CU Medallion [18837]
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On This Date: 1989 (22)Clemson- 30 (12)NC State- 10
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Oct 21, 2024, 9:23 AM
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10/21/1989
Clemson, SC
CLEMSON GETS NASTY, PINS 1ST LOSS ON N.C. STATE
DAVID TEEL Staff Writer
Daily Press
Seventy-one points allowed in three football games might not seem too bad in an era of no-huddle, run-and-shoot, computer-designed offenses. But Clemson has different standards.
The Tigers win games with a bruising running attack and a ornery defense. After a three-week absence, that nasty defense returned Saturday as Clemson upended previously undefeated and 12th-ranked North Carolina State 30-10 at Death Valley.
The loss drops N.C. State (6-1 overall) into a first-place tie with Virginia at 4-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. At 6-2 overall, 3-2 in the conference, Clemson still has slim hopes of winning an unprecedented fourth consecutive ACC championship.
The Tigers hopes are dim because they allowed Duke, Virginia and Georgia Tech a combined 71 points in the last three weeks. That's Clemson's worst three-game defensive stretch against ACC opponents since 1980, and not surprisingly the Tigers lost two of those contests - Duke and Georgia Tech.
"The old Clemson defense showed up ready to play, and we needed them," Tigers' center Hank Phillips said. "That's the way Clemson plays football."
N.C. State entered the game ranked third nationally in turnover ratio (plus-12), but committed five against Clemson, four of which were forced by the Tigers' defense. Clemson also stopped the Wolfpack on four fourth-down attempts.
Clemson's defense tired noticeably in the second half as State went to a no-huddle offense and the Clemson offense went into a shell. The Tigers had just three first downs and 89 yards total offense in the second half, while the Wolfpack gained 265 of its 364 total yards after intermission.
"We really put the defense in a bad position in the second half," Clemson quarterback Chris Morocco said. "We had them 17-0 at half and should have stepped on them. But we kept them in it."
Clemson's halftime lead was courtesy of the defense. After the Tigers stopped the Wolfpack cold on two early possessions, strong safety James Lott returned a punt 28 yards to set up a 25-yard scoring drive. Fullback Wesley McFadden scored from nine yards out with 8:09 left in the first quarter.
Linebacker Doug Brewster intercepted Shane Montgomery's pass on the next series, and the Tigers drove 41 yards for a touchdown, which came on Joe Henderson's 11-yard run. Morocco's 17-yard pass to Chip Davis on third-and-11 during the drive was Clemson's only third-down conversion until the game's final three minutes (the Tigers finished 3-of-15 on third down).
Cornerback Dexter Davis intercepted Montgomery early in the second quarter, and the Tigers converted with a 24-yard Chris Gardocki field goal, which gave Clemson a 17-0 edge.
"We knew they'd be the best defense we'd seen," Montgomery said. "They're not real big, but they run so well, especially the linebackers."
Clemson's linebackers rarely blitz, but the Tigers' pass rush has been weak all season, and with Montgomery throwing on almost every down in the second half, a pass rush was essential. The results were mixed, especially early in the second half.
State's Damon Hartman and Clemson's Gardocki traded field goals in the third quarter to make the score 20-3. On State's next possession, tailback Aubrey Shaw was stopped on fourth-and-two from the Clemson 31 by tackle Vance Hammond.
But the Wolfpack drove 77 yards in 12 plays on its next series. Montgomery (30-for-56 for 297 yards) passed for 69 yards in the drive, and Todd Varn's 5-yard run closed the gap to 20-10.
Clemson again failed to move, and the Wolfpack drove to a first down at the Tigers' 37 before freshman free safety Robert O'Neal's ACC-leading fifth interception of the season. Tailback Tyrone Jackson was open on the play, but the blitzing Brewster was draped all over Montgomery.
"They got good pressure all day," Montgomery said. "They started blitzing a lot, and when you don't pick them up, you're not going to get into good passing routes."
Even after Montgomery's third interception, State's defense held. But on first down at the Wolfpack 18, Clemson defensive end Wayne Simmons stripped wide receiver Chris Corders after a screen pass and recovered the fumble with 9:25 remaining.
Gardocki kicked a 23-yard field goal with 7:15 left, and Clemson added a touchdown on Morocco's 4-yard pass to Stacy Fields with 30 seconds left.
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