking in that game. Noah (Rogers), KC (Concepcion), Wesley (Grimes), Terrell (Anderson), they all did a great job going in there and doing some things that you’re not recruited to do as a receiver.

And that’s part of running the football. And we improved, and we’ve got to improve more, but we did get better. We caught the football well.

We made some good contact catches in the game. We got some good yards after the catch. Justin Joly had a really nice catch on a second and long to get us into a third and short, and then he had a nice catch that turned into some yards after the play with some good running.

I thought all three backs came in and ran hard, protected the football. They blocked well and pass protected. And I loved the the final drive of the game.

You know, we get the ball back with over four minutes, and don’t give them the ball, and so good complimentary football.

You know, negatives on offense, the four penalties, one of them’s on our staff. We didn’t substitute at the right time and got a penalty there.

But, you know, we had the one personal foul and then the two holding penalties, and those kind of penalties kill drives. And so you’ve got to overcome a lot, and those are things we’ve got to be better at. We only had four penalties in the game.

So, you know, from that standpoint, it was a pretty clean football game. But the ones we had were drive killers.

With Grayson, you know, he got dinged up, and I’m not going to get into the injury. It’s good news on him. It’s a day-to-day thing. We’re going to take our time, and when he’s ready, he’ll be ready.

You know, CJ’s ready to play, and he’s our quarterback until that happens. And we’re behind him, you know. And the thing I would ask, you know, it’s not about the quarterback.

It’s about cheering for the guy that’s in the game. And when the guy’s out of the game, or if a guy’s injured on our football team, praying for that guy to get healthy. I think, you know, as fans, sometimes fans don’t understand.

You know, that’s a player that, and that kid loves our football team. And he loves playing this sport. And when you’re a sixth-year player, man, it’s hard when you can’t be out there.

And the way he came back and cheered on CJ shows a lot about his character. He’s a great teammate. He’s one of us.

And, you know, as a football program, anytime somebody goes down, especially a guy that’s in his last year, it’s not a season-ending thing, but it’s a day-to-day thing. We’re going to take our time with it. CJ’s going to run the show until Grayson’s healthy.

And I’m excited to see what CJ can do, you know. And whoever that quarterback is, wearing the red and white, the fans need to have his back. They need to be supportive.

They need to pray for those kind of things when they happen. And that’s what family does, you know. I was really proud of the way that the team rallied around CJ.

But, you know, at halftime, when he knew it was his time to play, he had a big smile on his face. He was ready for the moment, and now he gets to go do it on the road against a really good football team in a tough environment.

Defensively, two takeaways, a fourth-down stop, a really good fourth-down stop on a play-action pass out of an exotic formation, showed really good discipline.

The goal-line stand I talked about, you know, we stopped the run. I thought we tackled better for the most part. There was one play that was, I would call, disgusting on our part, where we missed four tackles.

I thought the pick-six by DK was a great football play. Davin straining, balls up, and then, you know, does a good job himself finding a lane and then taking care of the football. The guys played with a lot of strain on defense.

They made plays on some one-on-one balls. You know, we lost one down the sideline where Corey fell down. But for the most part, we were in the right place.

We played with poise. We didn’t have pass-interference calls. I thought our gap integrity was better and our eye discipline was way better.

Negatives, the one explosive pass I talked about should have been tackled. And third-down defense got better but can continue to get better. That’s an area that, again, I’ve talked about a lot.

But it did improve. You know, Aydan will be back this week. Cisse looks like he’ll be fine.

And so we should be back to full strength on that side of the football.

You know, special teams, I’m proud of Kanoah (Vinesett). Again, he’s just very steady.

And, you know, two 30-plus yarders and a 52-yarder, points matter. Colin Smith’s done a great job, again, with our kickoffs, not just with his depth and touchbacks, but location. He’s done a nice job.

I thought our coverage units were better. We played with much more speed and urgency getting down the field. The return game’s really been a non-factor.

Unfortunately, just a lot of touchback kicks against us. But Jalen Coit did a really nice job as a punt returner, making some smart decisions when he was in there.

And so now we get ready for Clemson at their place, a great place to play football.

Have great respect for their coaching staff and their players. It’s a trophy game. It’s the only trophy game we have.

And it means a lot to the universities playing in it, all the way back to the Textile Bowl. It’s going to be a great matchup and a very talented team that we’re playing. And for us, we’ve just got to focus on getting better and playing four quarters or overtime if it takes overtime.

