Tigers smack Pack in Death Valley domination

Clemson led 45-7 at the half and never looked back.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Saturday, September 21 2024

CLEMSON – It was a Pack smackdown in Death Valley.

No. 19 Clemson scored 28 points in a dominant first quarter and led 45-7 at halftime on the way to a dominating 59-35 victory over NC State on a hot, sun-splashed afternoon in Death Valley. The win is the 800th in Clemson football history.

Clemson is the first FBS team to score 28 points in the first quarter in back-to-back games in 20 years.

Clemson improves to 2-1 (1-0 ACC) on the season, while NC State falls to 2-2 (0-1 ACC). The Tigers host Stanford – the Cardinal won their first ACC game with a walk-off field goal at Syracuse Friday – next Saturday at 7 pm on Homecoming.

Tight end Jake Briningstool caught two passes for 29 yards, and joins Jordan Leggett (1,598 from 2013-16), John McMakin (1,255 from 1969-71), Dwayne Allen (1,079 from 2009-11) and Bennie Cunningham (1,044 from 1972-75) as the fifth tight end in school history to reach 1,000 career receiving yards.

Running back Phil Mafah eclipsed the 2000-yard mark (career) early in the game. He is the 22nd player in school history to record 2,000 career rushing yards. Mafah also rushed for 100 yards in consecutive games for the first time in his career.

Klubnik played one drive in the second half before exiting. He finished his day 16-of-24 for 209 yards and three touchdowns and added four carries for 70 yards and a score. Mafah carried the ball seven times for 107 yards.

NC State won the toss and deferred, and it didn’t take long for Klubnik and the offense to make them pay with a 55-yard touchdown run that capped off a 4-play drive for a quick 7-0 Clemson lead. Klubnik pulled a handoff to a wide receiver in motion, made one defender miss, and raced untouched into the endzone.

The 55-yard run by Klubnik was the longest by a Clemson quarterback since Trevor Lawrence’s 67-yard touchdown run against Ohio State in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl.

Clemson’s next drive covered 91 yards in just over 90 seconds. Scrambling to his right, Klubnik hit Antonio Williams for a 31-yard touchdown and a 14-0 Clemson lead.

Things didn’t get any easier for NC State quarterback CJ Bailey, making his first career start. Two plays after the score, T.J. Parker hit Bailey – who is the first freshman QB to start at Clemson for NC State since Philip Rivers in 2000 – knocking the ball loose. Cade Denhoff recovered on the 18-yard line. It took just four plays for the Klubnik–Williams connection to be true again. Clemson led 21-0 with 5:07 to play in the first quarter.

Another NC State drive, another Wolfpack turnover. This time it was Avieon Terrell who forced and recovered the fumble after stripping Pack receiver KC Concepcion. Mafah took it 38 yards to the house on the very next play for a 28-0 Clemson lead with 2:08 to play in the opening quarter.

After Clemson’s first punt of the game, NC State put together a nine-play drive that took 4:37 off the clock. Bailey found Jordan Waters all alone on the Clemson sideline for an easy five-yard pitch at catch for the Wolfpack’s first points of the game to cut the Tigers' lead to 28-7 with 7:25 to play before halftime.

Klubnik flipped the ball to Cole Turner, who raced 22 yards to the endzone to cap a five-play, 75-yard drive and a 35-7 Clemson lead with just under six minutes to play before halftime.

Jay Haynes put Clemson up 42-7 with a 19-yard touchdown run with 1:15 to play before intermission. The Pack failed to get a first down, and the Tiger used timeouts to get the ball back a final time before the half. Williams returned the punt 21 yards to the Pack 27, and Nolan Hauser kicked a 20-yard field goal as time expired in the half for a 45-7 Clemson lead. Clemson’s 45 points were the most allowed by NC State under head coach Dave Doeren at the half.

NC State reached the Clemson 45 on the first drive of the second half but turned it over on downs, and the Tigers’ first-team offense extended the lead with a seven-play, 54-yard drive that ended with Klubnik’s four-yard scoring toss to Adam Randall for a 52-7 lead.

Ashton Hampton scored on a 53-yard interception return late in the third quarter to put Clemson ahead 59-14.

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