Sometimes, it pays to win another way.

This season, Clemson has consistently won with one significant element. Defensively, the Tigers have been great. Brent Venables has earned his gaudy paycheck on a weekly basis to the point that even great offensive games are overshadowed by whatever outrageous achievement the defense earned that week.

It almost seems as if the offense and defense have an agreement. The offense reliably does whatever it wants to settle into the game, while the defense just stonewalls everyone. The plan worked to perfection for seven games.

On Saturday, the defense failed to hold up its end of the agreement. The other half of Clemson’s perfect team had to step up and lead.

Such leadership was provided by quarterback Deshaun Watson, who had one of the best games in his already-storied career in a 56-41 victory over N.C. State. His passing stat line was gaudy: 23-for-30, 383 yards, five touchdowns, no interceptions, and an insane quarterback rating of 238.9. On the ground, Watson was also impressive—he ran for 54 yards on 14 carries and had one touchdown.

That makes a total of 437 total yards on 44 plays. Watson almost averaged ten yards per play against an N.C. State defense that entered play ranked third in the country in yardage allowed.

Heading into Saturday’s game, the Wolfpack’s worst defensive performance came against Virginia Tech. The Hokies gained 358 yards on 65 plays against them back in early October.

In simple terms, Watson accounted for 79 more yards by himself than any other team has against N.C. State this season. He did it in Raleigh during Homecoming on the exact day Clemson’s combination of defense and special teams had its worst performance of the season.

Watson’s six touchdowns ran the gamut. He ran one in from 24 yards away to start the scoring. He found Hunter Renfrow on a deep post route for a 57-yard touchdown less than a minute later.

At the end of the second quarter, Watson hit Charone Peake down the right sideline and let him do the rest from 42 yards away. All three of his first half touchdowns came with Clemson behind and led to either a tie or the lead.

In the second half, Watson found Deon Cain down the sideline for a 40-yard touchdown that gave the Tigers a two-score lead. He hit Zac Brooks on a swing pass that turned into a 35-yard touchdown, and he took another deep shot to hook up with Ray Ray McCloud from 36 yards out to effectively put the game out of reach.

Of Watson’s six scores, all six featured a different person crossing the goal line with the football. The balance and precision with which he operated allowed the Tigers to keep the opposition out of sorts from start to finish.

Clemson needed another path to victory, and Deshaun Watson delivered, once again asserting his authority as the on-field leader of the Tigers’ attack.