Defense was at a premium between the Clemson Tigers and the North Carolina Tar Heels. But the Tigers were able to have just a bit more defense than the Tar Heels to come away with the 59-38 victory and continue their unexpected undefeated season. The Tigers are now 8-0 and in first place in the ACC.
Clemson Vs. North Carolina 2011: Tajh Boyd Dominates Tar Heels In 59-38 Victory
Quarterback Tajh Boyd led the second half onslaught by Clemson by throwing three of his five touchdowns in the third quarter. He also rushed for a touchdown in that frame. This game may have played out differently had Boyd gotten off to a quicker start, but Clemson fans have an idea on that:
Our OL did not have a good day at all, after having its best day against Maryland. I expected Coples to have the better day of their Ends, but I think Price did well enough against him today. It was the others that didn’t generate any push or give Boyd much time to get rid of it. We ran the ball very poorly today, no matter what we tried.
North Carolina fans, meanwhile, doesn't feel great about the game. How could they? Quarterback Bryn Renner had three interceptions as well as several fumbles. Carolina March, though, finds the real trouble elsewhere:
But mainly it was the UNC secondary. The line did a great job of stopping the run, and Carolina ran a lot of interesting blitz packages to keep Tajh Boyd off of his game (sacking him three times), but there were just too many receiving threats and secondary wasn’t up to the challenge.
However, North Carolina should be able to get back on track against Wake Forest next Saturday. Clemson will have a tougher test with Georgia Tech.
For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Clemson blog Shakin the Southland and North Carolina blog Carolina March.
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