It didn’t take long for the Clemson Tigers (now 2-3, 1-2 ACC) to strike on Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill.
Cade Klubnik flipped a backward pass to Antonio Williams, who hit T.J. Moore in stride down the right sideline for a 75-yard touchdown. One play in, the Tigers led 7-0 in Kenan Stadium.
What followed was Clemson’s most prolific offensive output of 2025. Dabo Swinney’s team scored touchdowns on their first four drives, and on five of their first six. They piled up 488 yards and 23 first downs, picking apart a Bill Belichick-led defense. After not scoring more than 27 points in a game yet this season, CU erupted for 28 first-quarter points to build a huge lead.
Wide receiver Tristan Smith made the most of his increased playing time against the Tar Heels. The transfer target from Southeast Missouri State snagged three of his four targets, totaling 29 yards on the day. The highlight of his performance came in the second quarter, when he elevated over a Tar Heel defensive back to make an acrobatic 19-yard catch in the red zone.
Tight end Christian Bentancur stood out as well. The redshirt freshman from Lakemoor, Ill. hauled in a pair of passes, both going for 45 and 8-yard touchdowns. Quarterback Cade Klubnik found a rhythm early throwing to his safety blanket. Clemson’s senior leader looked more calm than in any other game this season, completing 22 of 24 passes for 254 yards and four touchdowns.
“I’m really proud of [Cade]”, head coach Dabo Swinney said postgame. “My message to him was, I just need you to be Cade. We’ve just got to get you to be Cade. Probably one of the best plays of the game was the Adam Randall touchdown. He just seemed really at ease, and seemed like everything was slow to him today. He just made the right decisions, put the ball in play, and then guys made plays for him.”
But the dominance didn’t end when North Carolina had possession. For the first time since the opener against LSU, Clemson held an opponent to 10 or fewer points. UNC was outgained by an eye-popping 367-78 margin in the first half. The Tar Heels recorded a meager 57 yards rushing.
“We have not played much complimentary football this entire year,” Swinney said. “And that’s what you saw [today]. I mean, from the opening snap. I think we had four straight three and outs [forced] for minus-five yards….I was very concerned coming into this game, the way that number 35 [UNC running back Demon June] has been running the football, and the way we’ve been playing run defense. That was a great response by our guys. I just thought they played like they’re supposed to play.”
Clemson will look to build on their blowout win in Chapel Hill next Saturday when they travel to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts to take on Boston College. The Eagles (1-4, 0-3 ACC) were hammered in a 48-7 loss at Pittsburgh on Saturday. ACC Network will televise the game, which will kick off at 7:30 p.m. In the last meeting between the teams, CU cruised to a 31-3 road win in Chestnut Hill.
