CLEMSON, SC – This one was supposed to be different. At least, that’s what NC State has been saying in the weeks and months leading up to its annual showdown against Clemson.

In at least one way, it was different.

For the first time in school history, the Wolfpack were playing in a game in which both teams were ranked among the top 10 in the nation. And in a rare show of charity, Atlantic Division nemesis Clemson left the door open for State to do something it hasn’t done since 2002.

Win at Death Valley.

In the end, though, the result turned out to be a painfully familiar one for coach Dave Doeren, his 10th-ranked team and its legion of long-suffering fans.

Despite all the talk, the high hopes and even some uncharacteristic breaks, State still couldn’t overcome its own history or the No. 5 Tigers.

Clemson’s 30-20 win on Saturday night was its 9th straight against its Atlantic Division rival at Death Valley dating to 2002 and avenged a double-overtime loss that all but ended the Tigers’ ACC championship hopes a year ago.

While this result will almost certainly have a similar effect on State’s chances of ending its 43-year conference title drought this year, that’s not the only reason the Wolfpack walked off the field – as quarterback Devin Leary described it – “a little bit heartbroken, a little bit pissed off.”

This was State’s moment.

It was the opportunity to finally prove that it wasn’t just ready to play with the big boys, but that it was actually ready to become one of the big boys. If it wasn’t the biggest game in program history, then it was certainly the most important of the Doeren era.

And yet, instead of rising to the occasion, the Wolfpack came up short.

Again.

“It was a big missed opportunity for us, we realize that,” said senior linebacker Isaiah Moore, one of several defensive stars that did all they could to keep the game within reach. “This one hurts.”

The most difficult aspect of the loss was that thanks to some uncharacteristic mistakes by the Tigers – including a rare missed field goal by the usually automatic BT Potter and a key targeting penalty that extended a scoring drive, leaving Clemson’s already depleted secondary without safety Andrew Mukaba – the game was actually there for the taking.

The Wolfpack led 10-6 after Leary hit tight end Cedric Seabrough with a short touchdown pass with just under 2 minutes remaining in the half. But they immediately gave both the lead and the momentum back by allowing Clemson to power right back down the field for a quick answer.

State was never the same from that point on.

For the majority of the second half, its offense looked a lot like those fans at Carter-Finley Stadium who leave at halftime to go tailgate in the parking lot and never return. Of the 156 yards it gained over the final two periods, 75 came on the final drive that produced a window-dressing touchdown long after the issue had been settled.

“We had very high expectations going into this game and we thought we prepared well. But we didn’t execute well,” said Leary, who completed 28-of-47 passes for 245 yards, a touchdown and a pivotal interception that bounced off the hands of tight end Chris Toudle into the arms of Clemson’s Toriano Pride Jr. “We didn’t play to our best ability.”

The Tigers had a little something to do with that. Coach Dabo Swinney’s defense looked much more like the elite unit it was hyped to be coming into the season a week after giving up 45 points and escaping in double overtime at Wake Forest, .

It was also able to exploit some of the flaws State has managed to hide since nearly losing its season-opener at East Carolina.

Most glaring was its receivers’ inability to create enough separation to take advantage of Clemson’s suspect secondary the way the Deacons did a week ago. Other than a 32-yard strike to Devin Carter that led to a first quarter field goal, the Wolfpack did little to no damage downfield.

They also didn’t protect Leary well or run the ball effectively, gaining only 34 net yards on 21 carries.

“You don’t have to be perfect, but you’ve got to play the defenses and offenses, execute, make your layups and not turn the football over,” Doeren said afterward. “We didn’t do that. … I think we’re a really good football team. They were better than us today. That’s where we’re at.”

It’s an all-too-familiar place for the Wolfpack.

Heartbroken and pissed off.

They weren’t good on Saturday. But more than that, as is usually the case in big spots such as this, they just weren’t good enough.