Clemson Tigers vs North Carolina State Wolfpack Match Player Stats On Sep 19, 2013

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 19, 2013

No. 4 Clemson 26, North Carolina State 14: Tajh Boyd threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns and the visiting Tigers scored 20 consecutive points to defeat North Carolina State in the ACC opener for both teams.

Niklas Sade missed a 48-yard field goal at the start of the fourth quarter that would have cut the Tigers’ lead to 10 points, and Clemson followed by driving 68 yards in 10 plays and scored on Martavis Bryant’s 15-yard touchdown reception. Bryant caught six passes for 73 yards and two touchdowns for Clemson (3-0, 1-0 ACC), which has won nine of the last 10 games in the series.

Chandler Catanzaro hit two long field goals to give Clemson an early lead before Shadrach Thornton ran 21 yards for a score to give North Carolina State (2-1, 0-1) a brief lead with 11:03 left in the second quarter. Quarterback Pete Thomas was 20-of-36 for 213 yards and rushed for a fourth-quarter score for the Wolfpack, who were 3-of-16 on third-down conversions.

Boyd, who accounted for an ACC-record eight touchdowns in last season’s 62-48 win over the Wolfpack, put Clemson ahead 13-7 late in the first half with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Sam Cooper. Sammy Watkins caught 10 passes for 96 yards for the Tigers, who are 3-0 for the third straight season.

The Wolfpack appeared to tie the game midway through the third quarter, but Bryan Underwood’s 83-yard touchdown run was called back after officials determined that he stepped out at Clemson's 47-yard line. Clemson defensive end Vic Beasley forced Thomas to fumble three plays later, and the Tigers capitalized on Boyd’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Bryant with 5:25 left in the stanza.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Boyd moved into a tie for second place in ACC history with Florida State’s Chris Weinke with 79 career touchdown passes. … Catanzaro scored eight points on two field goals and two extra points to become Clemson’s career scoring leader. … North Carolina State coach Dave Doeren lost for the first time in 15 home games as a coach at Northern Illinois (two years) and the Wolfpack (three games).