Kickoff time for NC State football’s Duke’s Mayo Classic showdown with Tennessee revealed
N.C. State and Tennessee football get a prime-time slot for their 2024 Duke’s Mayo Classic matchup, the ACC announced Wednesday.
The Wolfpack and Volunteers are set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 7 in Charlotte. The game will be televised and streamed on ABC.
This year marks the ninth edition of the Duke’s Mayo Classic. North Carolina and South Carolina played in the annual game last fall.
Both programs are set to make their second appearances. N.C. State faced South Carolina in the 2017 Duke’s Mayo Classic and lost to the Gamecocks, 35-28. Tennessee lost to No. 14 West Virginia, 40-14, a season later.
This will be the first meeting between the two teams since Aug. 31, 2012, when the Vols beat the Wolfpack, 35-21, at a neutral site in Atlanta. They have only ever met three times in their histories, the other two games came in 1911 and 1939. N.C. State won the first game, 16-0.
Last season, N.C. State finished the 2023 schedule with a 9-4 overall record and appearance in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. The Wolfpack rattled off five straight victories to end the regular season and earn its postseason berth.
It added a number of high-caliber transfers in the offseason to replace several key starters, including quarterback Grayson McCall, wide receiver Noah Rogers and cornerbacks Corey Coley Jr. and Tamarcus Cooley.
Kevin “KC” Concepcion, however, is one of the Wolfpack’s primary returners and top receivers. Concepcion caught 71 passes for 839 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. He contributed 320 rushing yards on 41 carries.
Sean Brown also moved from safety to linebacker after Payton Wilson’s departure for the NFL Draft. Brown sought advice from the longtime linebacker and hopes to become the next great player at the position.
“I just want to be Sean Brown,” the junior said. “You know, I want to be my own guy. I want to get my own legacy. That’s just kind of what I want to do.”
N.C. State opens its season on Aug. 29, a Thursday night, against Western Carolina. It still seeks to earn a 10-win season to put itself in position to earn a spot in the new 12-team College Football Playoff.
