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North Carolina St. enjoys rout

CLEMSON, S.C. -- North Carolina State is off to the best start in school history. More importantly, the Wolfpack showed it's for real in the Bowl Championship Series race.

Freshman T.A. McLendon ran for a career-high 178 yards and two touchdowns as the 12th-ranked Wolfpack improved to 9-0 with a 38-6 victory over Clemson on Thursday night.

The Wolfpack defense, led by safety Terrence Holt, held Clemson (4-4, 2-3 ACC) to a season-low point total.

Holt had an interception, recovered a fumble and returned a blocked punt 39 yards for a touchdown as N.C. State (4-0 ACC, tied for first with Florida State) surpassed the 8-0 start of its 1967 team.

"We'll let everybody else analyze all that BCS talk, about us being 9-0 and about us being the first team at N.C. State to do that," Holt said. "We can't worry about that."

Lamont Reid returned the opening kickoff 56 yards for the Wolfpack before many of the 74,000 had even taken their seats.

LSU: Safety Damien James, a senior starter, hasn't been at practice this week, leading coach Nick Saban to assume he has quit the team.

Saban said he hasn't spoken with him since Saturday's 38-14 win over South Carolina.

"I did not suspend him," he said. "I did not have words with him. Nothing."

Another James, linebacker Bradie James, has been named to the National Scholar-Athlete Class, composed of only 14 players from all NCAA divisions.

MICHIGAN STATE: Quarterback Jeff Smoker, the third-leading passer in school history, was suspended indefinitely for violating team rules. Smoker will sit out Saturday against Wisconsin.

"The decision was made after consulting with Jeff and others," coach Bobby Williams said in a statement. "It is for the welfare of both Jeff and this football program that this action is taken immediately."

Reached at his on-campus home, Smoker declined comment.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Running back-receiver Ryan Brewer was released from the hospital after three days of treatment for a viral infection, coach Lou Holtz said.

Holtz said he doubted Brewer would play Nov. 2 against Tennessee.

TENNESSEE: Quarterback Casey Clausen, who missed the loss to Georgia with an injury, was cleared to play Saturday against No. 19 Alabama.

Around the state

MIAMI: Seniors Jerome McDougle and Andrew Williams (Tampa) are among 10 semifinalists for the inaugural Ted Hendricks Award to be presented to nation's top defensive end.

FSU's Alonzo Jackson is the only other state representative on the list.

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