CLEMSON, S.C. -- In coach Dave Doeren's eyes, N.C. State almost finished a "masterpiece" Saturday afternoon.

Almost.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Artavis Scott on Clemson's first possession of overtime as the No. 3-ranked Tigers survived against N.C. State 24-17 at Memorial Stadium, spoiling the Wolfpack's bid to end Clemson's 42-game winning streak against unranked opponents.

Tigers cornerback Marcus Edmond then sealed the victory with his first career interception on N.C. State's first play in overtime, picking off Ryan Finley's pass intended for Bra'Lon Cherry in the end zone to end the game.

"Two years ago it was 41-0," said Doeren, N.C. State's fourth-year head coach. "Today we played them into overtime with a chance to beat them and we didn't. It was not a moral victory ... we could have won that game. We were one play away from having a masterpiece today, and we just didn't."

Clemson (7-0, 4-0 ACC) remained unbeaten by the slimmest of margins. N.C. State's Kyle Bambard missed a 37-yard field goal wide right on the final play of regulation that would have ended several streaks for the Tigers, and perhaps their hopes of an Atlantic Coast Conference and national title.

Instead, Clemson extended its home winning streak to a school-record 20 consecutive games -- the longest active streak in the nation. The Tigers also have won 13 ACC games in a row, which matches the nation's longest active conference winning streak.

"At the end of the day, we're 7-0 and the only team in the Atlantic Division that controls their destiny, and that's where we wanted to be," said coach Dabo Swinney, who is 50-6 as Clemson's head coach at home.

The Tigers, whose last loss to an unranked opponent came against N.C. State (4-2, 1-1) in 2011, won despite committing four turnovers.

"Just another day at the office," Swinney said. "We wanted to be sure ABC's coast-to-coast ratings went up.

"First of all, I have to give N.C. State a lot of credit. We knew they were going to give us every ounce of juice that they had in their body, and they did," Swinney added. "Right now, we've beat everybody but Clemson. We're trying to beat Clemson, but we haven't quite achieved that yet. We've had nine turnovers in our last two home games here, but obviously we're finding ways to win against good teams."

Clemson pulled out the victory in large part due to the efforts of Watson, who completed 39 of 52 passes for 378 yards and two touchdowns. His 39 completions were a school record while his 52 attempts marked a career high.

Junior wide receiver Mike Williams was his favorite target with a career-high 12 receptions for 146 yards and a score.

N.C. State moved the ball effectively for the most part, with running back Matthew Dayes logging 106 yards on 22 carries. Finley completed 20 of 40 passes for 231 yards with two interceptions and Jaylen Samuels had eight catches for 100 yards, but the Wolfpack was largely undone by 13 penalties for 120 yards.

Still, N.C. State had its chances.

"We didn't let them be explosive, and they're an explosive team," Doeren said. "It was frustrating at times because they were nickle and diming us and we didn't want to give up a play."

Clemson grabbed a 3-0 lead on a 25-yard field goal by Greg Huegel with 1:17 left in the first half. N.C. State tied the game on a Bambard 28-yard field goal with 2:03 left in the first half, capping a 14-play, 88-yard drive -- the longest surrendered by Clemson's defense this season.

But the Tigers struck back with an impressive drive of their own, marching 74 yards in 10 plays and capping the effort with a 13-yard Watson-to-Williams scoring pass with 10 seconds left in the half.

The second half began rather inauspiciously for Clemson. N.C. State's Mike Stevens intercepted a Watson pass and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 10-10. It was the first interception return for a touchdown in Watson's career.

Clemson fumbled the next two times it had the ball, but kept the game tied by blocking a 48-yard field goal attempt late the third quarter before driving 77 yards in 10 plays for a 17-10 lead, with Watson scampering in from 4 yards out for the score.

But the Wolfpack tied the game on its next possession, driving 75 yards in 14 plays capped by a 2-yard plunge by Dayes with 11:23 left.

Tigers leading rusher, junior running back Wayne Gallman, suffered a head injury in the first quarter and did not return. He's expected to play in Clemson's next game -- an Oct. 29 trip to Florida State.

NOTES: Clemson ranks third in the nation in forcing three-and-outs with 6.5 per game; only Michigan and Alabama rank higher. ... QB Deshaun Watson has thrown at least one touchdown pass in a school-record 22 consecutive games. ... WR Deon Cain has only 13 receptions this season, but has scored touchdowns on six of those. ... N.C. State leads the ACC in ball security, with only five turnovers in five games. ... QB Ryan Finley ranks second in the ACC and eighth nationally with a 69.5 completion percentage. ... DE Bradley Chubb has 8.5 tackles for losses, the fourth-best total in the ACC.