North Carolina spent most of Saturday looking like the better team, but the red zone told a much uglier story in a 28-20 loss to Clemson in the ACC opener.
The Tar Heels got out fast and looked sharp early, especially in the first quarter. On the opening series, the ground game set the tone.
Benjamin Hall ripped off runs of 16 and 5 yards, while Billy Edwards Jr. added an 11-yard carry. Edwards attempted just two passes on the drive, and North Carolina finished it with a touchdown.
The next possession showed the passing game at its best. Edwards hit Jordan Shipp for 23 yards and Mason Humphrey for 17, then capped the march with a 15-yard touchdown throw to Hall.
Those three explosive plays carried the Tar Heels down the field in a hurry, and they highlighted exactly how dangerous this offense can be when Edwards is connecting early. The problem is that North Carolina can’t afford long drives that ask him to consistently throw past the sticks.
After that, the offense started to lose its grip.
North Carolina got another first-quarter chance after the defense forced a fumble, taking over at Clemson’s 25-yard line. But penalties pushed the Tar Heels backward and the drive never really recovered. They settled for a 47-yard field goal attempt, and it was missed.
The second quarter brought more frustration. North Carolina managed one drive into the red zone, but Edwards threw three straight incompletions and the possession fizzled out, leaving the Tar Heels with only a field goal. That was basically the story for the rest of the first half, and in many ways, the rest of the game too.
After the two-and-a-half-hour rain delay, North Carolina had a chance to seize control with a first-and-goal inside the 10. Instead, Bobby Petrino leaned on the run game for three straight snaps, and none of them went anywhere. That sequence summed up the issue: Edwards had struggled so much as a passer that the offense became easy to pin down once it reached scoring territory.
North Carolina’s red zone problems trace back to that lack of a dependable passing game. Without it, the offense became one-dimensional, and the drives kept dying when the field got tight.
The Tar Heels now have a bye week before returning to face Notre Dame on Oct. 3 at Kenan Stadium.
In Other News...
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 🡒]