Clemson Downs Tar Heels, 38-10

Saturday, October 4

Chapel Hill, N.C.

Noon

North Carolina

2-3 , 0-1

Clemson

2-3 , 1-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Clemson

North Carolina

Photo by: BRIDGET R. HIGHT

October 4, 2025 | Football

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By: Matt Bowers

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—Clemson exploded for a 28-3, first quarter lead and cruised to a 38-10 win at North Carolina on Saturday afternoon at Kenan Stadium.

The Tigers snapped their two-game losing streak, improving to 2-3 overall and 1-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tar Heels dropped their second game in a row and fell to 2-3, 0-1 in their conference opener.

Clemson started with a splash, taking a 7-0 lead just 11 seconds into the game on its first play from scrimmage, a 75-yard scoring toss from wide receiver Antonio Williams to T.J. Moore on a double pass that started with quarterback Cade Klubnik.

After the Tar Heels responded with a field goal, the Tigers moved quickly for another touchdown, this one on a 35-yard pass from Klubnik to Adam Randall to cap a three-play, 75-yard drive and make it 14-3 Tigers just over six minutes into the first quarter.

Clemson made it 21-3 on another splash play, this time a 45-yard toss from Klubnik to Christian Bentancur. Another score with just a second left in the first quarter made the score 28-3, and the Tigers led, 35-3, at halftime.

"Today was a disappointing outcome for us," UNC head coach Bill Belichick said. "I thought we had a good week. I think we were ready to go, but unfortunately, we gave up some big plays early in the game and that really tilted the game, and we're just not ready to be able to recover. The big plays in the passing game, I mean, we probably gave up 200 yards of passing on five plays."

Clemson posted 367 total yards in the first half to 78 for Carolina with advantages of 326 to 66 in passing yards and 14 to 5 in first downs.

Things didn't get much better for UNC in the second half. Neither team scored in the third quarter. Clemson took a 38-3 lead on a field goal with 13:20 left in the game, and Carolina scored its only touchdown on an 11-yard rush by Benjamin Hall with 10:25 remaining to cut the deficit to 38-10.

Klubnik shined for the Tigers, completing 22 of 24 passes for 254 yards and four touchdowns before leaving the game in the third quarter. Thirteen different Clemson players caught passes in a dominant day through the air, including eight with multiple receptions.

With quarterback Gio Lopez missing the game due to injury, Max Johnson made his first start of the season, his second start as a Tar Heel and his first since his devastating knee injury in the 2024 season opener at Minnesota. Johnson finished 26 for 42 through the air for 213 yards without a touchdown or interception.

Jordan Shipp led Carolina with five catches for 41 yards, while Shanard Clower added four catches and Demon June had four grabs along with five carries for 16 yards.

"I'm super proud of how they played," said Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney. "We have not played much complementary football this entire year, and that's what you saw from the opening snap. I think we [forced] four straight three-and-outs for minus five yards, while the offense was scoring and playing complementary football."

How It Happened
First Quarter
• Clemson scored on its first play from scrimmage, a pass from wide receiver Williams to Moore for a 75-yard score only 11 seconds into the game.
• Johnson started strong under center for Carolina, completing 4 of 6 passes and leading the Tar Heels to a field goal on their first drive.
• The Tigers struck back quickly for another quick score, a 35-yard TD pass to top off a 75-yard drive in just three plays for a 14-3 lead.
• Clemson posted its third explosive, long play of the first quarter when Klubnik hit Bentancur for a 45-yard score as defender Will Hardy fell down on the play, making it 21-3 with 4:15 left in the period.

Second Quarter
• The Tigers added another touchdown with 2:02 left in the first half, scoring a season-high 35 points in the first half alone.
• Clemson scored touchdowns on its first four drives of the game and five of seven in the first half.

Third Quarter
• Neither team scored in an uneventful third quarter.

Fourth Quarter
• Carolina finally scored a touchdown with 10:25 left to play on an 11-yard rush by Hall.

Inside the Numbers
• Clemson out-gained Carolina, 253 to 57 in the first quarter, including 233 to 47 through the air, averaging 15.8 yards per play in the first 15 minutes.
• UNC had four consecutive three-and-out drives after starting the game with a field goal.
• By the end of the game, the Tigers dominated statistically in total yards (488 to 270) and passing yards (399 to 213).
• Carolina is 30-43 all-time in ACC openers and 38-35 in ACC home openers.

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Up Next
The Tar Heels have a bye in their schedule next weekend before playing their first road conference game of the season. Carolina will visit Cal on Friday October 17 at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. UNC's next home game is on Saturday October 25 against Virginia in Chapel Hill.