Lightning didn’t decide UNC’s loss to Clemson, but it sure changed the feel of it.
For a stretch on Saturday, Carolina looked like it had found something. Then the delay hit within eight miles of Death Valley in the fourth quarter, and with it went the first real wave of optimism the Tar Heels had built.
The game never felt the same after that. UNC still had chances, still had a path, and still found ways to make life harder on itself.
Here’s who stood out - for better and for worse - in the Week 3 defeat.
Benjamin Hall was the clearest bright spot for Carolina. The Michigan transfer had flashed before, but this was the kind of outing that actually matched the promise.
He carried 18 times for 130 yards and kept hammering Clemson with physical runs. More than anything, he looked like the offense’s best answer all day, the guy who could wear the Tigers down when the rest of the attack was sputtering.
It was the first time this season things really clicked for him, and now the question is whether he can build on it against a Notre Dame defense allowing just 1.9 yards per rush.
Jordan Shipp also made the most of limited opportunity. With Billy Edwards throwing for only 135 yards, Shipp accounted for 68 of them, which tells you plenty about how much Carolina leaned on him.
He wore Tylee Craft’s 13 for the game, and his performance fit the moment. With shaky quarterback play limiting his chances all season, Shipp has had to squeeze production out of every touch he gets.
Xavier Lewis kept making his presence felt, too. Since Melkart Abou Jaoude went down, somebody has had to pick up the slack, and the Rolesville product has done exactly that.
He wasn’t Carolina’s leading tackler, but he finished with two more sacks against Tait Reynolds in his first start. That left Lewis tied for the FBS lead in sacks by the end of the weekend, and it’s hard not to think Carolina will have a fight on its hands to keep him after this season.
The biggest head-scratching moments came from the sideline.
Bobby Petrino’s late-game sequence after the delay was rough to watch. Carolina had spent nearly two hours in the locker room knowing it needed two plays to get seven yards and a touchdown, and the offense had already shown it could move Clemson backward on the ground.
After that kind of break, the safe bet was obvious: the defense would be refreshed and ready for the run. Instead, Petrino called two rushes, then on a crucial fourth-and-short that basically settled the game, he asked his quarterback to throw deep even though he can’t seem to throw more than twenty yards.
It was a strange choice, and then he topped it by going for a quick score and giving Clemson enough time to answer after the Tigers had already shown they could march the field. The play-calling has improved, but this one is hard to get around.
Billy Edwards, Jr. also landed in the wrong column. His limitations were always part of the conversation, and Saturday put them right in front of everyone.
The run-heavy approach made sense given the way Carolina was trying to grind Clemson down, but the reason people thought Edwards could help was supposed to be his experience and decision-making. Instead, on that pivotal fourth-and-one, he sold out for the throw to Jelani Thurman rather than taking the easy first down himself.
Then he finished the game with an interception that Clemson’s defense read without much trouble once the Heels were down eight. It also raises the obvious question: how rough has Miles O’Neill been in practice for him not to get a look?
Bill Belichick gets a spot here, too, because this was the game that could have changed the story around the season. A win over a team that beat UNC badly last year would have sent a message, especially with all the noise around the program and the recent resignation of his son.
Instead, the Tar Heels let one of the worst Clemson teams in recent memory come back on them. That also probably cost them a real showcase chance with Notre Dame coming to town.
There were a few mixed bags in the honorable mention category.
Demon June kept doing good work near the goal line and scored, but his fumble ten yards from the Clemson end zone swung momentum back the other way and led to a Tigers field goal. That drive had the chance to really bury Clemson, and instead it opened the door again.
Jelani Thurman had his quietest game of the season with three catches for 18 yards, though that total would have looked different if Edwards had connected on the fourth-down throw. Aeron Burrell continues to do what he can, but his lack of range is forcing Carolina into decisions it probably shouldn’t have to make and leaving points out there.
That extra three in the first quarter would have mattered.
UNC gets a week off now, then it’s football every weekend until December. The Tar Heels at least benefit from their next opponent having to play Purdue first, and that gives Carolina’s staff more tape to study. The game time still needs to be set, and the bigger question is whether the Tar Heels can shake off a loss that had real promise before the lightning hit.
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UNC Fans Have A Bigger Billy Edwards Jr. Concern Than One Bad Finish
The final throw against Clemson will stick with North Carolina fans for a while, but the bigger question around Billy Edwards Jr. is not one bad finish. The quarterbacks first interception of the year came at the worst possible moment in a game the Tar Heels could not close out, yet he remains the starter as the season moves forward and UNC keeps building around him.
What makes this situation more delicate is Edwards Jr.'s track record and the importance of depth behind him. The Tar Heels have sophomore backup Miles O'Neill available if needed, but the conversation in Chapel Hill is less about one late mistake than it is about whether Edwards Jr. can stay on the field and keep the offense steady over the long haul. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Grades Exposed A Bigger Concern Than The Clemson Collapse
The film grades from UNCs loss to Clemson do offer a few bright spots, even if the final result still stings. Junior safety Greg Smith led the defense with a 90.0 grade after helping force turnovers, while senior running back Benjamin Hall posted a career-best rushing performance and earned a 77.3 offensive grade. Beyond those two, the snap counts and individual grades paint a fuller picture of where the Tar Heels found some resistance and where they were repeatedly put on their heels.
For a team trying to sort out what went wrong, the bigger concern is less about one bad afternoon and more about the uneven stretches that showed up across the roster. The breakdown of who played well, who held up, and who struggled points to a Tar Heels group that still has answers to find on both sides of the ball, even as a few individual performances suggest there is at least something to build on. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Already Has One Debate Fans Cant Ignore
After three games, North Carolina has given its fans a pretty familiar early-season split between hope and concern. The Tar Heels are 2-1 with wins over TCU and East Tennessee State, and Xavier Lewis has already emerged as a bright spot by leading the ACC in sacks, but the offense has not come close to matching that energy.
Billy Edwards Jr. has thrown for 476 yards in three games, and the quarterback play remains the clearest issue hanging over the teams outlook. With Clemson already handing UNC its loss, the Tar Heels look like a group that can flash enough to stay interesting, but one that still has plenty to sort out before the schedule gets any less demanding. [Read more 🡒]