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NC State routs No. 7 Clemson

Nov 20, 2011 - 1:49 AM Raleigh, NC (Sports Network) - Mike Glennon threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns and the North Carolina State defense forced four turnovers en route to a 37-13 drubbing of No. 7 Clemson on Saturday.

James Washington rushed for 86 yards on 22 carries and Tony Creecy ran for 65 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

Tobais Palmer hauled in three passes for 82 yards and a score for the Wolfpack (6-5, 3-4 ACC), while George Bryan and Jay Smith also caught touchdown passes.

"I think they did a great job," North Carolina State head coach Tom O'Brien said of his defense. "Our defense was able to create good field position for our offense to start with, and it's a lot easier when you get some touchdowns (offensively) out of it too."

Tajh Boyd completed 21-of-34 passes for 238 yards and two interceptions and Cole Stoudt was 4-of-7 for 65 yards in relief.

Mike Bellamy scored the lone touchdown for the Tigers (9-2, 6-2), while DeAndre Hopkins caught five passes for 124 yards.

Clemson opened the scoring midway through the first quarter when Chandler Catanzaro kicked a 24-yard field goal to cap an eight-play, 32-yard drive for a 3-0 lead.

But that's all the Tigers would get for the remainder of the first half, as North Carolina State reeled off 27 straight points before the break.

The first score of the Wolfpack's offensive onslaught came with 11 1/2 minutes to go before halftime. Glennon completed four passes for 38 yards and capped the seven-play, 61-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown strike to Bryan.

On the ensuing Clemson drive, the Wolfpack defense forced a Boyd fumble and it was recovered on the six-yard line. Glennon then connected with Smith on a seven-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-3.

On the ensuing drive, Clemson turned the ball over again -- a fumble by Bellamy that cost the Tigers possession and was recovered at the 18.

On the next play, Washington rushed for 13 yards down to the Clemson five, but the Wolfpack were unable to punch the ball across the goal line and settled for a Niklas Sade 21-yard field goal to make it 17-3.

Clemson was forced to punt and T.J. Graham returned Dawson Zimmerman's 42-yard boot 34 yards down to the Clemson 11.

From there, the Wolfpack needed only two plays -- a pair of runs by Creecy for 11 yards and a touchdown -- to make it 24-3 with 4:58 remaining in the opening half.

A 32-yard field goal by Sade with five seconds to go gave NC State a comfortable 27-3 lead at the half.

Clemson moved the ball to the Wolfpack 43 on the opening possession of the second half, and was faced with a 4th-and-4. Boyd was short on the rushing attempt, turning the ball over to NC State at the 41.

The Wolfpack moved the ball down to the Clemson one, but the drive stalled and Sade was good from 21-yards out to give his team a 30-3 lead early in the third quarter.

Catanzaro connected on a 32-yard field goal on the Tigers' next drive to make it 30-6.

With just under six minutes to play in the third quarter, NC State expanded its lead to 37-6 as Glennon led a six-play, 85-yard drive and capped the march by hitting Palmer for a 43-yard touchdown strike.

Clemson finally scored its first touchdown of the game with 1:22 to go in regulation when Bellamy pushed his way across the goal line for a two-yard touchdown run to cap an eight-play, 68-yard drive to account for the final margin.

"We looked like an immature team out there tonight. That's really it in a nutshell," Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. "It's not anything more complicated than that. As I told our team, we're a family and families hurt together, they celebrate together, they grow together. That's what families do. So, that's what this team will do and we've got to re-focus on our goals."

Game Notes

Clemson holds a 51-28-1 advantage in the series, but NC State and has won each of the last eight meetings...Clemson's offense did not cross midfield in the first half...It was NC State head coach Tom O'Brien's first win over Clemson...Wolfpack cornerback David Amerson tied the ACC mark with his 11th interception of the season...The NC State defense finished with six sacks.