By R.L. Bynum
CLEMSON, S.C. — Just when 25 years of Death Valley frustration for Carolina appeared to be over after a dominant start, that was followed by an epic collapse.
With a huge victory within the Tar Heels’ grasp, running back Benjamin Hall said afterward, “We just got to find a way to come back out here and finish the game. We played a good game, but we need to be our best. We weren’t our best, and I think it’s a good learning lesson for us.”
Clemson rallied after a nearly 2½-hour rain delay to hand UNC a 28–20 loss Saturday at Memorial Stadium in the ACC opener for both teams, giving the Tar Heels their eighth consecutive defeat in the series.
UNC (2–1, 0–1 ACC) is left to wonder how the Heels gave the game away, as Clemson (2–1, 1–0) found life after the long delay.
“In the end, they just made a few more plays than we did in the last eight minutes of the game,” Carolina coach Bill Belichick said. “We missed a couple of opportunities on offense and missed some tackles on defense. We had a couple long runs that hurt us.”
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It was a press conference of mostly short answers as he struggled to come to grips with how the game played out.
“It’s disappointing, so we just got to keep working and keep getting better, which we are. Give Clemson credit; they made the plays at the end of the game. They needed to make them to win,” Belichick said.
Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. (13 of 30, 135 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, 85.4 passer rating) was poised and accurate at times, while getting away with some wild throws but picking the right spots to run as UNC built the lead.
He went from going 5-of-8 for 70 yards and one touchdown in the first quarter to 8-of-22 for 65 yards and one interception after that.
As the game progressed, receivers increasingly struggled to find open space against man coverage, and the absence of a vertical passing game hurt Carolina.
“Those plays make a big difference in the game and the field position of the game,” Belichick said of explosive pass plays. “We’ve got to be working on them and hit them. That’s all I’m going to say.”
UNC’s three running backs, led by starter Hall’s first career-best 130 yards, generated a consistent ground game, except for some sputtering in the third quarter. Hall credited the offensive line for opening those lanes early.
“Between Billy and our own line, I think they helped put me in positions to make good plays, and I think we got a lot of guys in the room who can make good plays,” Hall said. “I’m just blessed, and God allowed me to make those plays today, so I want to give God the glory.”
UNC sandwiched a 49-yard field goal from Clemson’s Nolan Hauser with touchdowns on its first two drives of 47 and 79 yards, the first after forcing a Clemson three-and-out. Demon June, Carolina’s short-yardage specialist, finished the first drive with a three-yard scoring run just 3:10 into the game in a three-tight-end alignment. Edwards was outstanding on the second drive, connecting with Hall on a 15-yard scoring pass with 2:05 left in the first quarter.
Aeron Burrell, who missed a 47-yard field-goal attempt at the end of the first quarter, made it 17–3 on a 33-yard boot with 8:40 left in the first half.
Xavier Lewis, who had a sack earlier, just missed getting another when freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds completed a big 16-yard pass to wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. that took Clemson to the UNC 9. But the Tigers had to settle for a 21-yard Hauser field goal, prompting boos from Tigers fans.
Just when it appeared that the Tigers would find the end zone with Wesco open at the UNC 1, Reynolds put too much air on the ball. UNC safety Greg Smith snagged the interception. After June fumbled it back to Clemson, the defense stiffened again, and Hauser kicked a 22-yard field goal.
Clemson’s offense finally found its rhythm midway through the third quarter, and UNC’s defense couldn’t slow it down.
Linebacker Derek McDonald, who led UNC with 10 tackles, pointed to a breakdown in the basics.
“We just didn’t play with great fundamentals the rest of the game,” McDonald said. “We need to finish, tackle, stay on our feet, rally to the ball. I think we lost a little of that. We started to get a little tired, but we’ll definitely work on that.”
He also credited Clemson’s change of pace with throwing off Carolina’s defense.
“They tried to get us out of our element, but we just missed tackles,” McDonald said. “We’ve got to keep the ball in front of us, keep the ball on the ground, and play with better fundamentals.”
Reynolds connected with Wesco for a 45-yard pass and Christian Bentancur for a 27-yard touchdown pass. A double pass, with Wesco attempting the throw, was unsuccessful on the two-point conversion attempt.
After five UNC drives produced four punts and a lost fumble, the Tar Heels found their stride in a 12-play, 60-yard drive that wasn’t completed until after a weather delay. It ended with a 22-yard Burrell field goal.
Both Hall and McDonald pointed to the delay as a factor once play resumed.
“I think sitting in the locker room for two hours adds to that a little bit,” McDonald said. “But that’s on us to mentally lock in and prepare. It’s a lot more mental than it is physical, to be honest.”
Hall described a similar effort to reset during the break.
“Watch film, view tape, relax, try to stay even keel, not waste too much energy, and we just got to go finish that game,” Hall said. “I’m not mad at what we did. I think we just got to be dialed in when the clock’s running.”
