RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Trevor Lawrence threw for two scores and ran for another in a dominating first quarter for fourth-ranked Clemson, which beat NC State 55-10 on Saturday night to clinch a trip to ACC championship game.

The reigning national champion Tigers learned this week that they were on the outside looking in for the first rankings for the four-team College Football Playoff. Yet coach Dabo Swinney had said the Tigers (10-0, 7-0, No. 5 CFP) were in a ''good spot'' and needed to focus instead on finishing strong.

Starting that way was enough against the Wolfpack (4-5, 1-4) as Clemson extended its school-record winning streak to 25 games.

Travis Etienne carried the ball 14 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns. The junior star also scored on a 4-yard catch, which broke the Clemson all-time record for career touchdowns (52).

By halftime, Clemson led 42-0. That first half was highlighted by 6-foot-4, 330-pound left guard John Simpson taking a goal-line handoff and plowing in for a 1-yard touchdown. Near the end of the game, Clemson added a 1-yard scoring run with 11 seconds left before letting linebacker James Skalski unsuccessfully kick the extra point.

There weren't many positives for NC State beyond freshman Zonovan Knight's 53-yard TD run. That came early in the third quarter, long after the Wolfpack's typically rowdy fans had fled for the exits to leave the rest of the game to play out in a largely empty Carter-Finley Stadium.

UP NEXT

Clemson: The Tigers host No. 22 Wake Forest next Saturday.

NC State: Louisville visits the Wolfpack next Saturday.