Tigers tame upstart Wolfpack
Uiagalelei runs for two scores and throws for one as Clemson handles latest challenge in its division.
NO. 5 CLEMSON 30 NO. 10 N.C. STATE 20
CLEMSON, S.C. — DJ Uiagalelei played as well as he has all season to power No. 5 Clemson’s offense. The Tigers’ defense finally looked like the stellar group it was projected to be.
The result was Clemson’s most complete game of the season: a 30-20 win over No. 10 North Carolina State on Saturday.
“That was a great thing to see on both sides of the ball,” fifthyear defensive end K.J. Henry said.
Uiagalelei ran for two touchdowns and threw for a third as Clemson beat the Wolfpack for the ninth time in 10 seasons.
The Tigers (5-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their ACC-record-tying 37th in a row at home, their 11th in a row overall and have a clear path back to the league title game they won annually from 2015 through 2020.
Clemson followed its 51-45 overtime win at No. 22 Wake Forest last week by shutting down N.C. State in the second half to hold division tiebreakers over the teams many figured would be the most likely to knock the Tigers out of title contention for a second straight year. Instead, Clemson once more looked like the class of the league.
“We did a great job in execution, a great job taking what the defense gave us,” Uiagalelei said.
It was Uiagalelei front and center at the game’s most critical stretch.
After N.C. State quarterback Devin Leary connected with Cedd Seabrough on the game’s first touchdown for a 10-6 lead less than two minutes before halftime, Uiagalelei led a 75-yard drive he ended by stretching the ball over the goal line to send Clemson into the break ahead instead of behind.
When Clemson stuffed Leary with a pair of sacks to start the third quarter, Uiagalelei cashed in again with a seven-yard pass to tight end Jake Briningstool for a 20-10 lead.
“DJ was in total command of what we were doing,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.
Clemson’s defense did the rest, holding the potent Wolfpack (4-1, 0-1) to a field goal over the first 29 minutes of the second half in building a 17-point lead. The Tigers also picked off Leary and recovered a fumble when N.C. State went for it on fourth and 13 down 10 with less than nine minutes left.