North Carolina Tar Heels lose heartbreaker to Clemson

North Carolina Tar Heels lose a heartbreaker in the final minutes, 21-20 to No. 1 Clemson.

In a hard-fought defensive battle, the North Carolina Tar Heels pushed the No. 1 team in the country to the absolute limit. In the end, the Tar Heels fell just short, falling 21-20 to the Clemson Tigers at Kenan-Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

The Tar Heels scored with 1:14 left in the 4th quarter to pull the deficit to one point and stayed on the field to try and get the two-point conversion and a 22-21 lead. Freshman quarterback Sam Howell took the snap and ran right but was stopped short of the goal line.

Clemson entered the game with the nation’s longest win streak at 19 straight games, with its last loss coming in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama in 2017. The Tar Heels had never beaten an AP top-three team in the nation and entered having lost three straight to the Tigers.

Howell played well, throwing for 144 yards and touchdowns, but the Tar Heels really shined on defense and in the running game. Junior running back Michael Carter had 99 yards and the Tar Heels rushed for 146 on the day.

The Tar Heel defense held tough against Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence all day, putting pressure on the sophomore all day.

The Tar Heels jumped on the Tigers right away. A little over a minute into the opening drive of the game, Howell hit Dyami Brown down the sideline for a 40-yard touchdown and set the tone for the game.

The teams would trade defensive stops before Lawrence was finally able to get the Tigers on track, leading them on a 10-play, 90-yard touchdown drive that culminated in a 13-yard touchdown run by Travis Etienne to tie the score at seven.

Howell and the Tar Heels answered quickly, taking advantage of good field position to punch the ball back in for the lead.

Facing the threat of trailing on the road, Lawrence rallied the Tigers for a 78-yard touchdown drive to tie the score at 14 heading into the half.

The teams would trade punts throughout the third, leading to the dramatic 4th quarter.

Facing 4th and one from the 40-yard line in the 4th quarter, UNC gambled and went for it, only to be stonewalled by the Clemson defensive line.

Clemson took over with its best field position of the day and took advantage. Lawrence hit Tee Higgins for a 38-yard touchdown down the seam to put the Tar Heels up 21-14.

Howell and the Tar Heels mounted one final drive, as the true freshman kept the Clemson defense on the field for eight minutes and 37 seconds, culminating in sophomore Javonte Williams steamrolling into the end zone to draw the Tar Heels close.

The Tar Heels nearly recovered the onside kick as it bounced around for several breathtaking seconds.

In the end, the Tar Heels fell to 2-3 and the Tigers get to continue their championship pursuit. But oh, what could’ve been in Chapel-Hill on Saturday.