 opened with seven straight wins for the third time in four seasons in topping the Wolfpack (5-1, 2-1) for the seventh consecutive season. It was the ACC's first matchup of undefeated teams this deep in a season since 2013, a game that also took place in Death Valley. But unlike five years ago when the 6-0 Tigers were pummeled by eventual national champ Florida State 51-14, it was Clemson who took control early and never gave the Wolfpack a chance to rally. North Carolina State quarterback Ryan Finley came in leading the ACC at more than 324 yards passing a game. He managed just 156 yards passing with two interceptions and a fumble. The Wolfpack avoided their first shutout in four years on Reggie Gallaspy's 9-yard TD run to start the fourth quarter. Still, it was their fewest points scored since that 41-0 loss to the Tigers in 2014. Clemson quickly took the steam out of this showdown with touchdowns on two of its first three possessions. Etienne had a 3-yard TD run to close the first one while Lawrence threw a 46-yard scoring pass to Tee Higgins to lead 14-0. The Wolfpack seemed to stabilize themselves and drove into Clemson territory looking for points when Ryan Finley bobbled a shotgun snap and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence pounced on it. Etienne closed that series, too, with a 2-yard touchdown run. Clemson piled on right before the half ended when on safety K'Von Wallace's interception and 46-yard return to the Wolfpack 4 and led to Greg Huegel's 28-yard field goal for a 24-0 lead at the half. Etienne's third-quarter touchdown run gave him an ACC-leading 14 this season. Lawrence, the 6-foot-6 freshman whose rise led last year's starter Kelly Bryant to transfer, looked smooth and polished in his third career start. He completed 26 of 39 passes and his long TD throw. The Wolfpack came in averaging 480 yards of offense a game, but were held to 297. TAKEAWAYSNorth Carolina State: The Wolfpack kept the last two games with Clemson within a touchdown because of the talent they sent to the NFL last year, particularly defensive end Bradley Chubb. This group is not yet ready to match Clemson's firepower. Clemson: The Tigers' road to a fourth straight ACC title game seems well paved and smooth with few speed bumps to negotiate. The trickiest game might be at Boston College on Nov. 10. UP NEXTNorth Carolina State closes a two-game road swing at Syracuse next SaturdayClemson heads to Florida State on Saturday. ---More college football: https://apnews. com/tag/Collegefootball and https://twitter. com/-Top25)
Oct 16, 2018Given recent history, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is taking nothing for granted when his No. 3-ranked Tigers host No. 16 N. C. State on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Despite the fact that Clemson has won six in a row against the Wolfpack and opened as a 17-point favorite, don't expect Swinney to chalk this one up in the win column until the final seconds have ticked off the clock. "It wouldn't matter if they were 6-0 or 3-3 or 1-5 -- it's Clemson vs. N. C. State and it's always a great game," Swinney said. "They always get excited to play the Tigers and we always get excited to play them. It ought to be a lot of fun. " The last few games between the teams certainly have been. Last season, Clemson rallied from a 21-17 halftime deficit and withstood a 338-yard, three-touchdown passing day by N. C. State's Ryan Finley to hold off the Wolfpack 38-31. Two years ago, N. C. State missed a 33-yard field goal at the end of regulation and the Tigers escaped with a 24-17 overtime victory en route to the national title. This season's game, which is set for a 3:30 kickoff Saturday at Clemson's Memorial Stadium, could be another classic in a series that has seen the Tigers prevail 24 times by a touchdown or less. No. 3 Clemson is 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, marking its fourth consecutive 6-0 start and sixth in the last eight years. N. C. State, which is ranked 16th, is 5-0, 2-0. Both teams are coming off open dates. "It's going to be a big game, man," Swinney said. "There are not many undefeated teams left out there and you've got two of them facing off Saturday in the valley. It'll be two teams who are passionate about winning. " The main charge for Clemson's defense, which ranks third nationally in total defense, will be containing Finley, a savvy quarterback who leads the ACC in almost all passing categories. His top two receivers -- Kelvin Harmon and Jakobi Meyers -- rank first and fifth in the league, respectively. "This quarterback is a pro -- a legit pro," Swinney said of Finley. "I don't know when he's going to be drafted, but it'll be early. "He has complete ownership of what they do. He does a great job of manipulating the defense and he knows where to go with the ball. He's a very gifted thrower, very accurate. " N. C. State's defense faces a tall task as well -- namely, slowing down a Clemson rushing attack that has exceeded expectations. Led by sophomore running back Travis Etienne, the Tigers have risen to near the top of the FBS in rushing at 280. 8 yards per game, trailing only a trio of option teams -- Georgia Tech, Army and Navy. Etienne has logged four consecutive 100-yard games and has rushed for 654 yards over that span, averaging a gaudy 10. 2 yards per carry. Backups Adam Choice and Lyn-J Dixon are both coming off 100-yard games as well at Wake Forest and Tavien Feaster -- who had an 89-yard touchdown run against N. C. State last year -- is averaging 5. 1 yards per attempt. "We know we can throw and catch," Swinney said. "But it has been a long time since we've been able to run the football like we are right now. " That hasn't gone unnoticed by N. C. State coach Dave Doeren, whose team is riding a seven-game winning streak dating back to last season. "The tailback position is really dynamic," Doeren said. "And I think Etienne is a fun guy to watch. He's fast, he gets to top speed in a hurry. He sees things well and he's definitely somebody that you've got to be really concerned about tackling, getting him on the ground. "Then the guys who come in after him all average over five yards per carry, which is impressive. " Saturday's winner would have the inside track to the ACC's Atlantic Division title and berth in the ACC Championship Game on Dec. 1. "We're excited to have that kind of opportunity in October against a really good team," Doeren said. "I have a lot of respect for Dabo, his staff, their program and what they've done for our conference. For us it's an opportunity to go play them when they're playing really good football. "
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