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CLEMSON, S.C. –
Trevor Lawrence came in order to leave little doubt about the goals of the No. 3 Clemson Championship this season and his ability to take the Tigers there.
He completed both victories on Saturday in a 41-7 rout in North Carolina No. 16, helping Clemson to dominate the confrontation between the last undefeated teams of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
"We just did not want to leave the slightest doubt that the game should have gone in a certain way," Lawrence said. "It was clear that we had won the game bit."
And it was clear that Lawrence, the rookie with long arms and long hair, has the property to keep the Tigers in front.
He had a career-high 308 yards, including a 46-yard throw to Tee Higgins on his third start at college. He led three first-half races over 50 meters as the Tigers quickly took control of a tight match expected.
Travis Etienne had three touchdowns, bringing the total to 14 points this season, first place in the ACC category on the floor.
Etienne said that Clemson had been well suited to Lawrence's leadership since he had taken up his starting quarter duties. "Trevor does what he does," said Etienne. "We know what he can do and we are excited about it."
The Tigers (7-0, 4-0) led the way with seven straight wins for the third time in four seasons, overtaking Wolfpack (5-1, 2-1) for the seventh consecutive season.
It was the first time that VAC had played unbeaten teams so deeply in a season since 2013, a match also played in Death Valley. But unlike five years ago, when the Tigers 6-0 were beaten by the future Florida State National Champion 51-14, it's Clemson who took early control and did not never left at the Wolfpack
Quarterback Ryan Finley of the state of North Carolina led the ACC to over 324 yards in a game. He managed only 156 passing yards with two interceptions and one fumble.
"We have never really taken a beat," Finley said. "It hurts because we are offended by the pace, we will succeed and we will bounce back, I trust our guys."
The Wolfpack avoided their first shutout in four years on Reggie Gallaspy's 9-yard run to launch the fourth quarter. Still, it was the fewest points since the 41-0 loss to the Tigers in 2014.
Clemson quickly ended the event with touchdowns on two of his first three properties. Etienne scored a 3-yard goal on the first goal while Lawrence threw a 46-yard pass to Tee Higgins to lead 14-0.
The Wolfpack seemed to stabilize and entered Clemson's territory looking for points when Ryan Finley blew a shotgun and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence jumped on it. Etienne also closed the series with a 2-yard touchdown.
Clemson amassed a stack just before the end of halftime when KV Wallace was intercepted by security and scored 46 yards to return to Wolfpack 4.
Lawrence, whose recovery led to Kelly Bryant's transfer last year, looked smooth and polite in her third career start. He completed 26 of 39 passes and his long throw TD.
"I felt really good there," he said. "It was good for me."
The Wolfpack averaged 480 yards per game, but was limited to 297.
Takeaways
North Carolina: The Wolfpack has scored the last two games with Clemson at a touchdown, due to the talent they sent to the NFL last year, including defenseman Bradley Chubb. This group is not yet ready to match the firepower of Clemson.
Clemson: The Tigers road to a fourth consecutive title game as Atlantic Division leaders looks well prepared and smooth, with few slow-downs to negotiate. The most difficult match could be at Boston College on November 10th.
THIRD DOWN
The state of North Carolina came in at the top of the country when conversions dropped third. The Wolfpack were only 2 out of 12 in this category against Clemson. "It was a strength and it was not today," said Doeren. "For us, the pace is important and we did not have it."
LAPTOP REDUX
Last year, North Carolina state coach Dave Doeren asked the CAC to investigate a laptop on the Clemson sideline that would belong to the program's social media and communications group. was not used for football purposes. This did not stop Clemson from having an image of a laptop on one of his oversized game cards in the fourth quarter against North Carolina State.
"The ultimate troll movement," Swinney joked. "Is not that what you call it?"
FOLLOWING
The State of North Carolina closes its two-game schedule in Syracuse next Saturday
Clemson will travel to the state of Florida on Saturday.
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