The Survivalists
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RALEIGH, N.C. -- It was thought by some that this would be a time for Clemson to cement its identity in the category of leaving no doubt.
That's what the Tigers did two other times this year on the road in big-game settings, at Louisville and at Virginia Tech.
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But this was a better team Clemson was facing, a team that had circled the calendar since the missed chip-shot field goal dealt it exquisite heartbreak last year in Death Valley.
A team that had circled Dec. 2 on the calendar as the date, Charlotte the place and the ACC championship game the event.
"We knew what we were in for," said co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott. "We knew it wasn't going to be easy."
Sometimes you're not going to stomp a mud-hole in the opposition in these types of games. Sometimes you are ecstatic to chalk it up in the category of hanging on for dear life and getting the heck out. And come to think of it, this program is pretty darned good at winning that way as well.
Clemson 38, N.C. State 31.
"We just made one more play than they did," Dabo Swinney said.
For two seasons, Clemson was almost unbeatable in close games. But the playmakers who crafted that artistry are largely gone, and so now a team led by a new cast of offensive characters has to prove its bona-fides.
OK, they're not all new. Because Hunter Renfrow has been doing this for quite a while now, and he did it yet again with his relentless fourth-down catch-and-drag to move the chains and set up a touchdown that made it 38-28.
But this offense is now led by Kelly Bryant and not Deshaun Watson. And Bryant put a major notch in his belt at a most opportune November time by rallying the offense in the second half after some sputters before halftime.
And he had help from some friends who were also on the sidelines watching Watson and Co. weave those masterpieces in 2015 and 2016. Among them: Sophomore Tavien Feaster, who exploded for an 89-yard touchdown on the final play of the third quarter to blow apart N.C. State's field-position game.
Also among them: Ray-Ray McCloud, who didn't catch a pass but who supplied a monster contribution with his 77-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter when the offense was trying to find its way.
New faces, same result and the same expected Clemson parade to the ACC title game. The Tigers are 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the ACC. They lost a close one at Syracuse but won one on this night, improving to 13-3 over the past three seasons in games decided by eight or less.
They have also won 13 of their last 14 over ranked teams, and that experience comes in great handy when your players -- even the less experienced ones -- are dipped into a highly pressurized situation.
It means fighting through a series of gut punches, and Clemson rose above a knee-buckling one late in the third quarter after it looked like Travis Etienne took an option toss in for a score from 7 yards out.
Except that Clemson was flagged for a chop block, and then it became first-and-goal from 21 yards out.
No problem: Bryant ran outside for 9, and then he hit Deon Cain on a back-shoulder throw for a 12-yard score that put Clemson up 24-21 and left this offense feeling it could do anything.
N.C. State had a similar experience on its last drive, when an illegal-motion penalty pushed it back after a pass put them inside the 5-yard line.
One team overcame that situation, the other didn't. And that's how thin the margin can be in games like this.
"There's a price for experience in these games," said Scott, whose offense had 415 yards and 224 on the ground while converting 7 of 16 third downs. "It's kind of the norm for us."
This game was in so much doubt for so long that, 20 minutes after it was over, there were long lines in the concourses filled with fans who needed to use the rest room.
It was just that kind of experience, one where you felt like you couldn't afford to take your eyes off it for even a moment.
Even when N.C. State took over at its 20 with 1:24 left and no timeouts and needing a touchdown to force overtime, no one dared look away.
And, sure enough, there the Wolfpack went -- right down the field and right toward redemption for the missed kick last year, not to mention for two years ago when they had Clemson on the ropes at Carter-Finley.
So leave it up to a defensive back to come up with the play that rescued the defense and the team. On a night when Clemson couldn't cover N.C. State's receivers to save its life for large stretches, Jaylen Samuels got behind Dorian O'Daniel right down the middle and Ryan Finley threaded a perfect pass that caught him in stride.
Except that K'Von Wallace, a sophomore safety, also caught Finley in stride. The collision dislodged the ball at the perfect time, and the ball fell harmlessly to the turf.
Wallace even closed the deal a few moments later by picking off a desperation heave by Finley on the final play.
Clemson's defense allowed 491 yards, 338 through the air, while racking up 27 first downs and allowing Finley to complete his first 15 passes.
So there wasn't much pretty about this defense's showing against a skilled, veteran Wolfpack offense -- save for Ryan Carter's interception that set up a short-field touchdown, save for getting off the field 10 times on 13 third-down conversions for N.C. State, and save for a resurgence in the third quarter.
But Brent Venables, whose defense has been sliced up twice in the past three games, wasn't about to grouse over the details.
Maybe not many style points for this defense, but most certainly championship points for this team.
The head man: "We've got a really young team, and I thought a lot of guys grew up tonight. This was an unbelievable experience for our group. Championship-type football and you've got to make critical plays in critical situations."
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