Reed remembers wild affair between Wolfpack and Tigers last November

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon Apr 22 09:59:11 GMT-04:00 2013

The North Carolina St.-Clemson game last November 17th was a wild affair, and the Tigers’ new secondary coach held the same position with N.C. State when the teams collided last season in a game Clemson won 62-48.

Now he’s just glad to be on the side of offensive coordinator Chad MorrisChad Morris
Offensive Coordinator / QBs
View Full Profile .

The Tigers gained 754 yards, two off the school record. The teams combined for 1,351 yards and the 110 combined points were just seven off the ACC record. The Wolfpack led 24-13 early in the second quarter before Clemson scored 42 straight points. Clemson quarterback Tajh BoydTajh Boyd
RS Sr. Quarterback
#10 6-1, 225
Hampton, VA
View Full Profile was responsible for every Clemson touchdown. The junior was 30-for-44 for 426 yards and ran for 105 yards - the combined 531 yards set another school record.

Clemson ran 102 plays, the most in school history, and N.C. State's Tobias Palmer also set an ACC record with 496 all-purpose yards. He had 277 yards on kickoff returns and caught seven passes for 219 yards and three touchdowns. Mike Glennon was 29-of-53 for 493 yards and five touchdowns. Four of N.C. State's touchdown drives took just one play.

Reed said the N.C. State coaching staff watched Clemson on film and didn’t see any weaknesses.

“Game planning against Clemson – they had a guy at every position that plays at a high level,” Reed told the media late last week. “You had Nuk Hopkins, Sammy WatkinsSammy Watkins
Jr. Wide Receiver
#2 6-1, 205
Fort Myers, FL
View Full Profile , Charone PeakeCharone Peake
Jr. Wide Receiver
#19 6-3, 200
Moore, SC
View Full Profile , Tajh Boyd and Andre EllingtonAndre Ellington
Running Back
#23 5-10, 195
Moncks Corner, SC
View Full Profile . You name it, they had it. It was one of those things where there are a lot of holes, and you just try to patch them up. As a coach, you’re seeing something like that and there was no weak spot in that offense.”

Defense wasn’t a specialty on that November afternoon, and Reed said Clemson’s tempo hurt the Wolfpack defense.

“The tempo of the game is something you couldn’t simulate,” Reed said. “You can’t simulate the tempo that Clemson runs their offense at with our guys on the scout team – because we don’t do it. So it’s like, wow, they are snapping the ball and snapping the ball. They’re substituting receivers, and I’ve got defensive backs that have been in the game 30 plays straight. And I’m like, ‘Wow, play Cover 2,’ but unfortunately you can’t play the whole game Cover 2 because Coach [Chad] Morris is smart enough to say they’ll run a bunch of Cover 2 – let’s do this.”

Reed said the Tigers simply made more plays.

“I had a pretty decent secondary,” he said. “But we would make a play, and they would make two. We would make a play, and they would make three. You can’t make a mistake. We got up, and I was trying to say, ‘Run the football. Run the football.’ But we were scoring too quick and then they would score.”

Reed said that he can’t forget that game – it is replayed on the televisions outside of his office all the time.

“They still show that game around (the WestZone) often,” Reed said, “and I’m like, ‘Man, why do y’all keep showing that game.’”