Tigers survive Tar Heel scare

CHAPEL HILL, NC—The No.1 Clemson Tigers entered their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels as a 26.5-point favorite, but for the first time in nearly a year, Tigers found themselves in a ball game in the fourth quarter. The North Carolina Tar Heels and the Tigers were tied 14-14 with 15 minutes to play in the game.

In front of a sold-out Kennan Memorial Stadium Saturday, the Tigers battled the Tar Heels, their own penalties and turnovers for three quarters, before they eventually escaped the Tar Heel state with a 21-20 victory.

Trailing 21-14, the Tar Heels mounted a drive for the ages, as they drove the ball 75 yards in 16 plays for a touchdown that cut the lead to 21-20. Instead of going for the tie, the Tar Heels chose to go for the 2-point conversion and the lead. However they were stopped on the play, and with it, fell to 0-11 against No. 1 ranked teams.

The Tar Heels jumped on top of the top-ranked Tigers on their first drive of the game. A 40-yard touchdown pass from Sam Howell to Dyami Brown capped a four-play, 75-yard drive that gave the Tar Heels a 7-0 lead. Those were the first points Clemson has allowed in the first quarter this year, and marked the first time since the second quarter of the Texas A&M game, Week 2, that the Tigers trailed at any point this season.

After both teams exchanged a combined four punts in the first quarter, the Tigers got on the board on their first drive of the second quarter. Trevor Lawrence connected on a 31-yard completion to Justyn Ross on first-and-10 from the Tar Heel 41-yard line to the 10-yard line where Travis Etienne found the end zone from 13 yards out and tied the game.

The Tigers got the ball back after the defense forced a three-and-out, but Etienne lost his second fumble of the season—had two lost fumbles in his career entering this season—gave the Tar Heels the ball at the Tiger 42. The Tar Heels needed only four plays to retake the lead, as Howell found Corrales for a 10-yard touchdown.

Lawrence and company responded on their ensuing possession, as he rushed four times for 25 yards and completed passes of 28 and 17 yards to Tee Higgins. Lawrence ended the Tigers 10-play, 78-yard drive on a 3-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal and tied the game 14-14.

"They (were) playing us to be patient," Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. "We had to make the plays that were their and take care of the ball. Give them credit."

After the 12th combined punt of the day, all of which combined for zero return yards, the Tigers took their first lead of the game with 9:54 to play in the game. Lawrence found Higgins for the 38-yard touchdown that gave the Tigers a 21-14 lead.

Tiger Tracks:

- Clemson won its 18th consecutive game, dating to the start of the 2018 season. It represents Clemson's all-time longest winning streak, surpassing a 17-game streak across the final three games of the 2014 season and the first 14 games in 2015.

- Clemson won its eighth straight true road game and avenge its most recent road loss (2017 at Syracuse). It was Clemson's fourth road winning streak of eight games or more all-time, joining eight- game streaks from 1947-48 and 1978-79 as well as the school-record 12-game streak from 2015-17.

- Clemson picked up their 20th victory in its last 21 true road games.

Up Next: The Tigers have a bye week next week, before they return home Oct.13 to take on the Florida State Seminoles.

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