Clemson vs. NC State: Live Score and Highlights

Clemson 56, N.C. State 41, Final

It was a wild and crazy game, but the Clemson Tigers escaped Carter-Finley Stadium with a 56-41 win over the North Carolina State Wolfpack. It was a big day for both quarterbacks, as Clemson's Deshaun Watson and N.C. State's Jacoby Brissett combined for 10 total touchdowns. 

Watson was 23-of-30 passing for 383 yards and five passing touchdowns. He also added 54 yards and a score on the ground. Brissett threw for 254 yards and three touchdowns, and he added another score on the ground. His elusiveness was on full display Saturday as he often evaded Clemson tacklers and kept plays alive. 

The first half started off with a frenzy of points, as the score was 16-13 after the first quarter. The two teams traded quarterback touchdown runs to start things off, but it was the 100-yard kickoff return by Nyheim Hines that put N.C. State up 13-7 early on. The two teams both scored touchdowns right before the half, and it was the Tigers that held the 26-20 lead at the intermission. 

Clemson jumped up by 20 points late in the third quarter, but N.C. State fought hard and never went away. The Tigers' defense was pushed to its limits today--giving up 389 yards of total offense--but it made the big plays it needed to late in the game to preserve the lead. 

N.C. State's offense gave Clemson all it wanted today, but the defense failed to come up with many stops. The Wolfpack allowed 623 yards of total offense and gave up way too many chunk plays in the second half. 

For the Wolfpack, they will travel to Boston College next Saturday as they attempt to move to 2-2 in ACC play. The Tigers have the big showdown with Florida State in a week that will likely decide the ACC Atlantic, so they have to regroup and refocus quickly.