CHARLOTTE — Well, they came to see a freshman quarterback.
And when the blue wave washed out of Bank of America Stadium after three quarters, you knew it wasn’t the best freshman in the ACC who had been on display.
The few orange-clad fans who also left early weren’t exactly whooping it up – more ho-hum than “how about them Tigers” after their seventh conference title in the last nine years and 21st overall, by far the most in ACC annals.
The glamour-boy playing in his hometown, Drake Maye, wound up with his third straight uneven game, all losses, with four out of five failures to score a touchdown in the red zone that produced only 3 points; a fumble he lost on an exchange with freshman back Omarian Hampton; and a killer 98-yard pick six that turned a potential one-score game into a blowout.
Like so many other games this season, Maye started superbly. On Carolina’s first possession, he drove the Tar Heels 78 yards in 11 plays, completing five passes to four different receivers and running it in himself for the touchdown and short-lived 7-0 lead.
But, from there, Maye struggled finding anyone open and was constantly chased out of the pocket. Meanwhile, Clemson found the formula that would go on to torch UNC’s already injury-decimated defense.
For example, there is no one who compares to Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins, who had two pass break-ups in the end zone, blocked Noah Burnette’s first field goal attempt and snatched Maye’s hurried pass at his own 2-yard line and raced down the Clemson sideline with players, coaches and on-lookers going nuts all the way to the end zone.
Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins (20) returns an interception for a touchdown in the second half during the Atlantic Coast Conference championship NCAA college football game against North Carolina on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Freshman safety Will Hardy was Carolina’s top tackler with 13 and seven solos, which is a bad sign when the last line of defense is making the most stops. Hardy was replacing senior Cam Kelly, as was sophomore cornerback Lejond Cavazos and freshman corner Marcus Allen (5 tackles each) for Storm Duck and Tony Grimes. The Heels recorded no sacks compared to Clemson’s four on Maye.
The story of the last ACC championship game to be played between divisions that will be eliminated next season was the offenses going in different directions all of the pleasantly warm night in the Queen City. UNC dominated time of possession but, as has been the case throughout the last two seasons, could not finish drives that would have kept pace with the suddenly-resurgent Tigers.
The Tar Heels were planning for Clemson starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei to remain in the game because he had all season, even during poor performances. To their undoing, history repeated itself.
For the fourth time in what has sunk to a 9-4 season, Carolina was beaten by a back-up quarterback. This night it was Clemson freshman Cade Klubnik (from Mack Brown’s former home town Austin, Texas) who had been the latest lightning rod for coach Dabo Swinney while he stubbornly stuck with Uiagalelei through 12 starts and finally benched him after two horrendous possessions at the start of the ACC championship game.
Klubnik has a chance to join Ohio State’s Archie Griffin (1972) and Notre Dame’s Joe Montana (1975) as nobodies who came off the bench against Carolina and shot into fame. Klubnik did have pedestrian stats in his brief appearances during the Tigers’ 10-2 regular season, but he surfaced suddenly to become MVP of the ACC title game.
Certainly, Swinney awoke Sunday morning thinking had he played the kid against South Carolina last week, his team would have been 12-1 and still in the mix for a sixth trip to the College Football Playoffs.
Klubnik, not Maye, was the toast of the town after completing his first seven passes, going 10 for 11 in the first half and a touchdown and totaling 20 for 24, plus rushing for 30 yards including a TD, and catching a 19-yard pass on a trick play that set up another.
Now, instead of being the reactive Swinney, who had spent last week angrily answering critics, it looks like his program has found the next star QB1 moving forward to the Orange Bowl and beyond.
Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) celebrates after his touchdown with offensive lineman Mitchell Mayes (77) in the first half during the Atlantic Coast Conference championship NCAA college football game against North Carolina on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
For the Tar Heels and Brown, the 39-10 rout will kick off an off-season unlike any other in the history of college football. The transfer portal opened Sunday and UNC will likely lose several players, hopefully few first stringers. Speculation will engulf Maye until he re-ups his scholarship in Chapel Hill and not be stolen away by Power 5 monsters Alabama, Georgia or Ohio State that all need quarterbacks and have millions in NIL money available.
For Brown, the 71-year-old Hall of Famer, a loyalty statement from Maye and his UNC blueblood family could not come soon enough.
But Brown will have to assure the Maye family more than money, perhaps better protection from an average offensive line and more imagination from Phil Longo’s offense such as moving the pocket to give Drake more time and space to operate.
While Brown is the ultimate salesman and long considered a top-notch recruiter, another embarrassment on national TV will not only delight the ABC crowd but reaffirm to everyone who follows the elite athletic brand that Carolina has a good, but far from great, football program.
“If four years ago, Bubba Cunningham and I thought we would be in the ACC championship game in our fourth season, we would have taken the that,” said Brown who likes to recite that his predecessor (Larry Fedora) had gone 5-18 in his last two years with attendance and support flagging.
But contrarians might recall that Fedora’s Tar Heels came a lot closer to beating Clemson with Deshaun Watson in the 2015 title game at the same stadium.
Brown is against eliminating divisions, which means the two teams with the best records will meet in the ACC championship game. Through division play, the Atlantic has had the far stronger teams with Clemson, Florida State, Wake Forest, Louisville and NC State. Since 2011, the Coastal has won the ACC Championship once, Pitt beating Wake last year.
UNC will have its fourth opportunity to win 10 games for the first time since 2015 and only the second in 25 years at the Holiday Bowl in San Diego against No. 15 Oregon on December 28. The Ducks are ranked higher than any team in the ACC besides Clemson.
Photo via AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman.
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When are you folks going to realize that Mack was, is, and always will be a horrible coach? It’s disgusting the way UNC writers take up for him and blame everyone and everything but him. He has to go before it’s too late. Never mind! It already is! Give him a raise so no team will snatch him up in the transfer portal! But for some reason I don’t think other schools are knocking his door down to talk with him. Good luck to Criswell and all the others who will make the correct decision to leave and/or not come to Carolina. I’ve had it! Nothing is going to be done and he’s there as long as he wants to be.
A talented quarterback forced to shoulder too much of the burden while the running game is almost forgotten. An inconsistent offensive line that can’t hold up against better defenses. A passive defensive scheme that makes opposing offensive coordinators smile. Could be Drake Maye’s Tar Heels or it could have been Sam Howell’s.History is repeating itself and not in a good way.The talent gets better but foundational problems remain particularly with line play. I love coach Brown but ‘We didn’t prepare for ———” is getting old.To correct a problem you first have to acknowledge that there IS a problem. Otherwise, the cycle just continues.I’m not sure I see that coming from this staff. I just hope Oregon doesn’t do to us in this year’s bowl game what South Carolina did in last year’s mismatch.
Wow! Someone who knows what’s going on (P.A.)!!!! It’s a shame the football coaches don’t! But we’ll lose enough players in the next few days and in recruits in the next year that we won’t have to worry about playing for an ACC Championship or any other important game for that matter. We are a sweet university who welcomes first year coaches and 4th string quarterbacks, receivers, running backs, etc and make them all look like (true) Hall Of Famers!