Clemson finds its spark in Chapel Hill with 38-10 win over North Carolina
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — For weeks, Clemson’s offense has been searching for an identity. On Saturday, it looked like the Tigers simply unplugged the system, plugged it back in, and suddenly everything started working as they rolled past North Carolina 38-10.
The tone was set immediately.
On the very first play from scrimmage, Cade Klubnik tossed to Antonio Williams on a double pass, and Williams uncorked a strike to TJ Moore streaking down the sideline. One play, 75 yards, touchdown.
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That was the opening note in what quickly turned into Clemson’s most explosive offensive half of the season.
The Tigers scored on their first four possessions, slicing through North Carolina’s (2-3, 0-1) defense almost effortlessly on their way to a 35-3 halftime lead.
By the end of the first quarter, Clemson had already set a season high with 28 points and piled up 253 yards while averaging 15.5 yards per play.
The Tigers ultimately scored touchdowns on five of their first seven drives, building an insurmountable lead in a game that was essentially decided by halftime.
It was the kind of efficiency that had been missing.
Klubnik finally put together the kind of performance that had been expected of him since August, completing 22 of 24 passes for 254 yards and four touchdowns.
He spread the ball to 10 different receivers before giving way to Christopher Vizzina early in the third quarter.
For perspective: the only other quarterback to throw four touchdowns in a half against a Bill Belichick team is Patrick Mahomes. Yes, that Patrick Mahomes—the NFL MVP. Now Klubnik shares the list.
Moore went on to post his best game of the season, finishing with 108 yards on five catches. Williams chipped in with five receptions of his own, while Adam Randall added two touchdowns through the air and 103 all purpose yards.
Tight end Christian Bentancur had a milestone afternoon as well, scoring the first two touchdowns of his career, including a 45-yard catch-and-run.
The passing game was so effective that the Tigers barely needed the ground game that totaled 89 yards.
The lone blemishes came in the form of self-inflicted wounds.
A promising first-half drive unraveled on three consecutive penalty-ridden plays that pushed Clemson from first-and-10 at the UNC 26 to first-and-40 back on its own side of the field.
The Tigers also misfired on a two-minute drill before halftime. Still, when an offense scores on five of its first seven possessions, the miscues are footnotes more than turning points.
Defensively, Clemson overcame a familiar issue.
For the third straight week, the Tigers allowed points on the opponent’s opening drive—a 10-play, 58-yard march that ended in a Tar Heel field goal.
But this time, defensive coordinator Tom Allen was on the sideline instead of the booth, and after that drive he lit into his players.
The response was immediate: North Carolina managed minus-five yards across its next four possessions and never truly threatened again until garbage time.
Carolina didn’t find another score until the fourth quarter with the game already decided.
For Swinney, this was his 300th game as Clemson’s head coach, and it came opposite one of football’s most decorated names in Belichick.
Whether UNC’s lifeless showing was a coaching failure, a talent gap, or both, it hardly mattered to Clemson. What mattered was the Tigers looked sharp and confident for the first time all year.
There’s no overstating how much Clemson needed a game like this.
The Tigers are still just 2-3, and the climb back to relevance will require more than one statement win against an undermanned UNC roster.
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But this was a step forward—a reminder of what this offense is capable of when Klubnik is sharp, the playmakers are involved, and the defense plays complementary football.
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Next week’s trip to Boston College may not carry the same intrigue, but it will answer an important question: was this a one-off spark, or the beginning of something Clemson can build on?
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