NC State-Clemson 2016 was an overtime classic, but the Tigers stayed perfect

Clemson simply couldn’t get out of its own way on offense Saturday, and in the end it doesn’t matter. The Tigers won 24-17 at home to NC State. The Wolfpack had a chance to knock off a top-three team on the road for the first time since 1967 but this walk-off interception by Marcus Edmond saved the day.

The Tigers struggled most of the afternoon after their high-powered offense looked like it had gotten on the right track. After beating Louisville, Clemson put the hammer down on Boston College scoring 52 points, but NC State didn’t prove to be some pushover. The Wolfpack had only allowed 4.47 yards-per-play coming into the game and only one opponent has scored more than 22 points on them all season.

On the game’s first series, running back Wayne Gallman was knocked out of the game with a head injury, but returned in street clothes for the OT coin toss.

They racked up 495 total yards, but turnovers really put the game in jeopardy for the Tigers. Clemson gave the ball away a total of four times, including one stretch in which they went pick-six, fumble, fumble on three straight drives to open the second half.

NC State couldn’t exactly take control of the game, unable to convert on any of Clemson’s three fumbles.

It wasn’t until the game’s final drive when the Wolfpack asserted themselves on offense, bleeding the clock down on a 14-play, 59-yard drive spanning over six minutes to setup the game-winning 33-yard field goal as time expired. Then NC State missed it.

They had three missed field goals, including the big miss and this one-man wreck job by Clemson’s Christian Wilkins. Special teams weren’t special for the Wolfpack on this day, and because of it a signature win slips out of the grasp of head coach Dave Doeren.