One play, two points and three yards won't define Carolina's performance vs. Clemson

The Tar Heels shouldn't feel anything but encouraged by Saturday

CHAPEL HILL — One play, two points and three yards.

That was the difference between North Carolina becoming the answer to a trivia question and sending shockwaves through the college football world instead of just another footnote in Clemson’s dominant run through college football.

One play, two points and three yards.

That’s all that separated Mack Brown’s rebuilding job in Chapel Hill from Dabo Swinney’s well-oiled machine down in Clemson that has won two national titles in four seasons as the Tigers hung on for a 21-20 victory on Saturday.

Out of the 124 plays in Kenan Stadium — many of which were near-perfect for the Tar Heels — there’s only one that will be talked about at tailgates and maybe even remembered as the one that saved another national title run for the Tigers.

And there was never a doubt in Mack Brown’s mind that the Tar Heels were going to run it, and given the chance to do it again, they’d send the offense back on the field every single time.

The moment officials signaled a touchdown on Javonte Williams’ dive up the middle, the Carolina coaching staff held up two fingers, with the decision made well before the Tar Heels had cut Clemson’s lead to 21-20.

"I asked Phil (Longo), 'Do you have a play that you think is going to score to win the game, beat the No. 1 team in the country?' and he said, 'Yes,’” Brown said.

In part, Brown was persuaded by his offensive coordinator’s confidence, and on the other side, he wanted to show his team just how confident he was in them. There was also the understanding that his team was overmatched.

“I've always had the theory that the longer the game goes, the best team wins, and they have the best team,” Brown said. “So, my thought was, 'Go now. They've got momentum. They're tired. They're on the field.' That was the best chance for us to win the game.”

During the ensuing timeout, and when quarterback Sam Howell got the call, he liked what he heard.

“It’s just a play we’re very confident in,” Howell said. “In my opinion, it was a very good play-call — something we like against them.”

In the season-opener against South Carolina, Howell got in the end zone for two points on an option play that isolated him on the outside with an option to pitch to Williams.

On the other sideline, the Tigers had a feeling what was coming.

“Brent (Venables) said we would probably get the speed option,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “They’ll put the ball in the quarterback’s hands and see if he can find a crease on us.”

A massive contingent of orange went wild as the Tar Heels returned to the field staring straight into the Blue Zone, just two yards from the end zone and moments from a win that could change the course of the Carolina program.

The formation was different, with Dazz Newsome going in motion in the backfield. The first read was different, too, with Howell correctly pulling the ball on the inside zone with a Clemson defender sizing up Williams in the hole.

Howell’s read on Clemson defensive end Xavier Thomas was correct, too, as he crashed into the backfield.

Somehow, though, the 6-2, 265-pound lineman turned on a dime and got his hands on Howell enough to slow him down, while linebacker Chad Smith came through traffic to finish off the tackle.

Instead of a raucous celebration with goalposts potentially coming down or bonfires on Franklin Street, Howell walked off the field slowly as right tackle Jordan Tucker wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

One play, two points and three yards was the difference between a legendary day in Carolina football and the harsh reality of falling to 2-3.

“We're having a different conversation if we make it,” Brown said. “You're all talking about me being a genius instead of an idiot. So, that's the difference in two points."

One play, two points and three yards won’t define Saturday for the Tar Heels, though.

For 124 plays, Carolina gave the No. 1 team in the nation all it wanted. Clemson hadn’t been tied or trialing in the second half of a game since Sept. 29, 2018, and before that, only when it lost to Alabama in the 2017 College Football Playoff.

The Tigers’ 21 points are the fewest they’ve scored since that loss to the Crimson Tide, while its offense was held nearly 200 yards below its average this season.

“We were talking all week like, ‘This is going to be a test to see where we are as a team,” linebacker Jeremiah Gemmel said. “I just hope everybody on the team looks at this and sees how good we can actually be. We just went toe-to-toe with the No. 1 team in the country…”

Brown cautioned that he wasn’t into moral victories, but admitted he took pride in what the Tar Heels showed on Saturday.

“Winning is what matters, but as a coach, you're a reflection of your team and I told them in my 31 years of coaching, I've never been prouder of their effort,” he said. “If I'm a reflection of the way those guys fought their guts out tonight, I'm very, very proud of that."

And instead of dwelling on one that came up short, they’ll focus on the others that got them there.

“It just showed what we’re capable of as a team,” Howell said. “That’s the best team in the country, we just took them down to the wire and should have won the game. It shows what we’re capable of.”