No. 20 North Carolina just became the biggest Clemson fans outside the state of South Carolina. The Tar Heels dominated No. 9 Miami for a 62-26 win Saturday to position itself for a potential Orange Bowl bid.
The Tigers could pave the way for that to happen by beating Notre Dame in the ACC Championship game next week. A Clemson victory and the College Football Playoff would likely still take both teams.
The Heels (8-3, 7-3) would then have to finish ranked higher in the CFP poll than the Hurricanes. Miami (8-2, 7-2) is currently 10th and UNC is 17th. But any of the CFP voters who caught even a glimpse of the game know without a doubt who the better team is.
Carolina had lost its last 10 consecutive games against teams ranked in the top 10. It’s last win was against No. 4 Miami in 2004.
UNC played its most complete game of the season highlighted by a dominant ground game that rolled up 554 rushing yards. Miami’s vaunted defensive line including highly-touted, future NFL draft picks defensive ends Jaelan Phillips and Quincy Roche were never factors.
UNC running backs Javonte Williams (308) and Michael Carter (236) each had career-high games rushing and combined for five touchdowns. It was the most rushing yards by teammates in Football Bowl Subdivision history and only the eighth time in FBS history that two running backs have gained more than 200 yards in a game.
The success Williams and Carter had running helped Carolina to open up its passing game. Quarterback Sam Howell didn’t throw a lot — he had a season-low 19 attempts — but when he did it was for big gains.
Howell completed a 51-yard pass on the second play from scrimmage to set up their first touchdown. Even when a Canes punt pinned UNC at its own 8-yard-line, Howell went up top to Brown again on the ensuing play, this time for an 87-yard gain. It was the Heels’ longest pass completion of the season.
But this game belonged to Williams and Carter. They combined for nine runs of 20 or more yards including identical 65-yard rushes. Williams had a highlight-worthy run of 43-yards in which he burst through would-be tacklers and trucked over a Miami defender. Carter nearly topped his longest run in the third quarter with a 58-yarder.
The Heels’ defense bottled up Miami quarterback D’Eriq King. They had trouble defending mobile quarterbacks all season, but outside of his first drive and a 15-yard run, he was not effective running against them.
Carolina defenders always seemed to be in the right place. Linebacker Chazz Surratt got run through for a third-down conversion by King on the opening drive. But on a fourth-and-1 with the Canes driving at the UNC 35, he stuffed running back Donald Chaney Jr., for no gain.
UNC cornerback Tony Grimes, who would be a high school senior had he not reclassified, came up with his first career interception in the third quarter.
Miami was so good to the Tar Heels, they’d sure like the chance to come back on Jan. 2 to try it again in the Orange Bowl.
