CLEMSON, S.C. -- The return started with a burst of speed upfield, and Ray-Ray McCloud left three NC State tacklers in the dust. Then, he cut back between two more defenders, turned back upfield, sped past two more and cut back again before setting his sights on the end zone with a host of blockers ahead of him and nary a Wolfpack player in sight.
As he approached the goal line, a thought occurred to McCloud: Here comes the hard part.
"My focus was just crossing that line," McCloud said following the Nov. 4 game.