The delay didn’t affect Clemson’s offense as the Tigers quickly moved 68 yards in four plays for an eight-yard Gideon Davison touchdown run. Reynolds got sacked on the two-point try, though, leaving Clemson’s lead at 21–20 with 5:01 left.
After a fourth-down Edwards pass intended for Jelani Thurman was thrown long, Clemson went up by eight on Tyler Brown’s 34-yard touchdown run with 58 seconds left. UNC had one more shot, but Edwards threw an interception with 32 seconds left.
Carolina only had five penalties for 35 yards, but there were costly ones, such as the pass-interference call.
“We always want to try to play penalty-free,” Belichick said. “That’ll never change. We’ll keep working on that.”
For Hall, the day carried extra weight beyond the box score because his dad coached women’s basketball at Clemson.
“I was emotional coming back here,” Hall said. “I cried all morning, and I was just so honored that God allowed me to be in this situation, to go out and execute today. It’s been an emotional day for me. It didn’t end up how we wanted it to, but we’re going to get back to work, and we’re going to be better.”
Notes
— UNC gets its final open date next weekend before welcoming No. 3 Notre Dame to Kenan Stadium on Oct. 3. The Irish (3–0) beat Michigan State at home on Saturday night 27–10.
— The previous touchdown that the UNC defense gave up before Saturday was a TCU score with 4:15 left in the first quarter of the opener.
— Star UNC defensive end Melkart Abou Jaoude (right hand or wrist injury) missed his second consecutive game. He was seen on the field with a cast on his lower right arm.
— There were press-box seats reserved for scouts representing the Buffalo Bills (2), Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks and the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
— Wide receiver Jordan Shipp wore a No. 13 jersey in honor of Tylee Craft, who died of cancer in October 2024. Craft’s family from Sumter was in the stands.
— UNC fell to 1–4 when facing Clemson in its ACC opener. The lone win was in Chapel Hill, 45–0, in 1996.
—Carolina is 30–44 in ACC openers, and Clemson is 46–27–1.
Clemson 28, UNC 20
| Team | ACC | All |
|---|---|---|
| No. 6 Miami | 2–0 | 3–0 |
| Duke | 1–0 | 3–0 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–0 | 3–0 |
| California | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Clemson | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| No. 16 Louisville | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Virginia | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| No. 22 SMU | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Virginia Tech | 0–0 | 3–0 |
| Boston College | 0–0 | 2–1 |
| Georgia Tech | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| North Carolina | 0–1 | 2–1 |
| Wake Forest | 0–1 | 2–1 |
| Florida State | 0–1 | 1–2 |
| N.C. State | 0–1 | 1–2 |
| Stanford | 0–2 | 1–2 |
| Syracuse | 0–2 | 1–2 |
Thursday’s result
Pittsburgh 27, Syracuse 13
Friday’s result
No. 6 Miami 33, Wake Forest 20
Saturday’s results
Clemson 28, North Carolina 20
Georgia Tech 44, Mercer 11
Vanderbilt 35, N.C. State 31
Boston College 22, Maine 16
No. 10 Alabama 50, Florida State 36
No. 16 Louisville 41, No. 22 SMU 31
California 49, Wagner 7
Duke 35, Stanford 7
West Virginia 38, Virginia 27
Virginia Tech 35, Maryland 26
Thursday’s game
Clemson at California, 10:30, ESPN
Saturday’s games
Wake Forest at No. 16 Louisville, noon
Bucknell at Pittsburgh, noon, ACCNE
Virginia Tech at Boston College, noon
Central Arkansas at Florida State, 3 p.m., ACCN
William & Mary at Duke, 3:30, ACCNE
Delaware at Virginia, 6 p.m., ACCN
Central Michigan at No. 6 Miami, 6:30, The CW
Appalachian State at N.C. State, 7:30, ESPNU
Missouri State at No. 22 SMU, 9 p.m., ACCN
Georgia Tech at Stanford, 10:30, ESPN
| Month/ date | Score/ time | Opponent (current ranking) | Record/TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| August | |||
| 29 | W, 15–10 | vs.TCU in Dublin | 1–0 |
| September | |||
| 12 | W, 35–3 | vs. ETSU | 2–0 |
| 19 | L, 28–20 | at Clemson | 2–1, 0–1 ACC |
| October | |||
| 3 | TBA | vs. No. 3 Notre Dame | TBA |
| 10 | TBA | at Pittsburgh | TBA |
| 17 | TBA | at Duke | TBA |
| 24 | TBA | vs. Syracuse | TBA |
| 31 | TBA | vs. No. 6 Miami | TBA |
| November | |||
| 7 | TBA | at UConn | TBA |
| 14 | TBA | vs. No. 16 Louisville | TBA |
| 21 | TBA | at Virginia | TBA |
| 28 | TBA | vs. N.C. State | TBA |
| December | |||
| 5 | noon, ABC | ACC championship game in Charlotte | ESPN |
Photos by Smith Hardy
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