RALEIGH, N.C. — If you like PlayStation football then you loved Clemson’s 56-41 victory over NC State on Saturday at Carter-Finely Stadium.

Coming into the game all the talk was about NC State’s and Clemson’s top four defenses, but Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and NC State quarterback Jacoby Brissett combined for 689 yards and eight touchdowns.

The two offenses combined to total 1,012 yards and 12 touchdowns in all. There was also a 100-yard kickoff return from NC State freshman Nyheim Hines.

“That’s the kind of game I thought it was going to be, and unfortunately it came to fruition,” Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “The big plays that we gave up were killers.”

But Watson and the offense saved the day.

Watson threw for 383 yards on 23 of 30 passing, and rushed for another 54, while totaling six touchdowns altogether. The Clemson quarterback brought back memories of Woodrow Dantzler’s one-time performance when he totaled 517 yards and six total touchdowns in a 45-37 victory on this same field in 2001.

Watson finished the day 437 total yards.

This year game also resembled Tajh Boyd’s and Mike Glennon’s shutout in 2012, which was played in Death Valley. Clemson also won that game, 62-48. Boyd had eight total touchdowns that day, while Glennon threw five.

“I thought NC State made a lot of excellent plays and I have a lot of respect for their quarterback,” Venables said.

The Tigers (8-0, 5-0 ACC) came into the game ranked fourth nationally in total defense at 262.3 yards per game. They were allowing just 16.7 points. NC State, who was third in the nation, was allowing 251.1 yards and 16.1 points per game.

Watson threw touchdown passes of 57, 42, 40, 35 and 36 yards, while also rushing for a 24-yard touchdown in the win. Clemson running back Wayne Gallman also rushed for 172 yards for Clemson and on scored on a three-yard run.

Brissett had scoring passes of 40, 14 and 28 yards. He also ran 13-yards for a touchdown, which started the game’s scoring. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound quarterback finished the game 24 of 51 for 254 yards.

“(NC State) is a well coached football team and I can’t say enough good things about them, how they played and how they competed,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “We had to withstand a whole lot in this ballgame tonight.”

The first half was definitely full of a lot of tricks and treats. Third-ranked Clemson and NC State combined for 29 first-quarter points. The Tigers lead 26-20 at the break.

The Wolfpack opened up the game with a 75-yard scoring drive, which Brissett capped with a 13-yard touchdown on third down.

It did not take long for Watson and Clemson to answer the Brissett touchdown. The Tigers’ quarterback went 24 yards on a quarterback draw, which was sprung by a Joe Gore block and finished by a Charone Peake block near the goal line.

It took just one play for State to get back in front as Hines returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a 13-7 lead. That came with 11:04 to play in the first quarter.

But Clemson needed just 25 seconds to tie the game. Watson found Hunter Renfrow wide open down the middle of the field for a 57-yard touchdown pass. Like NC State’s opening extra point, Greg Huegel PAT’s was blocked and with 10:27 to play in the first, the game was tied, 13-13.

Clemson got a Huegel 29-yard field goal with 3:39 left in the first quarter, and he then connected on a 41-yard field goal with 11:50 to play in the half for a 19-13 advantage.

But on third-and-one with under six minutes to play Brissett got Clemson peaking in the back field as he rolled to his right and then threw back to the left where running back Jaylen Samuel beat Ben Boulware to the sideline for a 40-yard touchdown pass.

After sacking Watson and forcing a three-and-out on Clemson’s next possession, the Wolfpack moved the ball deep into Tigers’ territory, but on third down Brissett’s pass to Matt Dayes went for a nine-yard loss. Kyle Bambard missed a 44-yard field goal wide left.

With 55 seconds to play in the half, Watson first hit Artavis Scott for 31 yards and then on the next played he completed the 73-yard drive with a 42-yard touchdown pass to Peake with 40 seconds left in the opening half.