Shootout at Death Valley: Clemson leads N.C. State, 41-24, at half

CLEMSON, S.C. - The scoring has stopped, temporarily.

 In a spectacular offensive shootout, 11th-ranked Clemson has built a 41-24 halftime lead over N.C. State at Memorial Stadium.

 The two teams combined for 806 yards in the first half that ping-ponged back and forth with the teams trading the lead and touchdowns.

 Wolfpack quarterback Mike Glennon passed for 327 yards in the first half, completing 14 of 27 passes for three touchdowns but it wasn't enough for N.C. State.

  Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd completed 21 of 33 passes for 247 yards in the first half with 11 of the completions going to Sammy Watkins. The Tigers also rushed for 195 yards in the first half.

 It started as if Clemson was going to dominate the game as the Tigers built a 13-0 lead in the first seven minutes.

 Then the Wolfpack engaged.

 In two plays that took a combined 22 seconds, John Glennon threw touchdown passes of 77 and 49 yards to Tobias Palmer as the Wolfpack answered for a 14-13 lead. Until that point, Clemson had out-gained the Wolfpack 135 yards to three yards.

 Then the game turned into a scoring contest. The Wolfpack kept scoring, adding a touchdown pass from Glennon to Rashard Smith and a Niklas Sade field goal for a 24-13 lead early in the second quarter.

 Clemson responded with a pair of touchdowns, flipping the advantage in their favor with a 27-24 lead after a 27-yard touchdown pass from Boyd to Watkins.

-- Ron Green Jr.