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Clemson Looking to Bounce back in Chapel Hill

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports | By Shawn King | Last updated Oct 3, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Clemson is coming off a bye week and is ready to get back to action. The Tigers will be looking to bounce back from the 1-3 start to the season when they travel to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina. This will be the first time Clemson plays the Tar Heels with their new head coach, Bill Belichick.

It will be a showdown between two legendary football coaches happening in the triangle this weekend. Both Dabo Swinney’s and Belichick’s teams have had a rough start to the 2025 season. The winner of this matchup might be able to build enough momentum to begin turning the season around. Both coaches will have to take it one week at a time, though, and get through the tough challenge this weekend.

Clemson vs North Carolina

UNC in 2025

During the offseason, the UNC football program went through lots of changes. It started with the hiring of the former New England Patriots head coach. His time with the Patriots made Belichick recognized as arguably the greatest head coach in NFL history after winning six Super Bowls. Now he is trying his hand at the college level, where his father coached. When Belichick arrived in Chapel Hill, he brought in 70 new players. Many of them came from the transfer portal. Included in those new players is his top quarterback, Gio Lopez. He transferred in from the group of five program at South Alabama. In his first four starts for the Tar Heels, Lopez has completed 62.7% of his passes for 430 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. Backup quarterback Max Johnson has also seen a bit of action, completing 66.7% of his passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns. All the newness in the program has yet to click as UNC started the season 2-2. The two wins came against Charlotte and Richmond in decent performances by the Heels. The two losses have been blowouts, though. One of them was against the only power conference opponent the Tar Heels faced thus far, TCU. The Horned Frogs won the week one game 48-14. UNC also lost in its last outing, 9-34 to UCF. This Tar Heels team has talent, but getting so many new players acclimated in a program that is rebuilding from the ground up takes time.

USA Today Sports

Clemson vs UNC History

This will be the 61st meeting between UNC and Clemson on the gridiron. The first matchup between these programs was in the 1897 season. The Tar Heels won that game 28-0. In recent history, Clemson has won six straight games against UNC. This puts the Tigers’ series lead at 40-19-1. The last meeting between these two schools was in 2023 in Clemson, SC. The Tigers won that matchup 31-20. This year’s game will be played in Chapel Hill. The last meeting at Kenan Memorial Stadium was won by Clemson 21-20 in 2019. As two longtime members of the ACC, they have also met in two conference championship games, in 2015 and 2022. Clemson won both ACC championship games. This game feels almost just as much of a must-win for the Tigers, but for different reasons.

Clemson Keys For Victory

Clemson needs this win coming out of the bye week. If for nothing else, to build morale back after such a disappointing start. The Tigers can build some momentum for themselves with a great performance this weekend. Offensively, Clemson needs to take whatever the Tar Heels’ defense gives it. The Heels’ defense is likely to give up points in the run and quick pass game. The Tigers need to take advantage of that and get yards where they can. Run the ball early, throw some quick screens, and other short routes to force the defense to play more aggressively. Make the North Carolina defense give up the big play. Defensively, Clemson has to become dominant in this game. The Tigers’ defense has been good at times, but the expectation was greatness. This is a game for the defense to show it is still capable of being great. It starts with doing the basics. Shut down the run game, then get to Lopez on passing downs. If the Tigers do that enough, they will start to force some turnovers as well. The defensive front we raved about all offseason needs to have its best game of the season against the inconsistent UNC offensive line. If Clemson can do that, it’ll make it a long day in Chapel Hill for the Tar Heels. Main Photo: Ken Ruinard/GREENVILLE NEWS-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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