Clemson Tigers Explode in First Quarter, Rout North Carolina in Chapel Hill

The Clemson Tigers scored touchdowns on four consecutive drives in the first quarter for their first ACC contest of the season.

Clemson tight end Christian Bentancur scored his first two touchdowns of his career against North Carolina on Saturday. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.— The Clemson Tigers picked up their first ACC win of the season with a 38-10 rout over the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Stadium on Saturday. 

Clemson scored 28 of those points in the first quarter with four straight touchdown drives to put the game out of hand early. A passing attack led by quarterback Cade Klubnik saw the Tigers record 399 passing yards in the win, the most by the unit so far this season. 

Head coach Dabo Swinney set the tone early on opposing head coach Bill Belichick with an opening trick play to find the end zone. Clemson used a double pass from Antonio Williams to find a wide open T.J. Moore for a 75-yard touchdown. 

A drive later, the Clemson offense only needed three plays to march down the field for another 75-yard drive. Adam Randall would get in the end zone for the Tigers, scoring on a 35-yard catch-and-run by walking the tightrope and making an impressive effort to stay out of bounds.

Randall would score a second receiving touchdown of 23 yards at the end of the first quarter as well. Clemson’s 28 first quarter points were the first time the team scored that amount since it played Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, last season. 

The tight end room saw production from redshirt freshman Christian Bentancur, who caught two touchdowns in the win on Saturday. The first was a 34-yard score from Klubnik where Bentancur evaded defenders on his way to his first collegiate touchdown of his career. With 2:02 remaining in the first half, the tight end caught his second touchdown from Klubnik for an 8-yard score. 

Playing complimentary football was a point of emphasis from Swinney throughout the season, and Clemson played that way throughout the first half. While the Tigers went into halftime with a 35-3 score, the team forced four straight three-and-outs on the Tar Heels to put its fist down on the game. 

Defensive coordinator Tom Allen watched his defense from the coaches box in the first four games, but made a switch to coaching from the field on Saturday afternoon. The effort and energy was apparent and helped lead to the first-half onslaught. 

Klubnik finished with 254 passing yards and four touchdowns in the win, only throwing two incompletions in the win. He would be pulled towards the end of the third quarter, giving reps to backups Christopher Vizzina and Trent Pearman for the final drives of the game. 

12 different receivers recorded a reception in the win for Clemson. Moore led the group with five receptions for 108 yards and a score. Randall finished with four receptions for 78 yards and two receiving touchdowns in addition to 30 yards on the ground.

After the first half, the Tigers had 10.8 yards per play to showcase their explosive offense. On the flip side, the Clemson defense only allowed an average of 2.8 yards per play in the frame, assisting in the blowout half that led to the victory. 

Clemson will remain on the road next week, traveling to Boston College to continue momentum on Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m.