ACC Championship Preview: Expectations in the top 25 showdown
No. 23 North Carolina will play for a chance at its first ACC title since 1980 on Saturday.
UNC is facing No. 9 Clemson in a rematch of the controversial 2015 ACC Championship remembered for the Tar Heels' late-game onside kick recovery negated by a questionable offsides call.
With the way both teams have flirted with early losses throughout the season and fell short to unranked teams at the end, this year's title game may be just as close.
UNC has without a doubt boasted the best passing offense in the conference, but it has struggled immensely through the air in the last two games of the season. With a stout run defense in the horizon, the Tar Heels won't likely shy away from throwing, especially since they may find some success against Clemson's secondary.
The Tigers have given up the fifth-most passing yards in the ACC, and their secondary has been exposed at times this season. They gave up 337 yards and six passing touchdowns to Sam Hartman at Wake Forest and 360 yards to Spencer Rattler against South Carolina, despite picking him off twice. On top of that, they will have the tough task of containing both Josh Downs and Antoine Green who have been an elite receiver duo this season.
Drake Maye is due for a monster game as he's only thrown one touchdown pass in the last two weeks. Yet, the key for the passing attack will be on the receivers doing their part and cutting down on the drops which have plagued the Tar Heels in their last two losses.
Clemson, although still a good team, has not looked like the same program that has won six of the last seven ACC Championships this year.
They've experienced quarterback issues with D.J. Uiagalelei failing to meet expectations at times, and they've also been in more close games than usual.
Against a banged up UNC defense, though, the Tigers may get some things going offensively, especially with key pieces Tony Grimes, Storm Duck and Cam'Ron Kelly being monitored before their availability is announced.
Clemson has found success in the run game this season, being a top three team in the ACC on the ground. It's no secret that the Tar Heels have struggled stopping the run just as much as they've struggled defending the pass, and depending on who's available, it may be on others like Marcus Allen and DeAndre Boykins to strengthen the unit on Saturday.
With that in mind, expect this game to be close. Like most of the Tar Heels' games this season, their success will come down to the defense and how well they can limit Clemson's rushing attack and force them to throw. The offense also has to get back on track and shake off those two lackluster performances against a solid run defense and take advantage of down-field opportunities against a less-than-spectacular secondary.
A win for UNC would salvage a disastrous ending to the regular season, sending the Tar Heels to the Orange Bowl for the second time in three seasons.
The game will kickoff in Charlotte Saturday night at 8 p.m.
