Clemson clobbers UNC in ACC Championship. How the Tigers ran away with a 39-10 win

Well, North Carolina had its chances.

Look at the three drives the Tar Heels marched inside the Clemson 15, and three times they failed to score a touchdown. The Tigers, on the strength of Nate Wiggins’ 98-yard interception return for a touchdown, actually outscored UNC 8-3 on those possessions.

It was too much for the Heels to overcome as their second ever appearance in the ACC Championship game ended with another loss to Clemson, 39-10 in Bank of America Stadium on Saturday.

It’s actually been the same story during Carolina’s current three game losing streak. Against Georgia Tech, it converted just one touchdown in five red zone trips of a 21-17 loss. Against N.C. State, it converted three touchdowns in seven trips inside the 20 of a 30-27 overtime loss.

Against the Tigers, the Heels scored a touchdown on their first drive of the game and did not score one on their next four red zone opportunities.

Clemson had no such problems scoring after starting quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei was benched in favor of Cade Klubnik after two three-and-out drives to start the game.

Klubnik completed his first 10 passes — his first incompletion came with 19 seconds left in the first half — and guided the Tigers on scoring drives on his first four possessions for a 24-10 lead at halftime.

Klubnik finished 20 of 24 for 279 yards and a touchdown passing and one rushing. He also continued an odd narrative that UNC’s four losses on the season all came to backup quarterbacks.

But Klubnik’s play wasn’t what won the game for Clemson. It was the Tigers defense that always tightened up when the Heels were on the brink of a touchdown.

Carolina trailed 14-7 when it marched 61 yards on 17 plays on a drive that lasted 7:36 of game clock. Along the way, the Heels converted a third-and-17 when Antoine Green made his first catch of the game for 18 yards.

But the drive stalled from there. A fade pass to Green in the end zone was broken up by Wiggins. And he would be a nemesis to the Heels again on Noah Burnette’s 31-yard field goal attempt.

Wiggins raced from his spot on the left side of the line to block Burnette’s kick, leaving Carolina scoreless on one of its longest drives of the season.

The Heels’ ensuing drive, now trailing 21-7, reached the Clemson 6. But on third and goal, quarterback Drake Maye had room to run and likely would have scored, but Jeremiah Trotter Jr., got enough of his leg to trip him up for a two-yard loss. It led to a 25-yard field goal with 1:20 left before halftime.

The Tigers’ nullified any boost Carolina may have felt from scoring with a 52-yard field goal from B.T. Potter as time expired in the first half.

And Clemson essentially ended the Heels’ hope for the title on their first trip to the red zone in the third quarter.

Carolina looked to pull within a touchdown and faced second and goal from the Clemson 5. Trotter pressured Maye into an incomplete pass over the heads of receiver Gavin Blackwell and J.J. Jones, who were in the same area of the end zone.

On third down, pressure again forced Maye from the pocket and sent him scrambling to the right. Maye looked to dump the ball to tight end John Copenhaver, but it appeared he couldn’t locate the ball and didn’t make a play on it. The pass went right into Wiggins’ hands and he returned it 98 yards for a touchdown.

Instead of a one score game, Carolina now trailed Clemson 32-10.

It was the second turnover of the game for the Heels that also led to a touchdown.

In the first quarter, Maye appeared to hold the ball too long in the grasp of running back Omarion Hampton on a run-pass option play. When he tried pulling the ball away, he fumbled and it gave Clemson the ball back at the UNC 23.

Two plays and 40 seconds later, the Tar Heels found themselves trailing the Tigers 14-7 and they were never within one score again.