The Wolfpack couldn't keep up with the Tigers on Saturday, as they were defeated 43-23. The Wolfpack put up a fight early on, but they were no match for the electricity and game changing ability of CJ Spiller. Spiller was everywhere against NC State, becoming the first player in Clemson history to throw, catch, and run for a touchdown in the same game. The Clemson offense wasn't too shabby either putting up 24 points, and relying heavily on Spiller. The Pack had trouble containing the shifty playmaker, who not only rushed for 57 yards, but also threw a 12 yard touchdown and constantly gave the Tiger's great field position as NC State continuously squibbed kicks to keep them out of Spillers hands.
At the end of the half, Clemson had the 24-7 lead.
In the second half, the Wolfpack offense came out and started to show signs of life. Russell Wilson immediately led the Pack on a 75 yard scoring drive, capped off by an 8 yard TD pass to Jarvis Williams, bringing the Pack within 10, however, it wasn't long before Clemson struck back, and once again, with CJ Spiller. After NC State kicked the ball out of bounds on the ensuing kick-off, Clemson drove the short field and Spiller punched it in with an impressive 16 yard rush. The score gave CJ Clemson's all-time all-purpose yards record with 1,890 already this season.
The Pack added a field goal, but Spiller continued to pour it on, this time as a receiver. CJ came out of the backfield uncovered and caught a 34 yard touchdown down the right sideline. Clemson touched up the Pack for another score, including a 69 yard touchdown run by Jamie Harper. Mike Glennon led NC State down the field for a two yard touchdown to Jarvis Williams with three seconds on the clock, but it was much too little, much too late for the Wolfpack.
With the loss, the Wolfpack falls to 4-6 and 1-5 in the ACC. The loss also eliminates them from postseason play, giving the Pack only two games left to play in 2009. Stay tuned as we'll be updating you with player and coach postgame interviews and stats.
Box Score
*photo by John Williams
comments
9 Responses to "Clemson Crushes Pack's Postseason Dreams 43-23"Lets state the facts. I think that TOB is a great coach and the right coach to help rebuild NCSU football. However the level this team has performed at some times this year have ben ridiculous. I understand the injuries in the secondary and Nate Irving. But i dont see the passion and effort from these players as I saw at the end of last year. Lets hope they regain that playing level before this year ends and then continue it into next year.
GO PACK
That's calling a spade a spade anony. I think that our team got into the eight frame of mind way too late in the season to overcome the losses early on in the year. The defense played better today. The "fumble" took all of the wind out of the Pack at a very crucial te in the game.
Some may say that they shouldn't have been in a position for that call to mean anything. I say that the game is full of moment shifting plays, and that one killed our spirit. At the time, we were within striking distance and the defense was playing more inspired ball. They score...game over.
The injuries, the youth, the "business-like attitude" and the constant player line up shuffles make for slow starts to the past few seasons. Playing catch up all game and all season is a togh position to be in and doesn't inspire confidence in what your team is doing. I know, excuses excuses. I only bring these things up because I believe in what this coaching staf is doing. Nonetheless I am just as dissappointed in this season as anyone. The only thing left to look forward to is our Faux Bowl vs. UNC, and a nice Christmas with the family.
Such has been the bane of State Fans' existance. Just like every year, withthe clear exception of a few, there are solid reasons to believe that next year will be different. It just sucks to have to try to look that far down the road while we are still two games away from the last game of the year.
I truly feel bad for the guys that will be graduating or exhausting their eligability. Most, if not all of those guys came to Raleigh with dreams that will never be realized. They were lucky to go to the bowl last year, and even then, guys like Baker and Bowens didn't even get to participate in that experience. They MAY get another chance, I know. But the point remains the same. These Seniors gave their blood sweat and tears to this University. I am proud of them. They have laid a foundation that can be built upon. Thanks fellas.
Go Pack...
I watch all the games in person and try to sleep on it- watch a little replay- what have you, before I go too bonkers after a loss.
All I know for sure is that the Clemp team we got was the best they got. For the first half we gave the worst we had - a la USC or Pitt.
But we came out second half and did exactly what Clemp's little Gym Coach looking HC said they couldn't let happen.
"Don't let State back in this, letting them march down the field after KO"
Well, we did it Dabo- then I knew we were back in this one and felt pretty sure it would come down to the last drive an all...until....
drum roll......
WTF with that not being called a fumble?! Please in all holy kingdom of Carter-Finley , please, please tell me why there is such a thing called instant replay for it to be used that way?
Dude, Spiller, fumbled bad, fumbled easy to see by the naked eye- with no trick angles needed- he knew it was a fumble and tried helping the team rush to the line to snap it and had "the I fumbled it, please don't let that cost me the Heisman" look on his face through out....!!!
10 minutes it took them to review to see he didn't fumble it. 10 minutes.
There are really only two good reasons to take 10 minutes to review an obvious call like that. To overturn it you have to make sure you get the new spot of the ball right, where the fumble was recovered and play was dead.
I was %100 certain that while this review delay was going on that this was the chatter being worked out by the upstairs and downstairs officials.
