Top-ranked Clemson tops Tar Heels in ACC Championship

CHARLOTTE — Bank of America Stadium is no friend to the 2015 North Carolina football team.

The No. 8 Tar Heels began the year in Charlotte with a loss to South Carolina — their sole loss of the season until No. 1 Clemson ended UNC's 11-game winning streak in the same stadium with a 45-37 defeat in Saturday's ACC Championship game.

While it could easily be said the Tar Heels (11-2) beat themselves during that season-opening game against the Gamecocks, that argument becomes much more difficult when looking at the loss to the Tigers.

Quarterback Marquise Williams had a poor game passing the ball — finishing just 11-for-33 with 224 yards and a key interception that resulted in a 97-yard Clemson touchdown drive. But he was also under pressure the entire game.

Against South Carolina, the mistakes could have been pinpointed to Williams. But for possibly the first time this season, the North Carolina offensive line looked vulnerable against the Tigers (13-0).

Clemson’s defensive front seemed to be in complete control throughout the game, giving Williams little time to operate in the pocket. The Tigers had two sacks on Williams and hit him eight times.

And while the Tar Heels started out strong on defense and created a key turnover in the third quarter — courtesy of a Nazair Jones deflection and interception — Heisman Trophy hopeful Deshaun Watson proved to be too much for them, as he won the game's Most Valuable Player award.

The Clemson quarterback set an ACC Championship game record for total yards, finishing with 420. Watson provided a challenge Gene Chizik’s defense had yet to face this season, with his ability to throw and run effectively. The sophomore finished with five total touchdowns, along with 289 passing yards and 131 rushing yards.

As it did all season, UNC continued to fight throughout the entire game, and seemed to have created one last scoring chance after recovering an onside kick with 1:13 left in the contest. But the play was called back on an offsides penalty, and the Tar Heels were unable to secure the ensuing onside kick to challenge for overtime down eight points.

“They missed it,” said Coach Larry Fedora after the game. “They were wrong. That’s all I’m going to say about it.”

The Tar Heels managed to recover from their season-opening loss to South Carolina and go on to have one of the most successful seasons in North Carolina history.

But in the end, Clemson — and Bank of America Stadium, which bled bright orange Saturday night — was no friend to this 2015 North Carolina football team.

Quotable

“Just a hell of a ballgame tonight. Clemson was the better team tonight. They did a heck of a job. Our guys fought all the way till the end and it felt like we were in it all the way to the end. (I’m) proud of the way we played.” — Fedora’s opening statement after the loss.

Notable

During the fourth quarter, Williams became the fifth player in ACC history to surpass 10,000 yards of total offense. He entered the game with 9,794 total career yards, and left it with 10,099 after compiling 305 yards of offense.

Three numbers that matter

382: After averaging 495.7 yards per game through their first 12 games, the Tar Heels managed just 382 on Saturday night against Clemson’s defense. The Tigers entered this game allowing 288.5 yards per game.

35.7: UNC converted on just five of its 14 third-down attempts, good for 35.7 percent. The Tar Heels entered the game 66-for-137 (48 percent) on third downs this season.

142: North Carolina rushed for just 142 yards against the Tigers. Entering the game, UNC averaged 229.7 rushing yards per game thanks to a much-improved ground attack. While sophomore Elijah Hood still managed 4.6 yards per carry, he only rushed 14 times for 65 yards.

What's next?

While the Tar Heels had a shot at the College Football Playoff with a victory, the loss means UNC will likely play in a bowl outside the "New Year's 6" games. North Carolina will find out on Sunday what bowl specific bowl game it will be playing in.

@CarlosACollazo

sports@dailytarheel.com