Misery in Raleigh: Clemson offense fails to deliver in double OT loss to Pack

Clemson lost 27-21 in Raleigh Saturday.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Sep 25 19:39:09 GMT-05:00 2021

RALEIGH, NC – NC State fans rushed the field and they danced. They sang. They jumped. They celebrated, all in the aftermath of the Wolfpack slaying a longtime dragon with a 27-21 victory over No. 9 Clemson in two overtimes at Carter-Finley Stadium Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers had the ball first in overtime, and two DJ Uiagalelei runs gained 13 yards and a first down at the Wolfpack 12. Three plays later, Uiagalelei hit Ross streaking across the middle of the endzone for a touchdown and a 21-14 lead.

It took the Wolfpack eight plays, but they pushed across a touchdown on a two-yard pass from Devin Leary to Thayer Thomas, tying the game at 21-21 and forcing a second overtime.

It took NC State just two plays to score another touchdown, with Leary throwing a strike into the corner and hitting Devin Carter from 22 yards out for the score. By rule, teams have to attempt a 2-point conversion, but Leary’s pass sailed out of bounds and NC State led 27-21.

A throw to Ross in the endzone failed to connect, and then Kobe Pace reeled off a 5-yard run. Another pass into the endzone was incomplete and Clemson faced a 4th-and-5 at the State 20. Another low percentage pass to the corner was attempted and it fell incomplete as State fans rushed the field and Wolfpack players taunted the Clemson sideline.

Clemson had won eight in a row in the series.

Clemson falls to 2-2 with the loss and now faces a litany of questions heading into a battle with 4-0 Boston College next week. Clemson’s offense managed just 214 yards in four quarters and two overtimes, and 160 of those yards came on two scoring drives. The Wolfpack ran a staggering 96 plays while Clemson ran just 49. The Tigers also lost linebacker James Skalski, defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, and running back Will Shipley to injuries in the contest.

Uiagalelei was 12-for-26 for just 111 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception. He did have 63 yards on nine carries. Ross had seven catches for 77 yards.

Head coach Dabo Swinney said he doesn't expect his team to quit.

"We have a lot a lot of hurting kids and coaches in that locker room. Everybody hurts right now," Swinney said. "We just have to re-group, that's all I can say. Nobody quit, our kids fought to the last second. We have a physically hurt team and a mentally hurt team and staff right now. One thing I know about me and the people in that locker room is there's no quit. It's been a long time since we've been in a situation like this. We've had a lot of good around here, and there will be a lot more good to come. I love these guys and I love this team. I've got to help them be better and more disciplined. Congratulations to N.C. State on an incredibly hard-fought victory."

Swinney said he understands the offense isn't very good right now.

"Anxious to watch the tape. Obviously, we struggled in the first half and missed opportunities," he said. "We came alive late a little bit. We just didn't quite come down with it in the second overtime. We have a lot of work to do, that's just kind of where we are right now. We are not very good right now and that's why we're 2-2. It's my job to get us better."

NC State won the toss and elected to defer, but both teams were forced to punt after picking up a first down on its initial possession. Following the Wolfpack punt, the Tigers took over at their own 20 and were able to ring up the first score of the day. A 29-yard pass play from Uiagalelei to Joseph Ngata helped set up the touchdown. Facing a 2nd-and-10 at the NC State 32, Uiagalelei rolled right, planted his foot at the line of scrimmage and delivered a strike to Justyn Ross, who flashed open in the back of the end zone. With just under 10 minutes to play in the first quarter the Tigers held a 7-0 lead.

Two drives later NC State tied the score, putting together a 10-play drive that covered 54 yards and ended on a 9-yard pass from Devin Leary to Emeka Emezie. With just five seconds to play in the first quarter it was tied at 7-7.

The rest of the first half was a slog of epic proportions. Following the Clemson scoring drive, the Tigers ran 15 plays and gained just 17 yards, with an interception killing the only promising drive. Clemson finished the half with just 84 yards of total offense. Following a 4-for-7 start (with two of those incompletions drops), Uiagalelei finished the half completing just 2-of-7 passes.

NC State missed a 53-yard field goal with three seconds remaining in the half, missing out on a chance to take the lead.

Clemson’s offense continued to stumble to start the second half, and penalties and attrition began to cost the defense. With Tyler Davis out for eight weeks, Skalski on the sidelines with defensive end Justin Mascoll, the Tigers saw maybe their best player in Bresee leave the field early in the third quarter. Three penalties and a 12-yard scoring toss from Leary to Devin Carter later, the Wolfpack held a 14-7 lead with just 5:10 to play in the third quarter.

Just when it appeared the Tigers were simply going to run out the game clock without putting up much of a fight offensively, they put together a scoring drive. Following a punt by NC State, Clemson took over at its own 20. A third-down pass to Ross covered 11 yards, and Shipley followed that with a 16-yard run. Uiagalelei then escaped the pocket for a 37-yard gain to the five. Shipley carried it in the from there, and with 10:52 to play the game was tied at 14-14.

The Clemson defense dipped into its reserves to force another NC State punt, but the Clemson offense went back into its shell and threw a screen followed by an ineffective middle run followed by a desperation third-down misfire.

The punt gave the Wolfpack the ball at their own 23 with 4:53 remaining, and the Pack drove the ball methodically down the field. NC State pushed the ball inside the Clemson 30 with over a minute left to play, but head coach Dave Doeren elected to play for the field goal, even though Christopher Dunn was already responsible for two missed field goals. Dunn lined up for a 39-yarder with two seconds left to play and promptly pushed it wide left, forcing overtime.

Clemson returns home to take on Boston College next week on Homecoming. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm with an ACC Network broadcast.

Clemson-NC State box