And just being as clean as we can, playing as hard as we can, straining as hard as we can, and just being a little better version of ourselves each week. This is a team that will get better. NC State football teams, over the years, we pride ourselves on improving as the year goes on.

And so that takes an internal focus. It takes guys that are willing to admit the things that they’ve got to do better, coaches fixing things schematically, and then evolving over the course of the season. And we’ve got to play a full game.

We’ve had spurts in games where we looked really good, and spurts where we looked really bad. And so that’s the evolution of this football team, is learning the new parts, the new parts learning how to play together better, and how we play NC State football hard, tough together. It’s going to be a loud environment.

They’re coming off a game where they looked unstoppable, and they scored 50-plus points in the first half against a good Appalachian State football team. And they were explosive in that game offensively. They played some young receivers that really took the top off of coverages.

I thought (Cade) Klubnick threw the ball extremely well in that football game. He was very accurate, showed touch, he showed range. We all know he can run, and can run and throw.

They’re tight end, Number nine, (Jake) Brinningstool, is a weapon, and he’s a good player. He made plays on us a year ago.

The tailback, (Phil) Moffa, he’s a load, he’s tough. Big kid, you’ve got to wrap him up. There’s a lot of blocking schemes.

I think Matt Luke’s a really good offensive line coach, and new addition to their staff. And they’ve got a good system, you know. And I think, obviously, like every team, you’re seeing them grow and unique to be in our fourth game.

And to say that we’re playing our second straight opponent with a bye week’s kind of weird, you know, to have teams with byes this early in the season, back to back. And so there’ll be some adjusting, I’m sure, for us, with them having an extra week to play us. But this game’s going to be about, you know, matching up, making plays, being physical.

And not letting the noise of the environment dictate things. You can go down there and get a bunch of penalties. You’ve got to really stay locked in and focused on what you’re doing.

And I’m excited about the opportunity to go get better with this team. You know, this team really cares about improving. You know, we put a lot on them last week.

There was a lot to improve and no different. You know, we’ve shown what we can do and we’ve showed what we can’t. And I think that’s the thing as players.

You have to have ownership and where your improvement is needed. And we have a lot to work on. And that’s what I like about this team.

This team likes to work. They really do. They’re a fun group to coach.

So now we get a chance to go do that again and put it to the test in arguably one of the harder places to play in the ACC. Against a really good football coach in Dabo (Swinney). And I have a lot of respect, you know, for him and his staff and what they stand for.

So, looking forward to the opportunity and the challenge.

To clarify, CJ Bailey’s the starter

Yeah, CJ will start the game. And it’s his team.

And like I said, we’ll take it one day at a time with Grayson. And when he’s ready to play, he’ll be back. And, you know, it’s all hands on deck.

Preparing CJ for the environment at Clemson and their defensive front

Yeah, they’ve got a great defensive line.

And they do a lot of blitzing, you know. I mean, they’re bringing stuff from all over the place. So, we’ve got to give them all the looks.

We’ve got to show him all the things, not just him, the O-line and the protections with the backs. Obviously, crowd noise is going to be a part of what we’re doing every day and making sure our cadence functions in the noise that we’re going to be dealing with. You know, and then just schematically doing the things that he’s best at, giving him the best pictures that he can have and then letting him play ball.

You know, that’s the one thing about him. He’s a football player, and that kid understands the game. He’s a winner, and he’s excited, you know.

I mean, that’s a kid that’s excited to play the game, and I’m excited for him. And so, you know, as a team, you just go out there and you do everything you can staff-wise to set him up for success, and you know what the challenges are, and you try to give him every look possible so that he can be successful and play fast on Saturday.

It’s what he’s done in practice, and so it’s great to know that the stuff that he’s doing in practice carries into games, because obviously you’re not getting hit in practice as a quarterback. You know, he’s a tough kid. He’s competitive.

Obviously, his height gives him an advantage to see some things, too, but he’s been like that since he got here, and it’s just reps and reps and reps and reps and how much you want to put on him. But he’s a fast learner. He loves the game, and he took what he’s done in practices and scrimmages to a live environment, and I mentioned this after the game.

I do think it was great that he got to play in the Tennessee game, you know, that he got to go up against that kind of talent and speed and see it firsthand. I mean, that’s the best preparation you can give a guy is the reps in a game.

