Clemson fell to NC State by a score of 24-17 at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday. Here are a few takeaways from the game:
Paws down: Turnovers
Once again, the Tigers found themselves plagued by the thing that has haunted them this whole year: turnovers. The team lost the turnover battle, as the Wolfpack scored 14 points off of the Tigers’ two giveaways, an effective difference-maker in the game. Unlike previous games this year, however, it was interceptions and not fumbles that were costly for Clemson.
Klubnik was picked off twice in Saturday’s game, the first being on the second Clemson drive of the game, allowing NC State to score a touchdown on its ensuing offensive drive. Klubnik’s next giveaway proved to be an even more critical play, where a deflection of Klubnik’s pass went into the hands of linebacker Payton Wilson, who took it back to the end zone for a 15-yard pick six. That giveaway gave the Wolfpack a 17-7 lead and all of the momentum.
The turnover battle has been one of the biggest problems for Clemson, losing the turnover battle against six of its eight opponents.
Paws up: Late comeback hopes
Clemson (4-4, 2-4 ACC) was down by a score of 24-7 entering the fourth quarter. By the end of it, the Tigers had the ball with a chance to tie the game before overtime.
Clemson scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, coming from a goal-line rush by Phil Mafah and a 19-yard kick from Jonathan Weitz. On the other side of the ball, the defense held the Wolfpack to punts, allowing only 14 total yards in the fourth.
It will only leave a “what could’ve been story” had the Tigers flipped the switch earlier, as they ran out of time and turned the ball over on downs in their final drive, sealing the seven-point loss.
Paws up: Red-zone success
Unlike last weekend’s loss to Miami, the Tigers made the most of all of their red-zone trips, scoring on their three drives inside the 20-yard line.
Head coach Dabo Swinney and the team were perfect in their first two attempts, with both tries ending with touchdowns from Phil Mafah. The other attempt came in the fourth quarter, where the Tigers were unable to finish the drive in the end zone but ended up settling for a field goal.
It’s a full flip from previous weeks, including last week at Miami, when Clemson had struggled in the red zone, and potentially an optimistic sign for the final four games of the season.
Paws down: Nightmare season continues
The worst of the worst has occurred for Clemson this season, who dropped another game against an ACC opponent to finish their road campaign in the conference. With Saturday’s loss, the team has lost back-to-back games for the first time since 2011. Clemson also entered a new low in terms of record, with its 2-4 in-conference record this late in the season being the program’s worst since 1998.
The Tigers have the capability of dropping more games as well, with plenty of strong opponents that could give the team more trouble. Clemson will be back in action against a highly-ranked and tough Notre Dame team this upcoming weekend. With other games such as Georgia Tech, North Carolina and South Carolina left on the schedule, the Tigers will need to flip a switch or pay the price.
