Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program picked up another big win as the Tigers took down No.20 North Carolina 31-20 in front of their home fans in Clemson Memorial Stadium.
Clemson takes down their second-ranked team in three weeks, proving to be the better team than UNC on Saturday. It wasn’t a perfect win for the Tigers, but they rarely are against competition of this level.
The Tigers’ defense got thrashed on the ground, allowing 248 rushing yards, with Tar Heels star running back Omarion Hampton running for 178 yards and two touchdowns. UNC star quarterback Drake Maye added 67 yards of his own.
Even if they got beat on the ground, the Clemson defense had a sneaky solid performance that the stats won’t necessarily show. The Tar Heels offense is one of the most explosive in the country, scoring 40+ points in 6 of their last 7 games before this. Clemson’s defense had a classic bend-don’t-break performance, allowing 21 points.
Nate Wiggins put together an unreal performance, making an absurd play to keep UNC from scoring a touchdown and making a game-sealing interception.
On offense, Clemson did something similar to UNC and ran all over their opposing defense. Another ridiculous rushing total, 240 yards for the Tigers on the ground. They were led by Will Shipley, who took 18 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown. He added two catches for 53 yards.
Clemson starting quarterback Cade Klubnik continues to improve, looking more and more comfortable under center. He completed 21-32 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown, looking confident in the pocket. Klubnik was also dangerous with his feet, running for 44 yards and a touchdown.
This Clemson team has looked great as the season winds down.