The other alternative is pretty simple. We stop them there, march right back down and score another TD on then- 3 point game, in Carter-Finley with all the momentum. Some swiney who works for Swofford had just enough time to get the message to the upstairs official that in no way is Boston College to be ever be allowed in another Conference Championship game- making blimp shots of the title game looking like a pee wee tackle league game.
I'm pissed off as anyone State fan in how we lacked in execution today but the effort was there and that was the strangest-BLOWN- replay I've ever encountered.
BTW- I did watch the replay at home of Raycom- they also were left wondering- what just happened with that whole blown call at just the right moment thing. Just plain disgusting was how that played out.
First of all special teams: Jeff Ruiz is not even a semi-decent college punter. he should not have been our starter at all this season. it should have been Chris Ward but its too late in the season to justify burning his redshirt. i really think obrien gave him the starting job because hes been here so long after transferring in and not getting an pt.
second: our receivers make me want to never watch another game ever. No heart. Im actually glad that i didnt have to watch tj graham for the rest of the season because i am sick and tired of watching him give up on passes and not finish routes. but i still have high hopes for this group. talent is not the problem here.
third: defence. the d-line isnt really a problem. the linebackers really arent either except when audi cole has to go into pass coverage. the guy is just too slow but other than that im satisfied with our lb's. they were delt a tough hand with irving getting hurt. and that brings me to the secondary. injuries and transfers have hurt pretty damn bad this season but i dont have to tell anyone that there have been some serious lapses in assignments which brings me to my 4th and final point.
fourth: Coaching. Our coverages dont work- AT ALL. and it took archer half the season to figure it out. and he still often tries those stupid max cover defenses that get shredded each and every time with our young secondary. archer isnt helping his young players out at all. with blitzes and the right plays, our biggest weakness- our secondary. every team has weaknesses but teams with good coaches find ways to adapt.
What are you guys talking about us building good fundamentals and laying the foundation for a program. Fundamentals is catching the foot ball and tackling some one right, cus if so i dont see a lot of fundamentals, and how long do we have to wait till we get a half way decent team 5 years? 7 years? 10 years? Oh wait thought chuck did not leave us any good players like Russell Wilson or Toney baker or young and cash.
Sorry but this building a foundation and good fundamentals is starting to get real old.
I dont know if you guys remember after the Pitt game when TOB said that we are a bad football team, and thats just it, we are not good. We just dont have the personnel, there is not one position on the field that I would not change other than QB. Secondary is horrible, linebackers don't do a single assingment right, and I'm sorry to say that most of our problems are personnel and coaching, I have never seen worse play calling than this year. We run a two deep zone on everysingle down, we punt and kickoff out of bounds, we run on second down out of shotgun everysingle drive. It's unfair to Russell Wilson to put him in second and third and long every single drive. Our wide receivers look like middle schoolers that just got beat up at lunch. It is an easy excuse to say that the fumble would have changed the game, but lets be honest we gave up 50 to DUKE and 50 to BC. Everyone complained about how undisciplined we were under Amato, but there is nothing that has changed since then. Atleast under Amato we tried, and didnt look like little kids out there. Im a bigger wolfpack fan than most but its just hard to defend a team that looks like it hasnt played a snap together all year. If anyone wants to say that Im being to harsh, then I say to you do you think its acceptable to have the kind of talent we have and be by far the worst team in the acc and Im not talking about record.
Tackling is improving and so is the defense in general, but they still aren't that good to help us unless our offense stays on the field. Too many dropped passes, missed on 3 big plays that could have kept us in it. The unfumble and the situational change it made took the wind out of our sails.
All the seasons holds for us now is a win in the last game.
i've had the same questions since chuck's last two seasons. i still don't understand how our team can play this badly? there are some talented athletes out there, and obrien is a good coach. idk about archer, i'm not a fan. i hate bible's offense but it has somewhat worked.. there are so many questions, but the main one is how does this level of play persist in Raleigh?
i'm not a fan of our offensive or defensive approaches, no question in my mind. i have seen the missed assignments on defense, it is very obvious to anyone, so i understand when the coaches refer to this. i also question why, if we are going to give up so many pts/game, that we don't all out blitz and offset some of these points. i watched a third and long saturday and thought, man i'm glad i'm not the DC... and then cullen harper drops a pass right over our middle linebackers head?? it was so easy a freshman could do it. our offense, well, i don't brag too much about it either. sure we've got some decent statistics.. but neither side of the ball contributes to the W column enough. our offense does not work when we need it most, you know.. fourth quarter against wake with a chance to win... nope, not then. that's just one example. i just don't know what to say about our team right now???? this is not football.
...each and every game i watch, we were in all but the bc contest. duke, why we allow a concert on our brand new playing surface a week before a home game i don't understand.. result, two crazy bounces into NCSU punt returners. hmmm, wake, lets take the ball out of toney bakers hands since he's only gaining 11 or so ypc? lets not show up to the game in new england, its supposed to snow we think? ooh, fsu.. lets make their offense look the best in the acc.., oh clemson, the team that comes in our house for the past several meetings and destroys us... let em do it again, heck atleast bc won't win another division title?
with two games remaining, in blacksburg and with the tarheels?? what will be the disastrous theme? now ten games deep in the season, have we run out of boneheaded ways to lose games?
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