Dabo Swinney’s Clemson snatched a 28-20 victory from Bill Belichick’s North Carolina on Saturday, but man, that score doesn’t tell half the story. The Tar Heels, who were 3.5-point underdogs, looked like they had this one in the bag for most of the game, even leading by as many as 14 points in the first half. That early lead, by the way, snapped Belichick’s insane streak of 67 straight wins when his team held a two-touchdown advantage. You read that right: 67 wins, gone. It was a first loss of the season for UNC, and it absolutely stings after they had control for so long.
The Delay That Woke Up a Sleeping Giant
UNC was up 17-15 late in the fourth quarter, and Clemson’s offense looked absolutely stuck, with zero touchdowns on two red-zone trips up to that point. Then, Mother Nature decided to get involved. Lightning strikes in the area forced a weather delay that lasted more than two hours. And you know what? It seemed like that break was exactly what Clemson needed. After play resumed, UNC actually extended their lead to 20-15 with a field goal, even though it felt like it could have been more after they had a first-and-goal from Clemson’s eight-yard line. But then, *boom*! Clemson’s Gideon Davidson exploded for a 45-yard run, getting them inside the UNC 10-yard line. Two plays later, Davidson punched it in, giving the Tigers their first lead of the game.
The Fourth Quarter Heartbreak
North Carolina tried to answer back, but quarterback Billy Edwards Jr.’s deep shot on fourth-and-1 for Jelani Thurman fell incomplete, turning the ball back over to Clemson with just 1:54 left. Clemson’s Tyler Brown scored on a 34-yard run with a minute to go, which actually gave the Tar Heels a shot, getting the ball back down by eight with a chance to tie. But it just wasn’t meant to be. Edwards got picked off by Elliott Washington II, sealing the loss for UNC. Despite the brutal ending, Benjamin Hall, UNC’s junior running back, had a monster game with his first career 100-yard rushing performance, racking up 130 yards on 18 carries. He also caught his second touchdown pass of the season early on. As a team, UNC piled up 214 rushing yards on 39 carries.
Clemson now gets a short week, heading to Berkeley for a Friday matchup against California. They’ll be looking to make it three straight wins and solidify their over .500 record after a blowout loss to LSU and a shaky win against Georgia Southern earlier this season. For Belichick and UNC, they’ve got two weeks to regroup. That’s the good news. The bad news? Their next game is on October 3 against No. 3 Notre Dame. Talk about a measuring stick game!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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