NC State falls 30-20 in ACC football showdown as Clemson extends home winning streak
Clemson’s home winning streak will come to an end one day, but that day wasn’t Saturday against N.C. State.
The Tigers, ranked fifth nationally, played like the nation’s fifth-best team against the No. 10 Wolfpack, punching out a 30-20 victory at Memorial Stadium.
The Pack’s chances of winning the Atlantic Division — and a shot at an ACC title — took a big body blow with the loss in its ACC opener. There’s still much football to be played, but the Tigers are 5-0 overall and 3-0 in ACC games after their 37th consecutive win in Death Valley, the longest streak in the country, and their 11th overall victory.
“Winning here, the last 36 teams that have tried didn’t get it done,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said. “And we would have had to play better than we did tonight.
“It was a hard-fought game and Clemson outplayed us. We didn’t play our best. I think we’re a really good football team. They were better than us today.”
Doeren had talked about it being another opportunity for his program to gain more respect nationally. He has challenged his team this season, telling his players if they wanted to be the best they had to play like it.
But Clemson was the best team Saturday. Tigers quarterback DJ Uiagalelei didn’t fling five TD passes as he did a week ago in the thriller against Wake Forest, but he outshone the Pack’s Devin Leary, breaking off timely runs and making enough big throws, although he also missed a few passes that caused some groans among the Clemson faithful.
Uiagalelei ran for two TDs and passed for a third, passing for 209 yards and rushing for 73. This night, that was enough production from the big QB.
“He’s a very talented player,” Wolfpack linebacker Isaiah Moore said after the game. “We knew he could hurt us with his legs and he got away from us a couple of times. Overall I feel like we did a decent job against him but not good enough.”
Leary, pressured much of the night by Clemson’s defensive front, was 28 of 47 for 245 yards and a TD. Leary scored the Pack’s final TD in the final seconds.
“Any game that you lose is a missed opportunity,” Leary said. “We know we can display a lot better football.”
The Tigers, beaten by the Pack in Raleigh a year ago, just seemed to have that extra spark. It was evident in the way running back Will Shipley barreled into the Wolfpack defense, fighting for extra yardage. It was evident in the way the Clemson defense smothered the Pack’s attempts at establishing a running game.
This might have been the biggest stage in the Pack’s football history — the first time N.C. State has been in a game of top-10 teams. Death Valley was loud well before the game and stayed that way. ABC showed the game to a national audience — truly the bright lights.
Like many games, especially between good teams, there were near-misses that might have swung momentum. There were penalties called that displeased either Doeren or the Tigers’ Dabo Swinney, who once hurled off his handle and charged onto the field to scream at the officials — after a Clemson score.
Wolfpack defenders twice had their hands on passes but couldn’t hold on for interceptions. Either would have been big for the Pack, especially when cornerback Aydan White had an open field in front of him.
Wolfpack receiver Thayer Thomas would be his team’s best player, the slot receiver making some tough catches and battling to the end. Thomas had a game-high nine receptions for 84 yards.
In a hard-fought first half, the Pack took a 10-6 lead 1:51 before halftime. Leary popped a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cedd Seabrough and Memorial Stadium was as quiet as it would be all night.
The Pack seemingly had the game where it wanted it. But not for long.
The Tigers took advantage of some soft secondary coverage by the Wolfpack defense to quickly zip 75 yards and reclaim the lead before halftime.
Uiagalelei and Shipley teamed up on a 26-yard completion down the left sideline, Shipley nearly scoring as he lunged for the goal line as the stadium thundered.
Shipley was ruled down at the 1, but Uiagalelei ran in for the score on the next play and the Tigers had beaten the clock and taken the lead for good.
“I feel we gave them a touchdown going into the half,” Doeren said.
This story was originally published October 1, 2022 at 11:25 PM with the headline "NC State falls 30-20 in ACC football showdown as Clemson extends home winning streak."
