The toughest part of UNC’s football schedule now awaits it.
After playing six of their last seven contests in Kenan Stadium, the Tar Heels now hit the road for their final two contests of the regular season.
First up – Death Valley. Not the stadium that claims itself as Death Valley down in Baton Rouge, but the actual Death Valley that is Clemson Memorial Stadium in South Carolina’s Upstate region.
The Tigers are nowhere near the same dominant program that made six consecutive College Football Playoff appearances from 2015-2020, but they are still a good team, particularly at home. Clemson is coming off a 42-21 thumping of Georgia Tech last weekend, in which its defense held Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King to one passing yard in the first half.
UNC counters Clemson’s strong defense with an electric, high-octane offense that ranks third among FBS school in yards per game (520.6). The main keys behind Carolina’s offense are star quarterback Drake Maye (fourth in the nation with 3,145 passing yards) and star running back Omarion Hampton (second in nation with 1,236 rushing yards).
The Tar Heels have scored 40 points in seven of their 10 games, with a few coming against strong defenses like Minnesota and Miami. In their 47-45 overtime win against Duke last weekend, UNC scored 28 points in the second half and overtime.
Strong defenses haven’t slowed Carolina down in the past. Will Clemson’s get the job done this weekend?