Clemson continues to roll in the ACRL with a 60-14 defeat of North Carolina State that has all but clinched the conference for the Tigers.

After a long trip to Raleigh, NC, Clemson managed to start the game well, and worked the phases nicely to score two tries and a penalty kick in the first 15 minutes.

Clemson Coach Steve Lynch rested some starters who were nursing injuries, and relied on his depth, and it worked well. NC State showcased a solid rolling maul, and scored twice that way, but halftime adjustments moved the momentum back in Clemson’s favor. They maul defense was better and in the outer channels the Clemson defensive line came up quickly.

All of this led to a bug second half for the Tigers. Dan Collins looked impressive at flyhalf and scored two tries, while also getting the ball wide to freshman Jonah Lamothe, who had a big day and scored two tries.

Tommy Rippert was excellent in the set piece at loosehead prop. The sophomore was a handful in the breakdown and also scored a try on good support running. 

Clemson now looks ahead to a November 14 meeting with Virginia Tech, which sits at 2-0 and is the one team that could catch Clemson.