CLEMSON — C.J. Spiller, a NASCAR enthusiast, compared his turf toe to a flat tire that might occasionally slow his favorite driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Clemson strength coach Joey Batson says programs around the country are resorting to “duct tape like they do in NASCAR” to finish their races. Dabo Swinney says the Tigers are as battered and bruised as they have been this season as they face N.C. State today in Raleigh.

But as the Tigers enter turn four of the ACC Atlantic chase today — they can clinch the division with a win and Boston College loss at Virginia — they are in relative good health.

Sure Spiller is banged up, and the Tigers (6-3, 4-2 ACC) are without Da’Quan Bowers (knee) against N.C. State, but they’ve avoided season-ending wrecks plaguing other ACC programs. The Wolfpack has lost 11 players to season-ending injuries. Miami had lost a dozen players for the year prior to meeting Clemson.

“I hope I’m the next one who’s hurt,” said N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien, whose team had lost four straight until defeating Maryland last week. “I’ll take one for the team if it keeps somebody else healthy.”

N.C. State (4-5, 1-4 ACC) has suffered injury woes throughout O’Brien’s tenure.

By comparison, Clemson’s lost only one player this season to season-ending injury — reserve tackle J.K. Jay, who Swinney said this week will undergo a second surgery on his back.

Injuries explain in part why N.C. State is allowing 41.4 points per game in conference play. N.C. State’s secondary has featured seven different starting lineups this season, and the Wolfpack lost star linebacker Nate Irving before the season.

It should bode well for the Tigers, who have scored at least 38 points in four straight games.

Are injuries simply luck, or the residue of design?

After injuries along the offensive front and Ricky Sapp’s season-ending ACL injury last season, Clemson made several strength and conditioning changes.

Batson said the team switched to an NFL-style conditioning regimen, the same used at Texas — where the staff visited this spring — and at Southern Cal.

Batson contacts the top five- to eight-ranked programs each offseason for insight.

Instead of conditioning after practice as Clemson did under Tommy Bowden, Clemson now incorporates conditioning earlier in practice or skips the exercise.

“If you have 30 periods, by the 25th period, if they know they are going to condition afterwards they, are going to put the governor on,” Batson said.

“Plus, if your starters have been (practicing) hard for two-and-half hours, you’re going to destroy them with (post-practice conditioning), which should really be reserved for second, and third-team players.”

The other change under Swinney has been the addition of a nutrition czar Loreto Jackson, and Batson notes the Tigers’ depth has also helped keep the Tigers’ starters fresh and reduce injury chances.

“Ones are ones for a reason,” Batson said.

Just ask N.C. State.

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