WRAL Sports Fan

Final Score: (11) Clemson 62, North Carolina State 48

Clemson, SC (Sports Network) - It was a game of runs in the opening 30 minutes and then Clemson seized control.

Tajh Boyd accounted for an ACC record eight touchdowns, five through the air and three on the ground, in No. 11 Clemson's 62-48 shootout win over North Carolina State.

Boyd threw for 426 yards on 30-of-44 efficiency with two interceptions and added 103 yards on the ground for the Tigers (10-1, 7-1 ACC), whose 754 total yards were two away from a school record.

The junior signal caller broke his own single-season touchdown record of 38 established last year. Boyd now has 41 scores on the campaign.

Clemson finished ACC play tied with Florida State atop the ACC Atlantic Division, but the Seminoles earned the trip to the conference title game with their win over the Tigers earlier in the year.

The Tigers, though, with a win next week against South Carolina, could put themselves in prime position for a potential BCS bowl bid.

"Beat South Carolina. We have not defeated them in three years," Boyd said. "It is one of those deals where it has to happen. We just want to be the best team possible. Right now, the best situation we can be in is to be 11-1."

Mike Glennon completed 29-of-53 passes for a career-high 493 yards with five touchdowns and an interception for NC State (6-5, 3-4), which has dropped three of its last four contests.

"That's a really good offensive football team; not a good matchup for us," NC State head coach Tom O'Brien said. "But we left too many points on the board, way too many opportunities to score."

Tobais Palmer registered 496 all-purpose yards, 219 of them receiving with three scores on seven catches, the second most in FBS history in defeat.

Unlike last season's showdown, when the Wolfpack tallied 27 unanswered points in the first half en route to a 37-13 victory, Clemson was able to withstand the visitors' surge this time around.

The NC State setback a year ago was part of a late season swoon for the Tigers, who ended the campaign with losses in three of their final four games -- including their Orange Bowl loss to West Virginia.

The Tigers jumped out to a quick lead midway through the first quarter. A pair of Chandler Catanzaro field goals, 46 and 43 yards, respectively, sandwiched around a Boyd 4-yard TD run gave the hosts a 13-0 advantage.

Glennon and NC State, though, countered with 24 unanswered points, 21 of which came on three touchdown passes to conclude the first quarter

Two of those came on the Wolfpack's ensuing offensive snaps.

The senior Glennon hooked up with Palmer for scores of 77 and 49 yards before Glennon connected with Rashard Smith for an 18-yard touchdown and a 21-13 Wolfpack edge late in the opening frame.

Niklas Sade booted and 32-yard field goal through the uprights to make it 24-13.

The pendulum quickly swung in Clemson's favor as it tallied the half's final 28 points and the next 42 overall.

Boyd threw for the next three scores and ran for the final one to cap the first half.

He flipped a 7-yard TD pass to Brandon Ford and then hit Sammy Watkins for a 27-yard score -- Boyd connected with Ford for the ensuing two-point conversion.

Boyd lofted a 62-yard pass to DeAndre Hopkins, who galloped wide-open down the right sideline after he blew by his defender with a hitch-and-go route, for the third score and scampered in from nine yards out to make it 41-24 with 1:14 to go until the break.

Boyd fired a 40-yard touchdown pass to Martavis Bryant for the second half's first points, and after Glennon's pass on 4th-and-3 near midfield was batted down, Boyd ran in for another 9-yard score and a 55-24 Tigers margin with 4:13 to go in the third.

The Wolfpack recorded the next two touchdowns, again on consecutive offensive snaps.

Palmer took a kickoff down the left sideline for 81 yards before Shadrach Thornton scampered in from 16 yards out on the next play. After Boyd was intercepted by Earl Wolff, Glennon found Mario Carter for a 6-yard touchdown and a 55-38 game.

Boyd hit Ford for a 69-yard touchdown on the third play of the Tigers' next series before the Wolfpack answered with a Glennon to Palmer 29-yard touchdown connection and a Sade 40-yard field goal midway through the fourth to cut the deficit to 62-48.

But Clemson ran the final 7:35 off the clock to seal the win.

"I'm very proud of everyone for handling adversity and finding a way to win," Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said.

Game Notes

Watkins finished with 110 yards receiving on 11 receptions, while Ford caught five balls for 101 yards ... Andre Ellington ran for 124 yards for Clemson ... Thornton had 114 yards on the ground for the Wolfpack.