The No. 3 Clemson Tigers crushed the No. 16 NC State Wolfpack 41-7 in a battle of unbeaten teams at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina, on Saturday.

Clemson improved its record to 7-0, including a 4-0 mark in conference play, while NC State is 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the ACC.

The Tigers turned in a dominant defensive performance, as they held the Wolfpack to just 297 total yards and forced three turnovers. NC State also went just 2-of-12 on third down.

Offensively, freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence was a driving force for Clemson, going 26-of-39 for 308 yards and one touchdown.

Sophomore running back Travis Etienne also continued his spectacular season, rushing for 39 yards and three touchdowns while catching one pass for 24 yards.

Senior quarterback Ryan Finley had been putting up strong numbers entering Saturday's contest, but the talented Clemson defense limited him to 156 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions on 21-of-34 passing.

While NC State was in the game for much of the first half, Clemson put it out of reach by scoring 10 points in the final 46 seconds of the second quarter to carry a commanding 24-0 lead into the locker room.

From there, the Tigers cruised to another victory.

Clemson Proves It's College Football's Most Complete Team

The Tigers excelled in all areas Saturday in what was a complete team win over an NC State side that played well to open the season.

Clelin Ferrell, Dexter Lawrence, Christian Wilkins and Austin Bryant make up perhaps the best defensive line in college football, and they made life miserable for Finley and Co.

Although defense is perhaps Clemson's biggest strength, the offense did some good things as well and showed that it can excel with a balanced game plan.

Lawrence appears to be getting more comfortable under center with each passing game, and Dan Wolken of USA Today expressed his belief that the freshman is developing into something special:

With the NC State defense focusing on stopping Etienne and the running game, Lawrence was largely responsible for helping the Tigers sustain drives.

Matt Hinton of Saturday Down South was blown away by how Lawrence was able to control the flow of the game with so little experience:

While Etienne came nowhere close to averaging over nine yards per carry like he did entering Saturday's game, he was still a key part of the offense against NC State.

Etienne showed off his versatility by succeeding in short-yardage situations and scoring three times in the contest.

Finding pay dirt is nothing new for Etienne this season, as he has now scored in seven straight games, according to Clemson Football:

Also, Mike Gillespie of ABC Columbia noted that Etienne made Clemson history with Saturday's performance:

The defensive line, Lawrence, Etienne and wideout Tee Higgins (who registered eight catches for 119 yards and one touchdown Saturday) receive most of the headlines for Clemson, but the depth throughout the Tigers roster is arguably the team's greatest trait.

Clemson senior associate director of communications Brian Hennessy pointed out how deep head coach Dabo Swinney was willing to go in terms of whom he utilized against NC State:

Few teams in college football can successfully cycle through that many players, but Clemson tends to do it routinely.

Alabama may be the best team in college football; however, the Tigers can seemingly beat the opposition in more ways, and that makes them a highly dangerous team heading toward the College Football Playoff.

Clemson Will Roll to CFP, Pose Biggest Threat to Alabama

Clemson has made it to the CFP in three straight seasons, and after easily overcoming its toughest hurdle, there is little standing in the way of a fourth consecutive appearance.

The Tigers reached the CFP National Championship Game two seasons in a row, but they were knocked out in the semis last season despite being the No. 1 seed.

This Clemson team is undoubtedly better than last season's since Lawrence is an upgrade over Kelly Bryant at quarterback and capable of winning games with his arm.

He isn't quite at the same level as Deshaun Watson, who beat Alabama in the national title game two years ago, but he has the potential to eventually be even better.

Although the Tigers have a great team, they also benefit from playing in a weak conference. NC State was the only other undefeated team in the ACC, and nobody else has fewer than two losses.

Clemson has tricky road games remaining against Florida State and Boston College, as well as home tilts with Louisville, Duke and South Carolina.

The Tigers also stand to face one of Virginia Tech, Virginia, Miami or Pittsburgh in the ACC title game in all likelihood.

Aside from an injury to a key player like Lawrence, none of the aforementioned teams figure to pose much of a threat to the Tigers.

No team has posed a threat to Alabama this season either, but Clemson may be the team with the best chance to ruin the Crimson Tide's perfect season.

While the teams are essentially a wash defensively, Alabama has the edge under center with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa playing like the leading Heisman Trophy candidate.

Etienne is an under-the-radar Heisman candidate in his own right, though, and Clemson's ability to dominate with the running game supersedes that of Alabama.

The Crimson Tide may be destined to run the table and repeat as national champions, but Clemson has the ideal makeup to pull off an upset if it gets the opportunity.

What's Next?

Next week, Clemson will play in perhaps the most difficult game remaining on its schedule when it travels to Tallahassee, Florida, to take on the rival Florida State Seminoles.

NC State will also have a significant challenge on its hands when it faces the 5-2 Syracuse Orange on the road.