Charlotte — Entering Saturday it had been 35 years since the UNC football team last won an ACC Championship.

That number will now go to 36, as the nation’s number one team–the Clemson Tigers–defeated the No. 10 Tar Heels 45-37 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte behind an incredible effort from their star quarterback, sophomore Deshaun Watson.

Staking his claim for the Heisman Trophy, Watson absolutely annihilated UNC’s defense all game long–to the tune of 420 total yards and five touchdowns. For his efforts, he also took home the game’s MVP award.

The Clemson defense got consistent pressure on Marquise Williams all night long. (Smith Cameron Photography)

The Clemson defense got consistent pressure on the Tar Heels all night long. (Smith Cameron Photography)

Clemson now improves to 13-0 and will be a prime contender for the national championship.

The loss is the Tar Heels’ first since opening week, and second in Bank of America Stadium this year.

At 11-2, head coach Larry Fedora and his team will now have to wait and see where they will be headed this bowl season–with a trip to the College Football Playoff ruled out of the question now.

“Just a hell of a ballgame tonight,” Fedora said. “You know, Clemson was the better team tonight, and they did a heck of a job. Our guys fought all the way to the end and felt like we were in it all the way to the end. And I’m proud of the way we played.”

Watson’s counterpart, Tar Heel senior Marquise Williams, struggled mightily with the Tigers’ pass rush. Pressured consistently throughout the night, Williams completed just 11 of his 33 passes for 224 yards. He threw for three touchdowns, but also threw a crucial interception with his team threatening to re-take the lead in the third quarter.

“It’s tough,”Williams said. “Coming back into my hometown not being able to get a win.

“I’m excited the way we fought today,” he continued. “A lot of people thought we were going to come out here and just lay an egg, but we didn’t. We came out and fought to the end. That’s what I love about this team. So what I didn’t win?”

The running back matchup played out in a similar fashion.

UNC sophomore Elijah Hood rushed for 65 yards on 14 carries, while Clemson’s Wayne Gallman–also a sophomore–picked up 187 on 28 touches, with all but 17 of his yards coming in the second half.

However, UNC was able to put together a late rally after falling behind by three scores midway through the third quarter.

With just over a minute left in the game and trailing by eight points–following a 17-yard touchdown pass from Williams to Ryan Switzer–UNC recovered an onside kick attempt near midfield.

For a moment, it appeared as if there might have been a chance.

The only problem was that the referees determined that one of the Tar Heels was offside–much to Fedora’s dismay.

“I had a chance to look at it,” the coach said after the game. “And they missed it. They were wrong. That’s all I’m going to say about it. They were wrong.”

For a good portion of the first two quarters UNC held the lead, but it simply could not hang on as the game progressed.

The Tigers showed why they have been the class of college football all year long by using their extreme talent and athleticism to take control. From a pure statistical standpoint, the Tar Heels were dominated the entire game, as head coach Dabo Swinney’s team finished with 608 yards of offense, compared with UNC’s 382.

Clemson went into halftime leading just 21-16, needing a 68-yard drive in the final two minutes of the second quarter–capped with a 1-yard touchdown toss from Watson to tight end Jordan Leggett–to pull in front.

Then the sophomore led his team to touchdowns on each of its first two possessions of the second half–one after Williams’ interception and another after UNC failed on its own fake punt attempt.

The two quarterbacks shake hands with one another. (Smith Cameron Photography)

The two quarterbacks shake hands with one another. (Smith Cameron Photography)

Up by three scores at that point, the Tigers went into cruise control the rest of the way–much like the Tar Heels have done all year long.

However, that led to three late UNC touchdowns, which put the team in a position–with just over a minute remaining–for the critical onside kick that was wiped away by the late flag.

On the next try, Clemson picked up the ball, and with it the conference championship.

“The fun thing about this group is what they’ve got inside of them,” Fedora said of his Tar Heels. “And they never stopped fighting, and they never stopped believing. The way they were scrambling around on those last two onside kicks, you could tell they believed if we got that ball we were going to win, and they knew that was all we needed to do.

“So their effort was tremendous all night,” he added. “They’ve got a tremendous amount of grit and I’m really proud of the way these seniors led this team this year.”

Up Next:

The regular season is now over for UNC, as the team will now have to wait to find out which bowl game awaits.

Game Notes:

  • The 82 points scored in this game were the most in ACC Championship Game history.
  • It was Clemson’s ninth straight outing with more than 500 yards, and the Tigers’ 608 yards were also an ACC Championship record.
  • At halftime, Marquise Williams was 3-of-12 passing for just 50 yards, including the 46-yard screen pass touchdown to Logan–yet the team trailed by just five at the half.

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