CLEMSON – For two-plus quarters on Saturday, Clemson’s offense looked stagnant. So did freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds, which is to be expected considering the Tigers were going up against North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick, a future Pro Football Hall of Famer and defensive guru.
However, something happened on the way to what looked like a sure loss for the Tigers – Reynolds grew up. The freshman led Clemson on an 18-play, 88-yard scoring drive just before the half, rallying the Tigers from a 14-point deficit to a 28-20 victory.
“Very cool,” Reynolds said about outdueling Belichick. “What an amazing coach he is. Bunch of respect to him and a great game he played.”
After Saturday’s game, Belichick is now 22-9 against rookie quarterbacks.
The afternoon did not begin the way Clemson hoped.
The Tigers (2-1, 1-0 ACC) went three-and-out on their opening possession before North Carolina drove down the field and scored to take a 7-0 lead. Clemson answered with a long drive but settled for a 49-yard field goal from Nolan Hauser.
UNC (2-1, 0-1) added another touchdown late in the first quarter and a field goal in the second, building a 17-3 lead.
Clemson continued to struggle offensively, but Reynolds began to settle in during the second quarter. He used his legs to move the chains and connected with T.J. Moore for a first down as the Tigers worked their way into the red zone. Clemson could not find the end zone, however, and Hauser added another field goal to make it 17-6 at halftime.
The second half was a different story.
Clemson’s defense forced a stop on UNC’s opening drive, and although Reynolds threw an interception at the two-yard line, Vic Burley quickly gave the Tigers another opportunity by recovering a fumble at the UNC 12. Hauser converted again, cutting the deficit to 17-9.
The defense continued to keep Clemson within striking distance before the offense finally broke through. After a big pickup from Bryant Wesco Jr., Christian Bentancur found the end zone with 4:21 left in the third quarter. Clemson’s two-point attempt failed, leaving the Tigers down 17-15.
Will Heldt then came up with a crucial third-down sack as Clemson continued to build momentum.
The Tigers carried that momentum into the fourth quarter, converting a crucial fourth down after officials reviewed Wesco Jr.’s earlier play. Tyler Brown added a 10-yard run as Clemson continued its drive, but lightning soon forced a delay with a little over eight minutes remaining.
When play resumed, Clemson had 8:11 left on the clock.
The Tigers finished the comeback with Gideon Davidson finding the end zone for the first time in his college career with an 8-yard run to give Clemson the lead. Hauser’s extra point was good, and Clemson added another TD from Brown to finish the afternoon with a 28-20 victory.
“I just have to mention, all weekend, just seeing so many leaders around us, squad leaders on the team, encouraging me, just helping me out,” said Reynolds, who completed 20 of 29 passes for 211 yards and a TD. “Just a huge shoutout to them. They’re great teammates.”
For Dabo Swinney, his faith remains his source of peace through the highs and lows of the season.
“If I never win another game, God is still good,” Swinney said. “That’s where my peace comes from.”
Swinney also praised his team’s ability to fight through another close game.
“I think we lead the nation in one-score wins all the way back to 2001,” Swinney said. “That’s a pretty big stat. Obviously, we screwed that up last year. That’s on me. That’s my job, to win the close games.”
“That’s how we’ve won. We’ve won close games. And again, if you’re going to have a great season, you’ve got to win close games. Everybody’s got good coaches. You’re not just going to walk out there and blow everybody out. You have to win some fourth-quarter games down to the last play.”
After falling behind 17-3, Clemson fought back to outscore UNC 22-3 in the second half and leave Death Valley with a 28-20 victory.
For Reynolds, his first college start ended with a comeback win and a memorable first chapter in his Clemson career.
