Dabo Swinney shares what win vs. North Carolina did for Clemson locker room

Clemson got back in the win column in a big way against North Carolina during Week 6. Defeating the Tar Heels 38-10, the Tigers improved to 2-3 on the season following the win.

Head coach Dabo Swinney agreed that the victory took a bit of weight off his team’s shoulders. After all, it was the first blowout win of the season for Clemson. They previously defeated Troy 27-16 to win their first game during Week 2.

“It was a great locker room. We have had some some heartbreaks and honestly, we hadn’t played well. I mean, there’s just no other way to say it,” Swinney said on Tuesday. “We won the Troy game, but we didn’t play well, and so it was good for them to win the game, for sure. But to play well and really see and feel what that looks like when they really put it all together as a group, complimentary wise.

“So no question, they played with great execution on both sides of the ball. … So, yeah, that part was really good. Now, we’ve got to create consistency in performance. That comes through practice and hopefully they’re coming out of (the UNC win) with some confidence.”

Clemson took control of the Tar Heels immediately. On the first snap of the game, Clemson WR Antonio Williams caught a pass-back from QB Cade Klubnik. Williams connected with TJ Moore down the side line, where he scored from 75-yards out.

Klubnik was nearly perfect during the game. He completed 22 of his 24 passing attempts for 254 yards and four touchdowns. More importantly, he didn’t turn the ball over with an interception.

The Tigers would go on to take a 28-3 lead into halftime over Bill Belichick’s North Carolina program. Clemson went on to score the first 10 points of the second half before UNC scored its first touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Defensively, Clemson held North Carolina to 57 yards on the ground. The Tar Heels found most of their success through the air, but averaged 5.1 yards per pass compared to double that for the Tigers.

The Tigers will look to keep their momentum rolling into Week 7, where they’re set to take on Boston College on the road. Kickoff between the ACC foes is set for 7:30 p.m. ET live on the ACC Network.

Looking ahead, Clemson still has matchups against the likes of SMU, Duke, Florida State, Louisville and South Carolina on their schedule. Counting this week against Boston College, the Tigers will have to win at least four of those seven games to qualify for a bowl game.