Mistake-prone Tigers blow another one, lose at NC State

Clemson falls to 4-4 with the loss to NC State (Photo by Merrell Mann).

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Oct 28 17:27:49 GMT-04:00 2023

RALEIGH, NC – Clemson football continues to astound and disappoint. How bad was it? NC State fans didn’t even rush the field.

The Tigers lost yet another game as more than a one-score favorite as a 4th-quarter comeback fell short and NC State defeated Clemson 24-17 at Carter-Finley Stadium Sunday afternoon.

Two more turnovers led to two NC State touchdowns and the Tigers made enough mistakes for two games as they lost consecutive games in one season for the first time since 2011. The Tigers fall to 4-4 overall and 2-4 in the ACC, the worst start in league play since 1998. Clemson tight end Jake Briningstool tied a record for tight ends with nine receptions, tying John McMakin against FSU in 1970 and Brandon Ford against LSU in the Peach Bowl in 2012.

The Tigers took over with 4:23 to play but ran the ball five out of the first seven plays as time ran off the clock.

NC State made the most of an early opportunity. The Tiger offense struggled through the first few drives, and Klubnik overthrew tight end Jake Briningstool and the ball was intercepted by NC State’s Devan Boykin at the Pack 40. On the ensuing play, State’s Kevin Concepcion sprinted 50 yards to the Clemson 10, and three plays later caught a nine-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead.

The Pack later added a 41-yard field goal from Brayden Narveson for a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter.

The Tigers finally got on the board midway through the second quarter. The drive started with a 17-yard pass to Briningstool, and Klubnik then found Beaux Collins down the right sideline for a 28-yard gain into Pack territory. Later in the drive, Shipley took a short pass from Klubnik to the NC State one, but he was hit in the back/neck area and was forced to leave the game. He wouldn’t return.

Clemson, which has had issues on the goal line this season, put Klubnik under center and he handed it off to Phil Mafah for a one-yard scoring run. Clemson had a chance to add on late in the half, but played it safe and missed a field goal as time expired.

The teams traded punts to start the second half, and after the Pack punt Clemson took over deep in its own territory. On first down Klubnik’s pass was tipped and Pack linebacker Payton Wilson grabbed the loose pass and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown and a 17-7 NC State lead with 10:01 left in the third.

The Tigers continued to flounder on offense, and NC State made Clemson pay. With NC State facing a 3rd-and-2 at their own 28, the Tigers called a zero blitz that left corner Toriano Pride along with Concepcion. Concepcion caught the quick slant, shrugged off Pride’s tackle attempt and raced 72 yards for a touchdown and a 24-7 lead.

Clemson finally put together a scoring drive as the quarter tipped over from the third to the fourth, with Mafah once again scoring from the 1-yard line to make it 24-14 with 14:57 to play in the contest. Two drives later, the Tigers picked up a 19-yard field goal from Jonathan Weitz and trailed 24-17 with 6:57 to play.

The Tigers forced another punt and took over at their own eight with 4:23 to play. But five of the next seven plays were called runs and another pass play turned into a Klubnik run as precious seconds – and eventually minutes – bled off the clock. With no sense of urgency – or awareness – the Tigers ran out of time near midfield.

Clemson hosts Notre Dame next weekend.

Clemson-NC State box