Caden Fordham

Yeah, I think you saw how much we missed him in game one, right, when he was out, and he had his best game. He played physical.

He tackled well. He was all over the field pursuit-wise. He got his hands on some balls, you know, pass breakups, and the MIKE position in that defense is going to be around the ball a lot, and he’s a disruptive guy, and he’s a really smart football player, but I thought Davin Vann and Caden played really, really good when you look at how they strained in the box, and when you’re disruptive in the box, it helps things immensely for our fitters that are coming from the back end, but I was proud of him, and we need that from him.

I mean, he’s got to play that way, and he’s one of the more experienced linebackers we have.

Devon Marshall

Yeah, he was the player of the game for us this week. I thought he was right where he was supposed to be.

Played poised, played hard. A lot of times, a guy will get in the game, and at the moment of truth, he’ll grab a guy, and he’s nervous about giving up a play, and he played with technique. He did a really nice job.

I mean, he was the one on that fourth-and-one play action. They motioned a guy in. He ended up on a tight end that was in a tackle position covering him on a play-action pass, a play that a lot of players would have their eyes in bad spots.

He did a really good job showing discipline.

Jackson Vick came in and played in our dime package and did some really good things. They both had big plays in the game on third-and-fourth downs.

Does Grayson McCall’s injury history make you more cautious

Yeah, I mean, every injury is different, and I’m not the one that goes down there and says, this is what we’re doing. We have complete faith and trust in Justin Smith and our docs.

We’ve got incredible doctors here, and whatever they say is what we’re going to do. My focus is on just being supportive for all these kids when they’re out.

Aydan White was out last week, and Devan Boykin’s out, and now Grayson.

You’ve got to be there for these guys, and they’re each different, and even though you’ve had a player with a similar injury in the past, it’s a different player. You just be there for them. You’re supportive.

You get them the care they need, and when they’re ready to play, they’re ready to play. I think that’s the thing, is trying to get these guys back. I’ve been injured as a player.

It’s terrible. It sucks. You feel removed from everything.

As a head coach, I’m very, very understanding of that. You try to be there for them, but each injury is different to your point, and you just have to let the doctors tell you what the timeline looks like. In his case, we’ve gotten good news. It’s just how long does it take?

Pass protection against LA Tech

There was a couple plays in that game where they got free on us and got some hits that ended up, whether it’s a sack or a hit, you don’t want your quarterback on the ground, right? You look at all of that.

I do think we’ve had good pockets throughout the season. We’ve gotten beat like everybody has, but overall, our pass protection has been good. We’ve had time to get rid of the football.

Our quarterbacks have done a good job throwing it away for the most part when they couldn’t extend plays with their feet. That really hasn’t been the issue as much, as efficient run game, and that got better in this game. We were rushing the ball below our standard going into that football game, and I thought it got better and better as that game went on.

Again, you rush for over four yards of carry. That’s what you’re looking for.

Andrew? I wanted to ask you another question in terms of the run game that you mentioned, obviously the offensive line having an opportunity for what you saw last week.

Improving the run game

Yeah, we got better. There’s a multitude of things, and it’s not just the O-line. Let’s make that clear.

When you run the football, sometimes there’s a tight end in there. There’s a second back in there. Sometimes there’s a receiver.

You’re asking to block a perimeter player. If it was as easy as one player on the O-line to fix, it’d be fixed. It’s a collective thing in running the football, and we did get better.

Our tracks were better. I thought we missed one read at running back. We could’ve had a pretty big run if we would’ve stayed on our track.

But the timing of running the football and all the things that are happening with blitzes and stunts and picking those up with the speed they come at you wasn’t good in the first two games. It got better in the third game. To your point, we just have to keep getting better and stay efficient, stay on the positive side of efficiency when it comes to call and plays because it helps as a play caller when it’s second and six plus or minus versus the other way around where it’s second and eight, second and nine, second and ten.

That was a big point of emphasis with Coach and I. We need to be efficient. If you can get efficient down in distances, we’ll score more points. That’s what you saw happen in the second half.

The guys know that. We just got to keep pushing on them and they got to keep doing their part just to block the strain and get your hat in the right place. But I was trying to think of the right way to say this.

I’m not satisfied by any means with the run game. I’m happy it got better. I saw the improvement.

