CHARLOTTE — After the previous two weeks, North Carolina had low expectations against a team that was superior across the board. However, even by those standards, the Clemson Tigers defeated the Tar Heels in the ACC Championship by a score of 39-10. The hard truth is that North Carolina starts almost every game at a disadvantage for the coaching staff.
It explains how App State scored 40 points in a single quarter, how Georgia Tech and NC State were able to win in Chapel Hill with quarterbacks that no one had ever heard of, and why they don’t even look like they could compete against a team that has out-recruited them. In losses, the team has consistently been outcoached. The fact that Drake Maye’s performances were unable to save them makes the difference between winning and losing.
DJ Uiagalelei gave Clemson false hope when he threw a few bad passes and went three and out on Clemson’s first two possessions. However, the UNC defense wasn’t doing anything to stop Clemson. Dabo Swinney saw that and made the necessary adjustments. Cade Klubnik, a true freshman, decimated Carolina’s defense, completing 20 of 24 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns—one with his arm and one with his legs.
The defense’s biggest flaw, which is why it is now 0-4 against backup quarterbacks, is that it doesn’t force an opponent to look for a counter because it doesn’t have anything to take away. With ease, the opposing offenses get what they want. When discussing Power 5 football, the fact that offensive coordinators are required to do so little in preparation for facing UNC’s defense is outrageous.
This is not a high school where the science teacher down the hall serves as the coach. We were aware that Drake Maye would have to put the team’s support behind him in order for Carolina to win.UNC clearly did not comprehend that. Maye appeared uneasy for the third week in a row, and during that time, he has thrown four interceptions to just one touchdown.
Under questionable playcalling, the offense as a whole appeared to be stagnant. Recently, they have been shown to be paper tigers that will gain yards and then falter within the 20. There’s not any justification for a generational quarterback playing with perhaps of the best collector in the country to be on an offense that has seven scores on its last 41 belongings.
Saturday night, UNC made five trips to the red zone: a pick-six interception. A touchdown, a missed field goal, a made field goal, a turnover on downs, and a touchdown. That will not suffice against anyone, much less a Clemson team of that caliber. The Clemson counterfeit field objective on an additional point endeavor currently up 20 summarized the previous month of disheartening football for UNC.
By making an already difficult situation even worse. From 9-1 to 9-4, and honestly, I don’t see how the downward trend won’t continue into the bowl game. These are the outcomes you will get when a good team has weeks to prepare for this Carolina team. I’m Taylor Vippolis, and this is my final message for Inside Carolina from Bank of America Stadium.