How the Clemson-N.C. State rivalry has been revived under Dabo Swinney, Dave Doeren

In 1926, the textile industry characterized Carolinian culture, character and curriculum. The mills boomed, and the mill towns bloomed nearby. Textile schools flourished at Clemson University and North Carolina State University.

That year, the Clemson and N.C. State football teams renewed their series after a two-decade hiatus. The teams met 80 more times through the next 91 years. In 1981, to promote the schools’ kindred industrial identity, the annual clash was officially named the Textile Bowl.

The series endured coaching changes, NCAA sanctions and conference realignment, while the textile industry reeled from labor disputes, social obstinance and outsourcing. 

A few manufacturers are still clinging to that industrious heritage, but several mills have been abandoned or revamped as luxury condos. Many “Mill Hill” neighborhoods have been gentrified and replaced by upscale townhomes.

Likewise, as Clemson grew in stature, its rivalry with N.C. State shrank in significance. Either Clemson or N.C. State won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship each year from 1963 to 1968. N.C. State reclaimed the crown in 1979 but has not won it again.

Clemson has earned 10 ACC titles and two national championships since 1979. N.C. State has won 10 games in a season only once since 1979.

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The fabric of the Textile Bowl began to weaken. The rivalry was gentrified. N.C. State was replaced by a new luxury mainstay, Florida State.

The Seminoles joined the ACC in 1991 and won the championship in each of the next 11 seasons. Either Clemson or Florida State won the ACC title in each of the last seven years.

Clemson won 13 of the previous 14 meetings with N.C. State, including the last six straight. Despite the lopsided series, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney asserted that the Textile Bowl traveling trophy was never easily earned.

“There’s always a lot of juice for this game, both sides,” Swinney said. “Every time we play N.C. State, you just know it's going to be a battle. That goes way back, way before I got here."

In 2013, Dave Doeren changed the tenor of the Textile Bowl, even without changing the outcomes.

Doeren won three games in his first season as N.C. State’s head coach, but that did not stop him from revealing his brash demeanor. His competitive arrogance exceeds his accolades. Last year, even in defeat, Doeren provided the most entertaining element of the Textile Bowl.

Throughout the game, N.C. State defensive lineman Bradley Chubb repeatedly snatched the towel out of Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant’s waistband. It was a comical attempt to annoy and intimidate. It did not work.

Clemson edged N.C. State 38-31. In his first remarks after the loss, Doeren accused Clemson of using a laptop on the sideline to gain an advantage. A swift “investigation” revealed that the device was used by a student videographer on Clemson’s communication staff.

In response to Doeren’s complaint, Swinney inquired about the whereabouts of N.C. State’s towel stash.

“It turns out, there was a just a major crisis going on,” Swinney said sarcastically. “A young guy trying to help a team in need, trying to be helpful in a situation, trying to get in touch with Amazon. We had a crisis— a dire need of towels. We were trying to get one of them drones to come in and drop towels on the sideline, and it didn’t work out.”

Later that week, Doeren shipped Swinney a box of towels. He never expressed regret for his unfounded accusation.

“Look, I’m not a politically correct guy,” Doeren said. “I coach with a lot of passion. Our kids play with it. (Swinney) does the same thing. When you lose a game that has conference championship implications on it, sometimes things are going to be said.”

Doeren has emerged as a willing antagonist in a revived dramatic series. In addition to his antics and accusations, Doeren has improved the N.C. State program. Last year, the Wolfpack enjoyed nine wins in a season for only the fourth time since the end of the Dick Sheridan era in 1992.

This season, N.C. State appears to be more than an annoying nemesis. It will arrive at Death Valley undefeated and seeking control of the ACC Atlantic Division.

“They're undefeated for a reason,” Swinney said, although one could argue that it is not a legitimate reason. N.C. State’s five victories were against James Madison, Georgia State, Marshall, Virginia and Boston College.

Not exactly a gauntlet of juggernauts. Nevertheless, Clemson will approach the rivalry with respect.

“We know we'll have to play very well,” Swinney said. “Just like us, I think they're getting better as the season has progressed. We've improved. They've improved. It'll be an awesome environment and a huge opportunity for both teams.”

New industries steer the Carolinian economy now, but the remnants of the textile influence are too strong to tear from the culture. Likewise, even as new rivalries captivate Clemson’s attention, the lore of the Textile Bowl will always loom.

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