The NC State football team endured an embarrassing 41-0 shutout from the Clemson Tigers on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium, marking the Pack’s worst loss in the Textile Bowl’s 83-game history. Nothing seemed to go right for the Wolfpack on both sides of the ball, while nothing seemed to go wrong for the talented Clemson team.
Coming off his dynamic first start against UNC-Chapel Hill, freshman quarterback Deshaun Watson showed off his arm strength in Clemson’s first drive, throwing a 56-yard pass over the heads of the Wolfpack defense to sophomore wide receiver Mike Williams for the easy first punch.
Watson scored consecutively on his second drive after throwing another touchdown pass for 31 yards to Williams, who dove between two defenders for the catch. Williams had a prolific day at receiving on his 20th birthday.
After continuous three-and-outs from the Wolfpack offense, Watson took advantage of NC State’s worn-out defense, using his legs to maneuver through gaping holes at the line of scrimmage. The freshman rushed for 34 yards in three carries in the drive, capping off the unanswered attack by hurdling over sophomore cornerback Jack Tocho for the touchdown.
“We all knew he could run the ball,” senior linebacker Rodman Noel said. “We just didn’t really play assignment football. We have people accounting for everybody, and we just didn’t make plays today.”
The NC State offense and defense had yet to make a stand, as the Pack went three-and-out on its first four series.
“Third downs in the first half were killer on both sides of the ball,” head coach Dave Doeren said. “We could never get any momentum. If you get a first down, then you can get some rhythm, but we could never get a first down.”
Clemson boasted 252 total yards in the first quarter, which modestly exceeded NC State’s four yards.
State’s offense continued its search to find a groove in the second quarter, but Clemson’s hostile defensive front complimented by its tight pass rushers left the Pack incapable of gaining 10 yards.
The majority of NC State’s plays consisted of either small gains from the team’s running backs or junior quarterback Jacoby Brissett scrambling and searching for targets but falling under pressure, either choosing to throw the ball away or take the hit.
Brissett was sacked early in the second quarter by senior safety Robert Smith and fumbled the ball, leaving Clemson in scoring position 15 yards from the end zone. Watson scored his fourth touchdown with a shifty 3-yard run into the end zone.
A field goal by junior place kicker Ammon Lakip bumped Clemson’s lead to 31-0 before the half.
NC State had a chance to put points on the board when the team was 7 yards from the end zone with eight seconds left in the second quarter. The Pack had a timeout to burn and chose to try and run a quick touchdown attempt. This failed when Brissett ran out of the pocket and threw an incomplete pass with two seconds left, which ran out the clock in the air.
The Wolfpack offensive line continually failed to keep Clemson’s defensive lineman away from the quarterback. Midway through the third quarter, graduate defensive end Vic Beasley shoved past sophomore tight end Devin O’Connor to strip the ball from Brissett in throwing motion, then proceeded to stroll 10 yards to the end zone.
Beasley’s strip-and-score left NC State players and fans dumbfounded, also serving as the general mood of the day. The Tigers proceeded to ease off the gas pedal, leaving the fourth quarter scoreless. The Wolfpack has only won one game in the teams’ past 11 meetings. Doeren is now 0-10 in the Conference.
Watson’s passing consisted of flawless decision making under center, throwing for 267 yards and two touchdowns, while Brissett completed four of his 18 passes for 35 yards.
“We’ve just got to come out and play our type of football,” Brissett said. “I need to come out and be better next game. That was probably the worst game I’ve ever played in my life.”
NC State fans should take solace in the fact that this is not the Wolfpack’s worst shutout. The loss at Clemson does not compare to the 128-0 spanking by Georgia Tech in 1918, but was only four points away to matching the Pack’s worst conference shutout in 1984, when the Pack was dealt a 45-0 beat down by Virginia.
NC State prepares to redeem itself on Saturday when taking on Boston College at 3:30 p.m. in Raleigh.
