College football: Saturday’s 7 area games to watch

Two dozen Mecklenburg County players will wear UNC or N.C. State uniforms in Saturday’s game, including former Mallard Creek star Jaylen Samuels (1), the Wolfpack’s leading receiver and third-leading rusher. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com

SATURDAY’S MATCHUPS

DUKE (5-6, 2-5 ACC) at WAKE FOREST (7-4, 4-3)

BB&T Field, Winston-Salem, 12:30 p.m., Fox South Carolinas

Duke 1-6 in its past seven games and needs a victory to become bowl-eligible. Blue Devils quarterback Daniel Jones of Charlotte had a big game last week against Georgia Tech and will need another against the high-scoring Deacons. Wake Forest QB John Wolford (23 touchdowns, four interceptions) is a model of efficiency.

NORTH CAROLINA (3-8, 1-6 ACC) at N.C. STATE (7-4, 5-2)

Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, 3:30 p.m., ESPNU

Interesting fact: Two dozen Mecklenburg County players will wear Tar Heel or Wolfpack uniforms in this game, including five starters for North Carolina and four for N.C. State. Sophomore Nathan Elliott has emerged as UNC’s quarterback, with six touchdown passes and no interceptions in the past two games.

No. 3 CLEMSON (10-1) at No. 24 SOUTH CAROLINA (8-3)

Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

In addition to the huge rivalry, this game has national championship implications, as a loss would put a dent in Clemson’s playoff hopes. The Tigers lead the Palmetto Bowl series 68-42-4 and has won three straight. Trivia: The first meeting between the teams, on Nov. 12, 1896, was played on a Thursday morning. The Gamecocks won 12-6.

EAST CAROLINA (3-8, 2-5 American Athletic) at No. 20 MEMPHIS (9-1, 6-1)

Liberty Bowl, Memphis, noon, ESPNU

Memphis quarterback Riley Ferguson (Butler High) has passed for 3,200-plus yards this season and will aim to carry the Tigers to their second 10-victory season in school history. They will play in the conference championship game next weekend. ECU’s Gardner Minshew has passed for more than 700 yards in the past two weeks.

FLORIDA ATLANTIC (8-3, 7-0) at CHARLOTTE (1-10, 1-6)

Richardson Stadium, Charlotte, 2 p.m.

Coach Lane Kiffin has taken the Owls from 3-9 last season to the Conference USA title game next weekend. Devin Singletary, a 5-foot-9 sophomore, has rushed for 1,524 yards and 24 touchdowns this season. ... Charlotte’s Chris Montgomery leads the league in kickoff returns, averaging 21.6 yards per attempt.

APPALACHIAN STATE (6-3, 5-1 Sun Belt) at GEORGIA STATE (6-3, 5-1)

Georgia State Stadium, Atlanta, 2 p.m.

These teams are part of a four-way tie for first place. Georgia State wide receiver Penny Hart is 39 yards short of 1,000 receiving yards this season. ...Mountaineers QB Taylor Lamb has accounted for nearly 2,700 yards offense, with 2,257 of that in the air.

FURMAN (7-4) at ELON (8-3)

Rhodes Stadium, Elon College, 1 p.m.

This first-round FCS playoff game is a rematch of a Sept. 9 game, in which the host Phoenix beat Furman 34-31 on a last-second field goal. Elon freshman QB Davis Cheek, who played at Butler High, threw for 300 yards in that game. Furman won seven straight before last week’s loss to Samford.

Steve Lyttle

This story was originally published November 24, 2017 at 5:06 PM with the headline "College football: Saturday’s 7 area games to watch."