If you watch every position, it got better. Every position, the guys were straining. They were fighting to stay on their blocks and push guys down the field.

That’s what it takes. If you do that over time and you get into the fourth quarter, it really takes over a game when you need it to by wearing people down. Progress. That’s good.

Significance of playing Clemson

I don’t think the last ten years matter, Rob. I don’t.

College football these days, every team’s got so many new parts. What matters is the guys on your team that have played against these teams. We have a lot of players that have played well against Clemson.

Obviously, we need to get the job done down there. That’s something we haven’t done. We’ve been close.

Close doesn’t get it done. It’s more about how do we win this football game and focus on those things. How can we play better for four quarters instead of two quarters here, two quarters there? How you win a game against a good football team is don’t turn the football over.

You play physical. Give up explosive plays for scores. You’re really efficient in your special teams departments with your field position.

That’s the focus of winning. It’s not ten years ago what’s happened. These guys were eight years old.

That’s not going to help us win the football game. Beating them in the past helps. There was a time where I don’t know how many in a row it was that we lost to them where it seemed like a mountain we couldn’t climb.

That’s not the case anymore. We know that we can beat them. We also know that they’re a really good team.

Playing them at home, they’re an even better team. You’ve got to play a certain way. I think that’s where playing Tennessee earlier helps us.

We have seen a really good team on the field already. Their level of speed and size and the combination of both isn’t going to be shocking going out there. We know what Clemson’s program has been and how good their talent is and what kind of game we have to play playing against a team like them.

I have a lot of respect for their football team and what Dabo’s done there.

Experience starting multiple QB’s over the past couple of years

That’s an unfortunate thing to be used to. I had a run there for a while with Jacoby Brissett and Ryan Finley where we didn’t have that problem and now we have.

I don’t know if that helps or not helps. I do think there’s a history with the next man in playing really good ball for us. That’s what we expect.

I think all of our kids completely believe in CJ and know that he’ll go in and play his butt off. Lex Thomas is our next quarterback. Lex has been getting reps all year, all through spring, all through fall camp.

He’s ready to go. That’s what we’ll look like until Grayson’s healthy.

You’ve got to have depth, for one.

You’re always one play away from the next guy being in. Competition and depth, you’ve got to recruit well at that spot. You’ve got to coach them all like they could play.

Here’s our starter. He may not get in unless we’re winning. You’ve got to coach them all like you’re going to play in this game.

We’ve been able to do that. We’ve had success over the years, not just with our backup, even our third and one year, our fourth came in and played a really good game. Kurt Roper’s a really good quarterback coach.

He’ll have the guys ready to play. They’ll be excited for their opportunity. We’ll put a package together that they can execute at a high level.

Other receivers stepping up with LA Tech focused on KC

Yeah, it was great to see the outside receivers. You know, when I said this to KC yesterday, ‘you’ve earned a lot of respect because of how good a player you’ve been’ and there’s more people. When you’re playing a drop-eight team like LA Tech was, it’s easier to remove and have a linebacker under them, a safety over them, reroute player with a guy over the top of them or to bracket them.

We’ve got to be really creative, which is Robert’s (Anae) favorite thing to do, is be creative. We’ve got to find ways to move him around and make it hard for teams to key on him. At the same time, there’s going to be players that are benefactors of that.

If people do that, there’s a lot of one-on-ones and other position groups, whether it’s the tight end with Joly, the outside receivers, the running backs. We’ve got to win our one-on-ones when we get them, those guys. We’ll find ways to continue to get KC the ball and it can’t just be on screens.

We’ve got to get him the football down the field and that’s our job.

Thoughts on playing Clemson early in the year.

I don’t know. We’re going to play them somewhere in that list.

I have opened the ACC with them several times. It’s not the first time doing this. I don’t know. It’s wherever the scheduling rubric decides to throw them on there. We got to play them. I don’t know if it matters, to be honest with you, having them early, having them late, playing a noon game down there, it’s going to be hot. So that adds a little bit of an element to it, versus playing them later in the year down there, where it may not be a weather type thing that can test you a little bit. So that part of it’s probably the only negative to it. It’s just the weather that you get at noon in South Carolina versus playing them maybe in October of November. But it’s early in the season. It’s the first opportunity to play an ACC game. I think we open with them in a few years to start the season, if I’m not mistaken, like in 2028 and so wherever they put them, we got to line up and play.