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NC State +18½ vs Clemson.
After suffering a concussion in the season-opening loss to South Carolina and then missing last week’s N.C. State 34-24 victory over William & Mary, redshirt freshman Russell Wilson will be the Wolfpack’s starting QB on Saturday against Clemson.
The No. 23 Tigers (in the coaches’ poll) are 18.5-point home betting favorites on WagerWeb.com.
Wilson could have played against William & Mary on Saturday, but Wolfpack coach Tom O’Brien opted to put him in for only one special teams play – when Wilson served as holder on an extra point.
“I thought it would be better for him to sit out another week,” O’Brien said. “It will be two weeks since he last played that he will be involved in any contact.”
Wilson beat out Beck and Daniel Evans in a training-camp battle before suffering the injury. Evans struggled against William & Mary – going 4-for-11 for 12 yards and an interception – while Beck stepped in to throw for 246 yards and two touchdowns.
Turns out the stats didn’t matter to O’Brien, who said Wilson would be starting this week regardless. Wilson’s mobility is crucial to NC State’s ability to move the ball, and he should be able to make plays out of the read-option scheme more effectively, especially against the Tigers.
Meanwhile, Clemson QB Cullen Harper said that that he has been dealing with a first-degree sprain of the AC joint in his throwing shoulder.
The ACC Preseason Player of the Year said he hopes he’ll be at 100 percent by Saturday’s conference opener against the Wolfpack. The injury is to the same shoulder that underwent surgery last November, but Harper said it’s a different joint.
Offensive coordinator Rob Spence said Harper is fine and that there’s no concern whatsoever about his shoulder. Coach Tommy Bowden concurred, and Harper is not on Clemson’s injury report.
“Real pleased with him, I think he’s at 65 percent, threw for 70-some percent last week,” Bowden said Wednesday. “I believe you might have saw in the paper where he said he might have had a little shoulder fatigue going into the game just from throwing, not a hit. But I’ve been real pleased with him. He’s done a great job of leadership and a good job of managing the offense.”
Bet on NC State-Clemson at WagerWeb.com; the Tigers are 3-1 ATS in the teams’ past four meetings.
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