By R.L. Bynum
CLEMSON, S.C. — Buried in the snap counts and Pro Football Focus grades from UNC’s 28–20 collapse at Clemson is a reminder that not every number is grim, even in a game the Tar Heels once controlled and then let slip away.
Junior safety Greg Smith posted the best individual grade on either side of the ball, a 90.0 that reflected his hand in both of Clemson’s turnovers. Smith played all 70 defensive snaps, and his interception of freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds, combined with his involvement in a Clemson fumble recovery, gave Carolina’s defense good news on a day the unit surrendered two touchdowns in the final five minutes.
Senior running back Benjamin Hall’s career day showed up in the numbers as well. Hall finished with a 77.3 offensive grade on 38 snaps, the highest mark among UNC’s offensive starters, backing up a career-best 130-yard rushing performance in his first game with at least 100 yards.
Center Christo Kelly wasn’t far behind at 74.3 across a full 70 snaps, anchoring an offensive line that helped the Tar Heels rush for 214 yards even as the passing game stalled.
The secondary produced two of the more encouraging grades. Kaleb Cost graded out at 76.8 in 44 snaps at slot cornerback, and Kenton Dopson III posted a 72.5 in a more limited 11-snap role at left cornerback. Leroy Jackson graded at 74.8 on the edge across 57 snaps, and nose tackle Xavier Lewis, who logged 51 snaps, finished at 74.3 after a sack earlier in the game.
Elsewhere, the picture was murkier.
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Jordan Shipp’s 68.9 mark led UNC’s receiver group, and Derek McDonald, who played all 72 defensive snaps at middle linebacker, finished at 68.3. Jaylen Harvey (65.2) and Jonathan Agumadu (64.1) rounded out a linebacker corps that struggled to contain Clemson once the Tigers found their rhythm after the nearly 2½-hour weather delay.
The offensive tackles bore the brunt of a rough day up front in pass protection. Jordan Hall graded at just 44.4 across 70 snaps at left tackle, and starting right tackle Andrew Threatt finished at 51.8 in the same number of snaps, numbers that lined up with an afternoon in which Billy Edwards Jr. was sacked and hurried repeatedly after his sharp start.
Edwards finished with a 46.3 offensive grade playing all 70 offensive snaps, a mark that reflected his 5-of-8, 60-yard, one-touchdown start giving way to an 8-of-22, 75-yard, one-interception finish.
“I love Billy. I love the way he competes,” Hall said of Edwards. “We want to talk about how he didn’t connect the pass, but he used his legs today. He picked up first downs. He helped us move the chains. There’s so much that Billy does that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, and Billy helped us be in a position to win that game. We got to do a better job of helping him.”
Digging into the metrics for Edwards, he was 9 of 18 for 81 yards when kept clean but 4-of-13 for 54 yards with a touchdown when under pressure. Against blitzes, he was 11-of-23 for 99 yards and a touchdown, and he was 2 of 8 for 36 yards when he wasn’t blitzed.
He was only 1-of-3 for 23 yards on passes of more than 20 yards, 2-of-6 for 30 yards on passes between 10 and 19 yards, 7-of-13 for 60 yards on passes of up to nine yards and 3-of-3 for 22 yards on passes behind the line of scrimmage.
On the back end of the defense, Coleman Bryson (47.3) and Peyton Waters (60.0) each played at least 67 snaps at safety but struggled to match Smith’s impact, and cornerback Jaiden Patterson finished at 34.5 across 60 snaps, the lowest defensive grade among UNC’s starters.
The snap counts also tell the story of a rotation that leaned heavily on its top players. Only two UNC starters, Hall at running back and Aidan Banfield at left guard, played fewer than 60 offensive snaps, while five defensive starters topped 60 snaps, including three who played 70 or more. With Notre Dame looming after the open week, the Tar Heels will have extra time to sort through who earned an expanded role Saturday, and who needs to be better prepared the next time a Clemson-style collapse threatens to repeat itself.
Snap counts
Offense
| Starters | Pos. | Snaps | Offensive rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Threat | RT | 70 | 51.8 |
| Jordan Hall | LT | 70 | 44.4 |
| Billy Edwards Jr. | QB | 70 | 46.3 |
| Christo Kelly | C | 70 | 74.3 |
| Shaq McRoy | RT | 69 | 64.2 |
| Jelani Thurman | TE | 65 | 54.1 |
| Mason Humphrey | WR | 64 | 54.2 |
| Jordan Shipp | TE | 62 | 68.9 |
| Aidan Banfield | LG | 49 | 64.0 |
| Trech Kekahuna | WR | 39 | 63.3 |
| Benjamin Hall | HB | 38 | 77.3 |
| Reserves | Pos. | Snaps | Offensive rating |
| Cristian Alvarez | LG | 21 | 63.2 |
| Carson Sneed | TE | 21 | 47.2 |
| Shamar Easter | TE | 21 | 49.8 |
| Demon June | HB | 19 | 63.4 |
| Jaylen McGill | HB | 15 | 53.6 |
| Nathan Leacock | WR | 5 | 56.8 |
| Jaden Jefferson | WR | 1 | 60.0 |
| Eidan Buchanan | LT | 1 | 60.0 |
Defense
| Starters | Pos. | Snaps | Defensive rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coleman Bryson | FS | 72 | 47.3 |
| Derek McDonald | MLB | 72 | 68.3 |
| Greg Smith | SS | 70 | 90.0 |
| Peyton Waters | FS | 67 | 60.0 |
| Jaiden Patterson | CB | 60 | 34.5 |
| Leroy Jackson | RE | 57 | 74.8 |
| Donovan Hoilette Jr. | DLE | 56 | 67.9 |
| Xavier Lewis | NT | 51 | 74.3 |
| Isaiah Johnson | NT | 49 | 58.9 |
| Jalen Harvey | DLE | 47 | 65.2 |
| Kaleb Cost | SCB | 44 | 76.8 |
| Jonathan Agumadu | WLB | 30 | 64.1 |
| Reserves | Pos. | Snaps | Defensive rating |
| Xavier Lewis | NT | 51 | 74.3 |
| Calvin Thomas | RILB | 20 | 63.7 |
| Trey Giddens | DLT | 19 | 54.6 |
| Kenton Dopson III | LCB | 11 | 72.5 |
| Tre Miller | SCB | 9 | 54.3 |
| Jalon Thompson | LCB | 6 | 63.5 |
| Joseph Mupoyi | ROLB | 5 | 58.0 |
| Nicco Maggio | DLT | 3 | 62.2 |
| Javion Butts | FS | 21 | 60.4 |
Photo by Smith Hardy
