Cade Klubnik threw for three touchdowns and had a long scoring run as No. 21 Clemson clobbered visiting North Carolina State 59-35 in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at Clemson, S.C.
Klubnik was involved in three touchdowns in the game’s first 10 minutes, and the Tigers led 28-0 by the end of the first quarter. He finished 16-for-24 for 209 passing yards and 70 rushing yards.
Clemson (2-1), which blew out Appalachian State two weeks earlier before an off week, racked up 523 yards of offense. The Tigers held a 408-164 advantage in total yards through the first half, which ended with a 45-7 score.
By game’s end, the Tigers had 107 rushing yards and one touchdown from running back Phil Mafah. Antonio Williams caught two touchdown passes.
It wasn’t much of the first collegiate start for NC State quarterback CJ Bailey, who orchestrated a second-half comeback last Saturday against Louisiana Tech after starter Grayson McCall departed with an injury. But with the Wolfpack (2-2) in a huge early hole, Bailey was in tough spots throughout this ACC game.
Bailey finished 16-for-25 for 204 yards in the air, but the Wolfpack suffered its second lopsided loss to a ranked team in three weeks after a neutral-site setback to Tennessee.
Klubnik ran 55 yards for a touchdown on the fourth snap of the game. His first-quarter output grew with 31- and 2-yard touchdown passes to Williams.
Mafah’s 38-yard run later in the quarter pushed the Tigers to a 28-0 edge. NC State got on the board with Bailey’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Waters midway through the second quarter.
But Clemson racked up 17 points in the last six minutes of the half, with scoring runs by Cole Turner (18 yards) and Jay Haynes (19 yards) to go with Nolan Hauser’s 21-yard field goal on the final play before the break.
Kendrick Raphael, Hollywood Smothers and Demarcus Jones II all had second-half scoring runs for NC State, which hasn’t won at Clemson since 2002. Raphael rushed for 90 yards on 10 carries. Lex Thomas threw for 40 yards to Terrell Anderson for a touchdown with 5 seconds left.
