North Carolina had Clemson on the ropes early, then watched the game slip away in a hurry.
The Tar Heels led 17-3 when Clemson punted with 7:06 left in the second quarter, and UNC turned that into a return to the Clemson 46. At that point, the home crowd had every reason to feel good.
Clemson’s offense had been stuck in the mud, going 4-for-33 on third down and finding the end zone just once. UNC had already piled up 195 yards, including 112 on the ground.
It looked like the kind of afternoon that could turn into a runaway.
Instead, Clemson flipped the whole thing. From that moment on, the Tigers outscored UNC 25-3 and outgained the Tar Heels by 218 yards. The comeback started gradually, then took over, and it finished with authority after a three-hour weather delay.
Billy Edwards’ downfield struggles caught up with him
The warning signs were already there before the game got away.
Earlier in the second quarter, Edwards had already missed several downfield throws to Shipp and Thurman, even while UNC’s run game and short passing game kept things moving. The issue was never just this one night. Against TCU and ETSU, Edwards had gone 21-23 on throws traveling less than 10 yards downfield, but only 10-24 on attempts beyond that range.
Clemson adjusted after the first quarter by tightening coverage and putting more pressure on the pocket. The message was obvious: make Edwards beat them with his arm on longer throws. That didn’t happen.
From the point when UNC had the ball at the Clemson 46 with a 17-3 lead, Edwards was 7-16 for 56 yards and an interception. He finished 13-30 for 152 yards with a touchdown and a pick. That kind of production wasn’t enough against this defense, especially when LSU had thrown for 334 yards and Georgia Southern’s Max Johnson - yes, that Max Johnson - had gone for 244 against the same unit.
After three games, Edwards’ inability to connect consistently downfield, even with Jelani Thurman and Jordan Shipp available, has become a major problem. Bill Belichick now has a real decision to make at quarterback, and the question is not just whether Edwards can improve. It’s whether anyone else in the room can do better.
Clemson’s pace stressed UNC in all the right places
UNC was already missing Melkart Abou Jaoude, and that mattered.
Donovan Hoilette, who transferred from FCS Richmond, stepped into the role and finished with two tackles, but Clemson had some success attacking his edge in the run game. He did not record a sack or a quarterback pressure, and the absence of MAJ showed.
Just as important was Clemson’s tempo. The Tigers used pace effectively on their final drive of the first half, the one that ended in a field goal and cut the UNC lead to 17-6 at halftime.
That series lasted more than five minutes, included 18 plays, covered 88 yards, and produced a 3-for-4 mark on third down. True freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds looked far more comfortable operating that way.
Clemson kept pressing the issue after the break, averaging 7.3 yards per rush and 13.9 per pass attempt in the second half. At first, the issue looked like plain fatigue, especially by the time the weather delay hit in the fourth quarter.
But after the break, Clemson’s first drive went 68 yards in just four plays. The bigger problem appeared to be communication - between the sideline and the defense, and among the players themselves once the ball was snapped.
That’s the kind of stress test opponents are going to keep using until UNC cleans it up.
Petrino’s offense keeps flashing early, then fading
The pattern is getting hard to ignore.
Against TCU and Clemson, UNC scored 24 points in the first quarter. In the next six quarters combined, the Tar Heels managed only nine.
In those first quarters, UNC averaged 7.42 yards per play on 19 plays against TCU and 6.7 yards per play on 19 plays against Clemson. In the second, third, and fourth quarters across those two games, that number dropped to 4.56 yards per play.
UNC has also gone 2-11 on third down in the second half of those games.
The offense starts fast, then disappears.
The late fourth-down call was especially revealing. UNC needed one yard to keep a drive alive and, with points required, Bobby Petrino dialed up a play-action shot deep to Jelani Thurman. Clemson wasn’t fooled, Edwards couldn’t deliver the throw, and Thurman had no real chance to make a play or draw a flag.
With only two games to judge, the simplest read is that Petrino’s opening script is working, but once opponents adjust, UNC has no answer. Edwards’ limitations are part of that. So is the reality that, unless Belichick is overruled, Petrino is working with the quarterback he believes gives UNC the best chance.
Belichick’s team has a lot to fix after this collapse. There’s still a remote chance Clemson goes on to tear through the rest of its schedule the way it did after settling in late in the first half here, but this performance looked more like scheme and execution than overwhelming talent. Future opponents will have the tape.
UNC has a bye week before Notre Dame, and Belichick has two weeks to make sure that game doesn’t become a complete embarrassment. After that, he has eight games left to get back on the winning side. If he doesn’t, those could be the final eight games of his coaching career.
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There is enough talent to make the conversation interesting, with transfers Terrence Brown and Neoklis Avdalas joining returnee Jarin Stevenson and freshman Maximo Adams as players expected to help offensively. Still, the projection leaves plenty of room for skepticism, and for UNC the bigger question is whether Malone can turn a newly built roster into something that looks like a true contender before the season starts answering it for him. [Read more 🡒]