Clemson, Deshaun Watson too much for NC State

Holding serve as a candidate for a potential playoff berth, third-ranked and undefeated Clemson beat North Carolina State 56-41 Saturday in a game notable for its big plays.

With the College Football Playoff committee scheduled to huddle on Monday and release its first rankings Tuesday, the Tigers gave them a worthy show.

Deshaun Watson passed for 383 yards and five touchdowns, rallying Clemson three times in the first half and building a 20-point lead in the second half.

Clemson trailed only three times in the first seven games, but N.C. State led 6-0, 13-6 and 20-19 before Watson passed to Charone Peake for a 42-yard touchdown with 40 seconds to play in the first half.

Though they didn’t trail again, the Tigers kept glancing over their shoulders as N.C. State ran up the most points by a Clemson opponent since last year’s 45-21 loss to Georgia.

Deciding it could beat the Wolfpack on the edge rather than up the gut, Watson spread the field in the second half.

Watson, 12-1 as a starter, ran for 54 yards and a touchdown and completed 23 of 30 passes, including touchdowns of 57 yards to Hunter Renfrow, 42 yards to Peake, 40 yards to Deon Cain, 35 yards to Zac Brooks and 36 yards to Artavis Scott.

Wayne Gallman rushed for 172 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries, his fifth game this season of at least 100 yards.

And Greg Huegel kicked field goals of 29, 41 and 22 yards, but two of his extra points were blocked.

Facing a Clemson defense that allowed more than 300 yards once this season, N.C. State totaled 388 yards – second to Notre Dame’s 432.

Clemson entered the game leading the nation in percentage of passes allowed, but quarterback Jacoby Brissett completed 24 of 41 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns.

N.C. State (5-3, 1-3 ACC) marched 75 yards on its first possession, capped by a 13-yard touchdown run by Brissett on fourth down.

The first quarter looked like a Big 12 slugfest, with the teams combining for 29 points.

Clemson retaliated 83 seconds later when Watson scored on a 24-yard draw for a 7-6 lead.

The Wolfpack countered with freshman Nyheim Hines, who returned the kickoff 100 yards for a 13-7 lead with 11:04 to play in the first quarter.

A personal foul on N.C. State’s kickoff gave Clemson the ball at the 39. On second-and-6, Watson hit Hunter Renfrow over the middle for a 57-yard touchdown. Huegel’s extra point kick was blocked and it was 13-13 with 10:27 to play.

On the next possession, B.J. Goodson popped the ball from Brissett and Ben Boulware recovered the fumble at the N.C. State 46. Huegel kicked a 29-yard field goal to make it 16-13 with 3:29 to play in the quarter.

Huegel later hit from 41 yards for a 19-13 lead with 11:50 to play in the half.

Momentum shifted briefly when Brissett threw against the grain to fullback Jaylen Samuels for a 40-yard touchdown and a 20-19 lead with 5:46 to play in the half. But the momentum expired after Kyle Bambard missed a 45-yard field with 55 seconds to play in the half.

Watson immediately hit Artavis Scott for 31 yards to the Wolfpack 42, then Peak for the touchdown. In 15 seconds the momentum swung back, and Clemson went in at half leading, 26-20.

Including the final three games last season, Clemson has won 11 straight games.

Clemson had started 8-0 four previous seasons, the last in 2011 when Clemson lost to an unranked N.C. State. The current streak of wins over the unranked hit 36 on Saturday.

TURNING POINT

Down 20-19 with 55 seconds to play in the first half, Watson completed passes of 31 yards to Artavis Scott and 42 yards to Charone Peake for a 26-20 lead with 40 seconds to play.

THREE POINTS

Star of the game: Watson accounted for five of Clemson’s six touchdowns and totaled 437 yards.

Stat of the game: Clemson totaled more than 520 yards for the fourth consecutive game.

Play of the game: After Clemson’s response to N.C. State’s opening touchdown, Hines returned the kickoff 100 yards for a short-lived 13-7 Wolfpack lead 3:56 into the game.

OBSERVATIONS

Offense adjusts: In the second half Clemson changed how it attacked the N.C. State defense, by having Watson use a pass/run option.

Chunks: Clemson’s defense had generally done well enough limiting big plays this season that it hadn’t hurt, but N.C. State popped several, including runs of 66 and 41 yards that set up touchdowns and the scoring pass to Samuels.

That wasn’t special: Counting the 100-yard kickoff return, two blocked extra points and a weak punting effort, Clemson needs work on special teams.

UP NEXT

Who: Clemson vs. Florida State

When: 3:30 p.m., Nov. 7

Where: Memorial Stadium; Clemson, SC

TV: ABC/ESPN

This story was originally published October 31, 2015 at 7:30 PM.