Dabo Swinney, Clemson getting shredded after lackluster first half against North Carolina
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Dabo Swinney and Clemson were played off the field in Week 1 at LSU. They defeated Georgia Southern in Week 2, but were far from dominant as they went just 2-of-14 on third down and committed 10 penalties.
Week 3 against Bill Belichick and North Carolina, though, has been a massive struggle. The Tigers trailed the Tar Heels 17-6 at the half.
It looked as if the Tigers could find the end zone for the first time as they put together a promising drive toward the end of the first half. But a lack of urgency forced a frustrated Swinney to burn two timeouts, as Clemson ultimately was forced to settle for just three points after an 18-play drive amid boos from the Death Valley crowd.
True freshman Tait Reynolds stepped in for an injured Christopher Vizzina in this one. While the five-star recruit from Arizona may someday be a star in the college ranks, so far he has looked every part of a player that was making his first collegiate start. He has thrown for just 76 yards on 12-of-19 passing, but to his credit, he started to look more comfortable late in the second quarter. The run game has been nearly nonexistent: 16 carries for 41 yards, an average of 2.6 yards per carry.
Here’s some of the social media comments after Clemson’s first half against North Carolina:
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
