Clemson Football: 3 takeaways from win over NC State in Week 10

Carter-Finley Stadium was a rough place for Clemson football to play in Week 10, but the NC State Wolfpack put up a good fight in a 38-31 loss.

No. 4 Clemson football needed a big win over the No. 20 ranked NC State Wolfpack to cement itself as a true College Football Playoff contender and clear favorite to win the ACC. The Tigers would given a ton of respect from the Playoff Selection Committee (and with good reason) after making two consecutive National Championship Games and winning the last one.

The defending National Champions were coming off a big win over the triple-option attack of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets by a 14-point margin in Week 10. Meanwhile, NC State had a tough loss at the hands of the No. 3 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Clemson struggled to get any form of consistent momentum going until late in the third quarter thanks to a stiff Wolfpack defense. NC State adjusted well after the loss to Notre Dame and shut down the Clemson ground game most of the way. Yet, it was not enough to prevent the Tigers from doing what they do and winning.

Quarterback Kelly Bryant looks to be healthy and back in solid form as Clemson’s offense had a huge effort in the second half to seal the victory. In a hostile environment in Raleigh, it could have been easy to fold and get upset by a formidable opponent.

Head coach Dabo Swinney knows what needed to be done to get things rolling the right direction again for the Tigers. The upset loss to the Syracuse Orange was a huge setback for this squad, but the response was big.

In a week filled with exciting action, this matchup did not disappoint. The ACC has been overshadowed by the SEC this year with how good the Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide have been. Don’t take your eyes off Clemson, though.

Now, let’s take a look at three takeaways from Clemson’s win over NC State in Week 10.