By: Matt Bowers
CLEMSON, S.C.— Clemson’s defense limited No. 22 North Carolina to 209 yards passing and upset the Tar Heels, 31-20, on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
Carolina entered the game with the ACC’s top offense, averaging 39.9 points and 520.6 yards per game. The Tigers allowed 178 rushing yards by UNC’s Omarion Hampton but frustrated the Tar Heels’ air attack to a season-low 20 points.
UNC quarterback Drake Maye extended his streak of consecutive games with 200+ yards passing to an FBS-best 25 in a row, but his 209 yards were one more than the season-low 208 he had against Appalachian State in September. He threw for a first-half score and an interception late in the fourth quarter as he tried to rally the Tar Heels for a comeback.
Hampton piled up his 178 yards on just 19 carries (9.4 per attempt) and ripped off a pair of carries for 50+, including a 55-yard score in the fourth quarter. He is the first Tar Heel to run for 100+ yards in six consecutive games since Don McCauley did it eight times in 1970.
Clemson’s Will Shipley posted a strong second half and ran for 126 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.
UNC dropped to 8-3 overall and 4-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference with the defeat. Clemson improved to 7-4, 4-4.
Clemson has won nine of the last 10 meetings in the series, including six in a row. The Tigers led, 28-14, after three quarters and improved to 125-1 under head coach Dabo Swinney when leading by 10 or more entering the fourth period.
The Tar Heels were seeking their first win in Death Valley since 2001 and just their second there in over 40 years.
Carolina took a 7-0 lead and could’ve seized control of the game if Hampton hadn’t fumbled twice inside the Tiger 10-yard line in the first quarter.
Clemson took advantage of the UNC turnovers to tie the score at 7-7 in the early minutes of the second quarter. The Tigers took a 14-7 lead seconds before halftime after a UNC personal foul p
enalty nullified an interception in the end zone.
Clemson pushed ahead to a 21-7 advantage halfway through the third quarter, then held off the Tar Heels in the second half, eventually leading by as many as 17 at 31-14 with 10:33 to go.
How It Happened
First Half
• The Tar Heels’ special teams made the first big play of the afternoon at the 5:53 mark of the first quarter on a fourth-and-one play near midfield. Clemson attempted a fake punt, but Cedric Gray wasn’t fooled, slicing through the line of scrimmage for a tackle for loss and change of possession.
• Taking advantage of the good field position on their ensuing drive, Maye marched Carolina quickly down the field for a touchdown. He hit J.J. Jones with an off-balance, 33-yard, scoring heave for a 7-0 lead.
• Hampton appeared to rush around the right side for a 64-yard score that could have made the score 14-0 Tar Heels, but replay review later indicated he fumbled before crossing the goal line, leading to a touchback and Clemson possession. It was Hampton’s second fumble of the first quarter after 206 rushing attempts without a fumble entering the game.
• Clemson tied the score at 7-7 in the second quarter on a three-yard toss from Cade Klubnik to Jake Briningstool at the 10:10 mark.
• In the closing two minutes of the first half as it appeared Clemson was poised to take the lead, Carolina’s Kaimon Rucker forced a fumble by Will Shipley inside the UNC 10-yard line. Kevin Hester Jr. recovered as Carolina kept the score tied at 7-all.
• A roughing the passer penalty by Gray nullified an apparent Tar Heel interception in the end zone in the final 33 seconds of the first half, and Klubnik scored with a second left to give Clemson a 14-7 lead at the break.
Second Half
• Clemson took a 21-7 lead midway through the third quarter when Phil Mafah scored on a fourth-down-and-one play out of a Wildcat formation from three yards out.
• Not long thereafter, Hampton broke three tackles and ran for a 55-yard TD, capping a three-play, 75-yard drive to make the score 21-14 Tigers.
• Shipley responded for Clemson with a 33-yard rushing score of his own to push the lead back to 14 at 28-14. The Tigers added a field goal for a 31-14 lead early in the fourth period.
• Hampton scored on a three-yard run in the fourth quarter to make it 31-20, but Clemson’s Nate Wiggins intercepted Maye with 2:37 remaining to seal the result.
Up Next
Next Saturday (Nov. 25), Carolina will conclude the 2023 regular season with an 8 p.m. visit to NC State.
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