University of North Carolina Athletics
We Just Continue To Press On
September 20, 2026 | Football
After a narrow loss at Clemson, the Tar Heels hope to use Saturday’s game as a lesson on the importance of finishing strong
Holding a two-point lead on the road against Clemson with just under 13 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the UNC offense began methodically moving the ball down the field.
The Tar Heels did so with their running game, as Benjamin Hall ripped off back-to-back runs of 16 and 17 yards before Demon June gained 12 to put UNC in the red zone.
UNC had reached the Clemson 7-yard line when the game entered a weather delay that lasted nearly two-and-a-half hours.
After that lengthy stoppage, the Tar Heels extended their lead to five with Aeron Burrell's second field goal of the day from 22 yards out but missed out on a chance to go up by two scores. Clemson then scored the game's final 13 points, winning 28-20.
That drive, which chewed up six-plus minutes, was illustrative of the way UNC often controlled the line of scrimmage with its running game Saturday but also punctuated the small margins that cost the Tar Heels in their ACC opener.
"If we finish that game, we're having a different conversation right now," said Hall, who added that the Tar Heels "got to start coming up with seven instead of three."
Saturday's game was a homecoming of sorts for Hall, who spent part of his childhood in Clemson as his father served as an assistant coach for the Tigers' women's basketball program.
The redshirt junior made the most of his return, rushing for a career-high 130 yards and shattering his previous record (68 yards). Of Hall's 19 touches, nine went for first-down yardage.
Hall also scored his team's second touchdown on a 15-yard reception out of the backfield to put UNC ahead 14-3. The Tar Heels' biggest play on that drive was a 23-yard reception by junior wideout Jordan Shipp, who led UNC in catches (six) and receiving yards (68) while wearing No. 13 to honor Tylee Craft, his late teammate who died nearly two years ago and was a Sumter, South Carolina, native.
The Tar Heels finished with 214 rushing yards, with June adding 58 on 12 carries and scoring the game's first points with a 3-yard rush on UNC's opening drive.
"We can do that week in and week out," said Hall, UNC's rushing leader in each of its three games.
The Tar Heels led by as many as 14, and their defense caused trouble for Clemson early in the day. The Tigers gained just 49 yards on their first five possessions. Even Clemson's 88-yard drive to close the first half ended in a UNC stop, as the defense buckled down and forced a short field goal.
The Tar Heels were without star defensive end Melkart Abou Jaoude for a second consecutive game but still compiled six tackles for losses, including three sacks. Two of those came from sophomore Xavier Lewis, who now has six on the season and 8.5 TFLs.
When Clemson scored on a 27-yard pass with 4:21 remaining in the third quarter, it marked the first time in almost 150 minutes of game play that the Tar Heels gave up a TD, dating back to the first quarter of the season opener.
"We just didn't play with great fundamentals the rest of the game," said linebacker Derek McDonald, who had a team-high 10 tackles. "Just need to finish tackles. Rally to the ball. I think we lost a little bit of that."
McDonald and Hall, both captains, said the Tar Heels have lots to look at and correct as they head into their second and final bye week of the season. That sentiment was echoed by their coach.
"A disappointing end. Proud of the way our players competed," Bill Belichick said. "Clemson's a good football team. In the end, they just made a few more plays than we did. In the last eight minutes of the game, we missed a couple of opportunities on offense and missed some tackles on defense."
After the bye week, UNC returns to Kenan Stadium to host Notre Dame Oct. 3.
Saturday's loss at Memorial Stadium was a tough one for the Tar Heels to take. But Hall said he plays on a tough team that's ready for what's ahead.
"I think it's a good learning lesson for us early in the season," Hall said. "We continue to press on. We got a lot of tough games ahead. We're a tough team, and we're going to hold our own in those games."
