Grading Clemson vs. UNC: The Tigers pass test in third consecutive victory
CLEMSON – It took a while for Clemson football to find itself, both offensively and defensively, but the second half belonged to the Tigers in a 31-20 victory against No. 20 North Carolina.
North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton, the ACC’s leading rusher, showed why against the Tigers, rushing for 178 yards and averaging 9.4 yards per carry.
But Clemson’s offense came to life in the second half behind Will Shipley, and the defense kept UNC quarterback Drake Maye contained for the most part.
Clemson (7-4, 4-4 ACC) won its third consecutive game and will look to enhance its bowl standing with a victory at South Carolina on Saturday (7:30 p.m., SEC).
Here are Saturday’s grades from the victory against the Tar Heels:
Offense: B
The empty possessions of the first half gave way to solid play in the second half, led by junior running back Will Shipley. Shipley, who had 51 yards from scrimmage at halftime, finished the game with 179 yards – 126 rushing and 53 receiving. He had to make amends after fumbling at the UNC 2-yard line with 1:55 left in the opening half.
Clemson led 14-7 at halftime, but scored on three consecutive possessions in the third and fourth quarters to pull away behind Shipley and quarterback Cade Klubnik, who outplayed Maye for a second consecutive time.
Defense: B
The Tigers stepped up when necessary and held UNC quarterback Drake Maye to a 45% completion rate (9-of-20) in the first half. It didn’t get any easier for Maye in the second half as Clemson limited him to 7-of-15 for 67 yards. His 209 yards passing represented his second-lowest total of the season.
The best defensive play came from cornerback Nate Wiggins, who ran down Hampton from behind and knocked the ball loose and through the end zone at the goal line on what would have been a 36-yard touchdown run. Instead it was a touchback. Wiggins later intercepted a pass from Maye for a second straight year; he had a 98-yard interception return for a touchdown vs. Maye in last year’s ACC Championship Game.
Special teams: B-
A block-in-the-back penalty late in the second quarter negated a nice punt return by Hamp Green, but other than that special teams were solid. Kicker Robert Gunn recorded touchbacks on all of his kickoffs and punter Aidan Swanson continued his outstanding season, averaging 47.5 yards on his six punts.
Field goal kicker Jonathan Weitz made one of his two field goal attempts, converting from 21 yards but missing from 41.
Coaching: C
The game was rife with questionable calls on the Tigers’ behalf, but none bigger than the fake punt call on a fourth-and-one at the North Carolina 49-yard line with 5:59 left in the opening quarter. Credit coach Dabo Swinney for rolling the dice with a fake punt for a second consecutive week, but not sure about the call.
3 IN A ROW: Clemson football takes down No. 20 UNC for second ranked win in three games
The snap went to the up man, defensive tackle Tyler Davis, who was tackled for a 6-yard loss, then fumbled the ball. The Tar Heels took over at the Clemson 46 and scored four plays later for a 7-0 lead. Plenty of other play calls, particularly in the red zone, were questionable.
Overall: B-
Clemson allowed 457 yards to the Tar Heels’ prolific offense, which entered the game ranked third nationally at 520.6 yards per game. But the bottom line was the scoreboard and Clemson made enough stops at crucial junctures and found enough juice offensively to even its ACC record and carry momentum into a regular-season-ending game at South Carolina.
Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ScottKeepfer
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson grades vs. North Carolina: Tigers pass in third straight win
