UNC led 14-3 after the first quarter at Clemson, but the Tigers steadily clawed their way back and – after a weather delay of more than two hours in the fourth quarter – scored a late go-ahead touchdown to beat the Tar Heels 28-20 in Death Valley Saturday. It’s Clemson’s eighth consecutive win against UNC, a streak which dates back to 2010.
Carolina’s hot start came on the strength of dominant play on both sides of the football. Demon June and Ben Hall each scored touchdowns for the Tar Heels, and the UNC defense held a new-look Tiger offense with true freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds under wraps. Of the Tigers’ first five possessions, three ended in punts, one in a lost fumble and the other in a field goal.
But UNC’s offense was not able to find the end zone after Hall’s touchdown midway through the first quarter. Carolina’s recovery of the Clemson fumble at the Tiger 29-yard line resulted in a missed field goal, and UNC would come up empty on five of its next six possessions. Clemson, meanwhile, got closer with a field goal at the end of the first half to cut the lead to 17-6. Another early in the third quarter after a Demon June fumble cut the deficit to 17-9, and a Reynolds touchdown pass later in the period put the Tigers in position to tie the game with a two-point conversion. Carolina stopped that conversion, though, and remained in the lead.
The Tar Heels were driving deep in Clemson territory when the weather delay occurred. It interrupted a possession which faced a 2nd-and-goal situation from the Tiger 8-yard line. After play resumed at 5:30 p.m., UNC’s drive stalled and the Tar Heels kicked a field goal to lead 20-15.
Clemson’s next possession saw the Tigers march 68 yards in just 1:25, capping it off with a touchdown to take the lead. UNC turned the ball over on downs on its next drive, which should have ended the game — had Clemson not unwisely scored a touchdown after the turnover when simply kneeling the ball would have ended the game. UNC got the ball back down 28-20, but quarterback Billy Edwards threw an interception to seal the win for the Tigers.
Edwards finished just 13-for-30 for 135 yards, a touchdown and the late interception, his first this season. The veteran quarterback completed five of his first eight attempts, but finished just 8-for-23 after that. As a whole, UNC’s offense managed 349 total yards — 122 of which came on the first two drives of the game. On the other side, Reynolds finished 20-for-29 for 215 yards, a touchdown and an interception in his first collegiate start. Gideon Davidson ran for 105 yards for the Tigers, scoring the late go-ahead touchdown.
UNC is now 2-1 on the season and 0-1 in ACC play. The Tar Heels will be back in action in two weeks’ time when they host Notre Dame at Kenan Stadium.
Featured image via Associated Press/Jacob Kupferman
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
