1 week Ago
CLEMSON — Clemson's offense is doing its work early and often. A week after pouring 56 first-half points on App State , the Tigers throttled N.C.
State, 59-35, on Sept. 21 at Memorial Stadium. Clemson opened ACC play with 45 points in two quarters, leading by 38 at half.
The No. 21 Tigers (2-1, 1-0 ACC) scored touchdowns on all eight of its first-half possessions against the Mountaineers. The Tigers crossed the goal line in six of their first seven possessions versus the Wolfpack (2-2, 0-1).
The inconsistencies of seasons past, and a lack of explosiveness, was quickly left to the side as Cade Klubnik opened with a 55-yard touchdown run. On the very next possession, he whipped a 31-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Williams . Phil Mafah ripped off 38-yard touchdown rush to push the lead to 28-0 in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, an N.C. State offense let by a true freshman quarterback, C.
J. Bailey , punted and then fumbled twice to open open the game. The Wolfpack were able to muster a 71-yard touchdown drive to cut it to 28-7, but that did nothing to stave the Tigers' momentum.
The yardage spread grew exponentially. By halftime, Clemson had outgained N.C.
State, 408-164. The rushing advantage was 228-29. By game's end, the Tigers had totaled 524 yards, including 270 rushing.
Klubnik finished 16-of-24 passing for 209 yards and was pulled in the third quarter. He's thrown eight touchdowns and no interceptions in his last two games. It appears Garrett Riley's "Dirt Raid" scheme is finally rolling after scoring just under 30 points per game in 2023.
Today's Top Headlines Story continues below How did 14 of the world’s deadliest snakes end up in a South Carolina neighborhood? North Myrtle Beach's Alligator Adventure offers $6.25M to settle lawsuit over tourist's death South Carolina's Freddie Owens killed by lethal injection, first execution in 13 years Columbia attorney who stole half a million from clients for a gambling addiction has been disbarred Adrift in the ocean for 7 hours, man's rescue leads to search for stranded wife Invasive animals plague South Carolina. Here are the worst you've probably seen.
Commentary: I'm tired of being called a book banner — and of our loss of common sense Freddie Eugene Owens executed by lethal injection in South Carolina How a Beaufort family found a genie lamp in Spartanburg with wishes worth up to $1.2M Downtown Greenville brewery announces closure, its new restaurant looks for a home Aside from a couple of injury notes, this game didn't create much concern for Clemson, if any. Freshman receiver Bryant Wesco Jr.
, who broke out with 130 yards in the App State game, only had one catch for minus-1 yard against N.C. State.
Wesco's playing time was limited after getting nicked up early in the game. Clemson was also without defensive lineman Peter Woods, receiver Tyler Brown, and offensive lineman Collin Sadler due to injuries, but sitting the trio proved to be a wise decision. The Tigers had their backups in for most of third and fourth quarters, which allowed the Wolfpack to add four second-half touchdown drives.
But, as coaches will say, it's hard to hold such a wide lead for an entire game. Clemson only had two sacks through two games, but that was somewhat beyond the Tigers' control. Quarterbacks were, according to defensive coordinator, averaging just over two seconds from snap to throw.
Bailey, however, found himself holding the ball on a second-and-5 throw in the first quarter, and Clemson defensive end T.J. Parker was able to close the distance for a blind-side sack.
Plus a fumble. That meant the Tigers only had to travel 18 yards to take a 21-0 lead, turning a great start into a back-breaking one. Clemson has a chance to create some momentum at home with Stanford paying a visit to Death Valley on Sept.
28. The Cardinal (2-1, 1-0) just picked up a nice win, 26-24, at Syracuse. Their lone loss, to TCU, came by three points.
Stanford, a new ACC member, hasn't won more than four games since 2018, so it would be a monumental upset if the Tigers dropped their first home matchup with the Cardinal. But Clemson can't skip ahead to a Oct. 5 road trip to Florida State, so all attention must be paid.
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