Tajh Boyd threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns to help No. 3 Clemson squeak by unranked North Carolina State 26-14 on Thursday night in Raleigh.
Boyd's second scoring pass, a 30-yarder to Martavis Bryant, capped a critical third-quarter sequence and blown call that negated a Wolfpack touchdown that allowed the Tigers (3-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) to seize momentum in front of a hostile crowd.
Clemson pulled away from there. Boyd found Bryant for another touchdown, with Bryant snatching the ball from defender Niles Clark for a 15-yard score that helped the Tigers blow the game open early in the fourth.
Sammy Watkins added 10 catches for 96 yards on a night when Clemson's explosive offense didn't manage many big plays yet finished with 415 yards.
Shadrach Thornton scored the Wolfpack's first touchdown on a 21-yard run in the second. N.C. State (2-1, 0-1) led 7-6 at that point but couldn't complete the upset in coach Dave Doeren's first league game.