The North Carolina Tar Heels had every opportunity to win Saturday's football game at Clemson. UNC led by double-digits at halftime, offense did just enough and defense locked down the Tigers' struggling offense.
Even after a few empty second-half drives, North Carolina had one final chance. Enter a weather delay with sunny skies surrounding Memorial Stadium – and everything changed for the worse.
The Tar Heels scored just three points after halftime, Clemson suddenly remembered how to play football and the boys in Carolina Blue lost, 28-20, a game they looked in full control of early.
Offensive, UNC (2-1, 0-1 ACC) quarterback Billy Edwards suffered through his worst start, completing just 13-of-30 passes for a meager 135 yards, one touchdown and
interception apiece, the mishap coming with one final chance after the Tigers (2-1, 1-0 ACC) scored their final touchdown.
Facing a fourth-and-one on its potential game-winning drive, Edwards launched a pass deep to star tight end Jelani Thurman, instead of running for the yard. You can't blame this play-call on Edwards, but it was just one of many mistakes for North Carolina's second-half offense.
The Tar Heels' defense held Clemson to six points in the first half, but went cold in the clutch. The Tigers scored 22 points in the second half, taking the lead for good on Gideon Davidson's 8-yard fourth quarter run, then padding their lead with Tyler Brown's 34-yard spring.
UNC now enters its second bye week, needing to answer several questions before its October 3 clash with preseason National Championship favorite Notre Dame. Let's dive deeper into Saturday's disappointment with our five takeaways.
North Carolina let its foot off the gas
17-6 at halftime. A chance to put the Tigers away. Instead, North Carolina only scores three second-half points and struggles to finish drives.
This was one of our greatest concerns coming into the game. Who knows if the Tar Heels psyched themselves out, but letting their feet off the gas cost them something they last did in 2001.
Billy Edwards got a harsh taste of reality
Edwards showed rust during Saturday's loss, completing fewer than 50 percent of his passes and only connecting with five pass-catchers.
Edwards completed passes to over 10 pass-catchers vs. ETSU, which provided significantly less competition compared to Clemson. Against TCU in Week Zero, Edwards held his own and looked like a viable starter.
Every starting quarterback will struggle at some point, but Saturday was a harsh wake-up call for Edwards. If he continues to struggle, Miles O'Neill and Travis Burgess are patiently waiting on UNC's depth chart.
Bobby Petrino's late play-calling cost North Carolina
The Tar Heels generated 214 rushing yards vs. the Tigers. UNC faced a fourth-and-one on its potential game-closing, fourth quarter drive after a lengthy weather delay, so running the football seemed a natural choice, right?
Wrong. North Carolina offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, known for his play-calling abilities, drew up a head-scratcher. Edwards dropped back and launched the football deep downfield to Thurman, who tried selling a defensive pass interference.
If Clemson stops the Tar Heels' rushing attempt, you live with it. Petrino supposedly upgraded UNC's offense through Games 1 and 2, but his play-calling was questionable late on Saturday.
Melkart Abou-Jaoude's absence didn't affect North Carolina's pass-rush
The Tar Heels still generated three sacks on Saturday. Star sophomore defensive lineman Xavier Lewis added to his ACC lead with two, while Leroy Jackson added his first.
Abou-Jaoude is the best pass-rusher on UNC's roster, but his Saturday absence didn't impact the trench production. North Carolina didn't make life uncomfortable for Tait Reynolds late, but this isn't on Melkart's absence.
Benjamin Hall gives the Tar Heels a good problem
Last week, Demon June scored three touchdowns on just seven carries. On Saturday vs. Clemson, June added another score.
Saturday was the Benjamin Hall show for UNC, with their junior running back tallying a career-high 130 rushing yards on 18 carries. Hall caught Edwards' lone touchdown pass, too, a 15-yard strike in the second quarter.
North Carolina seems to be riding the hot hand at running back, with Hall proving to be that guy in Death Valley. The Tar Heels also have Jaylen McGill in their backfield, with any back capable of taking over a game.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Five takeaways from UNC's second-half Saturday collapse at Clemson
