CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Clemson scored a touchdown on its first offensive play and on each of its first four possessions as the Tigers (2-3, 1-2 ACC) rode a commanding early lead over North Carolina (2-3, 0-1 ACC) to a 38-10 victory at Kenan Stadium.
The contest was the 300th overall game for Dabo Swinney at Clemson, including 68 games as an assistant coach and 232 as head coach. Swinney became the third coach in Clemson history to serve as assistant coach and/or head coach for 300 career games with the Tigers.
Quarterback Cade Klubnik finished 22-of-24 for 254 passing yards and four touchdowns through the air. Wide receiver T.J. Moore hauled in five passes for 108 yards and a touchdown, while tight end Christian Bentancur caught two passes for 53 yards and two scores.
The Tiger defense held UNC to 270 yards of total offense and limited the Tar Heels to two for 11 on third downs. Linebacker Sammy Brown led with five tackles (0.5 for loss), and defensive tackle Stephiylan Green recorded a sack.
Clemson scored on the opening play from scrimmage, as Antonio Williams caught a backwards pass from Cade Klubnik before connecting with T.J. Moore down the right sideline for a 75-yard touchdown, the longest reception of Moore’s career.
North Carolina scored on its initial possession, getting on the board with a 35-yard field goal by Rece Verhoff to make the score 7-3.
Clemson quickly added another score when Adam Randall caught a short pass from Klubnik and took it the distance for a 35-yard touchdown, capping a three-play, 75-yard drive. With the touchdown, Randall became the first Clemson player to find the end zone in each of the first five games of a season since Travis Etienne in 2018.
After forcing a three-and-out, Clemson scored its third touchdown in as many drives, as tight end Christian Bentancur hauled in a pass from Klubnik at the UNC 21-yard line before shaking off a tackle and reaching the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown, the first of his career.
Clemson extended the lead to 28-3 on its fourth possession on a touchdown pass from Klubnik to Randall for a 23-yard score, their second connection of the game. Clemson outgained North Carolina, 253-57, in the first quarter, averaging 15.8 yards per play in the opening stanza.
After forcing a fourth consecutive UNC three-and-out, Bentancur caught a Klubnik pass for an eight-yard touchdown, his second receiving touchdown of the game, extending Clemson’s lead to 35-3. Clemson carried that lead into halftime after holding North Carolina to 21 yards in the second quarter and 78 total yards in the first half, surrendering just five first downs in seven drives.
UNC received the opening kickoff of the second half and drove to the Clemson 32-yard line, but Verhoff’s 50-yard field goal attempt struck the left upright and was no good.
Clemson was forced to punt on its first possession of the second half. UNC drove to the Clemson 36-yard line on its next possession, but Clemson forced a turnover on downs as Max Johnson’s pass fell incomplete on 4th-and-4 with 3:40 remaining in the third quarter.
Christopher Vizzina entered the game at quarterback for the ensuing Clemson possession and engineered a 14-play, 55-yard drive capped by a 27-yard Nolan Hauser field goal that extended the lead to 38-3 with 13:20 remaining in the game.
North Carolina then drove 75 yards in five plays and Benjamin Hall scored an 11-yard rushing touchdown to cut the Clemson lead to 38-10 with 10:25 remaining. Clemson drove into North Carolina territory on its next two drives but did not add any points, keeping the final score at 38-10.
The victory came against North Carolina Head Coach Bill Belichick. The contest represented only the second time in college football history a coach with multiple FBS national championships as a head coach will face one with multiple Super Bowl titles as a head coach. The lone other qualifying matchup in history came on New Year’s Day in 1993, when Bill Walsh, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the San Francisco 49ers, led Stanford against two-time national champion Joe Paterno and Penn State in the Blockbuster Bowl.
Clemson will play on the road again next week when the Tigers face the Boston College Eagles on Saturday, Oct. 11. Kickoff for that contest is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network. Clemson’s next home game at Memorial Stadium will be on Saturday, Oct. 18 vs. SMU; ticket information for all of Clemson’s four remaining home games is available here.
