Trick play sparks Clemson to 28-point first quarter vs. North Carolina
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Clemson opened the first quarter of Saturday’s game against North Carolina in Chapel Hill with a clear directive: spark the offense.
On the first offensive play of the day for either team, Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik dumped a backward pass to receiver Antonio Williams as he ran around behind the formation on an orbit motion.
Williams rolled to the right and then fired downfield to wideout TJ Moore, who had gotten behind the defense and raced unencumbered for a 75-yard touchdown.
Coming off a bye week, Clemson wasted no time finding the endzone.
That play would be the start of a landslide for Clemson in the opening 15 minutes against Carolina, whose defenders looked like they were stuck in tar all throughout the first quarter. The Tigers totaled 253 yards of offense at 15.8 yards per play.
Klubnik completed 9 of his 10 passes for 158 yards and 3 scores in the opening quarter. The Tigers only ran the ball 5 times, but that wasn’t an issue; North Carolina wasn’t interested in tackling. And, as a result, Clemson ended the first quarter with a 28-3 lead.
The Tar Heels got Clemson to third down just twice in the opening quarter. While they stopped both tries, they immediately gave up fourth-down conversions in both instances.
Clemson scored its second touchdown of the game on a simple swing pass to the flat. Adam Randle broke several half-hearted tackle attempts and went 23 yards for 6 points.
The third touchdown came immediately after a fourth-down conversion. Klubnik hit tight end Christian Bentancur for 45 yards after a Tar Heel defender whiffed on a tackle.
The fourth score came in the final seconds of the first quarter, when a Carolina safety got caught flat-footed on a fake screen and Randall scored on a wheel route out of the backfield.
In losses to Georgia Tech and Syracuse on Sept. 13 and Sept. 20, Clemson scored only 21 points apiece. The Tigers managed just 10 points in their season-opening loss to LSU. In the win over Troy on Sept. 6, Clemson scored 27 points.
A season-high for scoring in just a single quarter? That’ll play.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
