N.C. State upsets No. 7 Clemson

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Mike Glennon threw three touchdown passes and North Carolina State shut down No. 7 Clemson's explosive offense to help the Wolfpack beat the mistake-prone Tigers, 37-13, Saturday.

Tobais Palmer had a dazzling 43-yard catch-and-run touchdown to highlight a surprisingly dominant performance by N.C. State (6-5, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference). The Wolfpack scored 27 points in the second quarter, then increased the lead and never let the Tigers (9-2, 6-2) build any momentum to rally.

Clemson was the second top 10 team to lose in less than 18 hours, following No. 2 Oklahoma State's fall from the unbeaten ranks, 37-31, late Friday night at Iowa State.

It was N.C. State's first win against a top-10 team in five seasons under Tom O'Brien, and it was a surprising outcome considering the Wolfpack needed to win the final two games just to become bowl eligible.

The loss did not cost the Tigers much; they had already wrapped up the league's Atlantic Division crown and an appearance in the ACC championship game in Charlotte on Dec. 3.

The N.C. State defense -- which had held the previous two opponents to fewer than 200 total yards -- harassed Tajh Boyd and did not allow any big plays.

The Tigers averaged a league-best 37 points and 478 yards per game, but they didn't reach the end zone until the final 90 seconds. They didn't crack the 200-yard mark until late in the third quarter and earned many of their 337 total yards in the meaningless final minutes.

They also committed four turnovers, including two second-quarter fumbles deep in their own end that led to 10 quick points and charged up the red-clad Wolfpack crowd hoping for an upset.

Clemson played without star freshman receiver Sammy Watkins because of a shoulder injury suffered last week.

N.C. State finished with 398 total yards and held the ball 13 minutes longer.-- AP