Halftime Report: Clemson's defense standing tall against North Carolina

Clemson leads No. 20 North Carolina 14-7 at the half.

Well, the big-time players have shown up in a massive way in this one. Peter Woods forced a fumble that his fellow freshman T.J. Parker recovered. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Parker added a couple of sacks and Nate Wiggins, on what looked to be a sure North Carolina touchdown, tracked the running back down and punched the ball out, forcing a touchback. Will Shipley busted big runs, and Jake Briningstool caught a big touchdown in the red zone. Drake Maye and Tez Walker have been held largely in check.

While Clemson looked a lot like the team we've seen the past two weeks, they also slipped up on some familiar traps. North Carolina's only touchdown of the first half came after the Tigers were stuffed on a fake punt on their side of the field. Then, late in the second quarter, Will Shipley fumbled the ball away inside of the North Carolina 10. Even Clemson's touchdown at the end of the half was a terrible decision on Cade Klubnik's part. With no timeouts and just :08 left in the half, Klubnik scrambled and barely got the ball over the goal line. An inch shorter and Clemson walks away with nothing. 

Clemson leads North Carolina 14-7 at the half / Clemson Athletics

On a positive note, on eight North Carolina drives in the first half, Clemson's defense, one of the best in the country, forced: four punts, two fumbles, and a turnover on downs. 

• Leading passer - Cade Klubnik: 14-21, 101 yards, 1 TD, 1 rushing TD
• Leading rusher - Will Shipley: 12 carries, 51 yards
• Leading receiver - Troy Stellato: 5 receptions, 42 yards
• Leading defender - Jeremiah Trotter Jr.: 7 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, 1 sack

How to watch North Carolina at Clemson

• Who's playing: North Carolina (8-2) at Clemson (6-4)
• Gameday: Saturday, November 18th
• Game time: 3:30 ET
• TV: ESPN
• Location: Memorial Stadium (Clemson, South Carolina)
• Stream on ESPN - HERE
• Commentators: Bob Wischusen, Robert Griffin III, Kris Budden
• Listen: ClemsonTigers.com