UNC looking to rebound vs. down Clemson Team
by Sharon Thorsland
North Carolina has had an extra week to stew in its misery after a horrible loss to Central Florida. The Tar Heels are now 2-2, and welcome an equally miserable Clemson team to Kenan Stadium on Saturday. The Tigers are just 1-3 on the year and also coming off a bye. Kick-off is set for 3:30 on WBT.
While the Tar Heels might not have been expecting to compete for a national championship this season, the Tigers certainly were. The reigning ACC champs were ranked #4 in the AP preseason poll but got routed at home by LSU in the opener and lost again at home to Syracuse to last week. So they are no doubt looking at this UNC matchup as a “get-right” game.
Nailing down what has been Clemson’s problem is not easy. They returned All-ACC quarterback Cade Klubnik, who is in his third season as the Tiger’s starter. He threw 36 touchdowns and just six interceptions last year, but currently directs an offense that is one of the worst in the country. The Tigers are averaging under 20 points per game and converting just 36 percent on third downs. Klubnik has already thrown four interceptions through four games, and is completing a career worst 60% of his passes. Part of the reason is his top returning target from last season, Antonio Williams, has been sidelined with a hamstring injury. He returned against Syracuse in limited work but is healthy now and should give the offense a boost. Bryant Wesco leads the team with 24 receptions and is averaging over 16 yards a catch with five touchdowns, and TJ Moore and Tyler Brown have combined for 28 catches. Running back Adam Randall leads the team with 343 rushing yards and has three scores. The Tigers have looked the best when they’re running the ball, and Randall averaged over eight yards a carry against Syracuse, so look for them to try to establish the ground game early.
The Tigers have a physical defense with an outstanding front line, anchored by defensive end Will Heldt. The Purdue transfer has 16 tackles and leads the team with three sacks. But they’ve been bullied up front the past two weeks, and stopping the run has been a major issue. he passing defense has been inconsistent as the Tigers start three sophomores in the secondary. It will be interesting to see if the Tar Heels stick with Gio Lopez at quarterback or make the switch to Max Johnson, as Lopez has been largely ineffective to start the season and is also dinged up right now.
This will be a tough game for North Carolina. Clemson has won the last six meetings dating back to 2011, and hold a 40-19-1 edge in the series. The Tigers are no doubt ticked off at their poor start to the season and will be looking to take it out on the Tar Heels. It will take a near perfect effort for North Carolina to win this game and that is probably unrealistic. But I still say go Tar Heels!
