NC State was shut out Saturday at Clemson, 41-0, marking the first time that the Wolfpack failed to score in a game since losing, 34-0, to Florida State on Oct. 29, 2011.
Clemson struck first, as freshman quarterback Deshaun Watson connected with sophomore wideout Mike Williams on a 56-yard touchdown pass. The pass marked the longest catch of Williams’ career.
On the Tigers’ ensuing drive, Williams topped his last performance with a diving grab in double coverage for his second touchdown. Saturday was Williams’ 20th birthday.
After forcing State to another three-and-out, Watson led a 64-yard touchdown drive, finishing it off by hurdling a Wolfpack defender and landing in the end zone.
State found itself down, 21-0, after just one quarter. The Pack managed only four yards of total offense in the first, while Clemson compiled 252.
State made its first stop of the game early in the second quarter, as Clemson missed a 48-yard field goal attempt wide left. The stop came thanks to a sack by freshman safety Josh Jones, which forced the Tigers into a third-and-22 situation.
However, the Pack gave the ball right back, as junior quarterback Jacoby Brissett fumbled after being blitzed. Clemson recovered at the State 16-yard line, and Watson danced into the end zone four plays later to extend the lead to 28.
Clemson scored again on its following drive, but the Pack managed to hold the Tigers to a 31-yard field goal. State trailed, 31-0, with 5:32 remaining in the first half.
The Pack finally put together some semblance of a drive in the waning minutes of the first half, going 29 yards and earning its first two first downs of the game. However, the team would end up punting.
With eight seconds left in the contest, the Pack elected to try for a touchdown rather than kick a field goal from the eight-yard line. Brissett’s pass fell incomplete, and State entered the locker room scoreless.
Following a Clemson field goal early in the third, graduate defensive end Vic Beasley Jr. stripped Brissett in the pocket and returned the ball 16 yards for a touchdown. Beasley’s touchdown extended the Tigers’ lead to 41-0.
On the first snap of the fourth quarter, junior running back Shadrach Thornton fumbled the ball deep in State territory, and the Tigers took possession on the 10-yard line. However, the Pack retained possession after stopping Clemson on fourth down.
In the final five minutes of play, the Pack made a final attempt to get on the board but ended up punting on fourth down. Watson took a knee to end the contest, 41-0.
