Clemson entered its game against NC State on Saturday as a 9.5-point favorite, so it wasn’t necessarily crazy for former NFL wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. to predict that the Tigers would leave with a victory.
However, Smith made a rather bold statement about the game on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” scorning the Wolfpack and calling NC State a basketball school.
“Clemson has been struggling. It’s not the Clemson that we’ve loved over the years. But NC State, unfortunately, they’re waiting for the basketball to start,” Smith said.
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Head coach Dave Doeren of the NC State Wolfpack during the first half of a game against the Clemson Tigers at Carter-Finley Stadium on October 28, 2023, in Raleigh, North Carolina. (King Lance/Getty Images)
Smith ended up eating his words after NC State pulled off the upset with a 24-17 victory.
It became apparent right after the game NC State head coach Dave Doeren heard what the former Carolina Panther said.
“Tell Steve Smith in the studio this isn’t a basketball school,” Doeren said. “He can kiss my a–.”
Doeren doubled down during his post-match press conference.
Former NFL wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. before an NFC playoff game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in January 2020 in New Orleans. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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“For a guy who lives in Charlotte, he clearly has his head turned west all the time. No disrespect to him, but he’s disrespected our program, and I’m not going to let people do that. These kids worked their tails off. “We’ve won a lot of football games here. … He can take that and put it where it belongs,” Doeren said.
“It’s not a basketball school. It’s a very large school with great sports, and football is one of them. He wants to come see me, we can talk about it. But do your homework before you start talking about… -.”
Head coach Dave Doeren of the NC State Wolfpack reacts during the second half of a game against the Marshall Thundering Herd at Carter-Finley Stadium on October 7, 2023 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (King Lance/Getty Images)
Smith isn’t afraid to speak his mind on air. Before a recent Denver Broncos game, he said he would advise general managers not to trade for wide receiver Jerry Jeudy because he is “mentally incapable of handling constructive criticism.”
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The Wolfpack host Miami next weekend.