The temperature around Clemson and North Carolina climbed fast Saturday morning, and it happened long before kickoff.
At Memorial Stadium, players from both teams were seen jawing at each other near midfield about two hours before the game, according to 247Sports’ Noah Weiskopf. The confrontation never turned into a full fight, but it got close enough to show just how tense this ACC opener already was.
Weiskopf posted video of the exchange, which showed Clemson and North Carolina players meeting face-to-face at midfield. Neither side backed off easily, and the scene had all the markings of a game with real edge before a single snap was played.
The matchup carried plenty of weight on its own. North Carolina entered at 2-0, while Clemson came in at 1-1 and looking to open ACC play with a home win. The Tigers also had to adjust at quarterback, with freshman Tait Reynolds set to start after Christopher Vizzina was injured last week.
North Carolina had injury questions of its own. Defensive end Melkart Abou Jaoude appeared on the Tar Heels’ injury report with a wrist issue, and later reports said he would miss the game.
For Reynolds, the assignment was a major one: his first career start against a North Carolina defense coached by Bill Belichick. Clemson had leaned on Vizzina through its first two games, so the injury forced a significant shift under center.
There was also bigger-picture buzz surrounding the matchup. Kirk Herbstreit recently said on The Pat McAfee Show that ESPN’s “College GameDay” could be headed to Chapel Hill for Week 5.
“If North Carolina beats Clemson, I would think Notre Dame at North Carolina is probably the leader in the clubhouse,” Herbstreit said on The Pat McAfee Show.
North Carolina has Notre Dame next if it can get past Clemson, but first the Tar Heels had to deal with a game that was already simmering before kickoff.
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