Swinney, Brown Recall Epic Finish in Last Clemson-UNC Showdown

Clemson got a stop on UNC's two-point conversion attempt to edge the Tar Heels in a "crazy" game in 2019. The two teams meet again in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday for the first time since that day.

© Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports

The year was 2019.

The stakes were high in Chapel Hill, N.C. 

Clemson was trying to hold onto its lofty No. 1 ranking. 

North Carolina was looking for a signature win in the re-establishment process under Mack Brown. 

There were a ton of future NFL players on the field.

The outcome was epic. 

The Tigers' high-powered offense sputtered for much of the game, but it came alive in the fourth quarter and the Clemson defense got a late stop on a 2-point conversion try that lifted them to a 21-20 victory over the Tar Heels at Keenan Memorial Stadium that sunny late September afternoon. 

"That game was a crazy day," Swinney said recalled during Sunday's ACC teleconference. "It came down to the last play. Our guys made a great play. Maybe (James) Skalski was in on that play. It was a tough, hard-fought game, as was the last time we played them in the ACC Championship game because it came down to an onside kick. I have a lot of respect for Coach Brown and their program."

The Tigers and Tar Heels meet again Saturday in the 2022 ACC Championship Game for the first time since that 2019 showdown. 

"Clemson's won a lot of games and they've won a lot of those at the end," Brown said. "We had our chance and just couldn't close it. 

Clemson trailed early in the game but tied it up 14-all at the half behind touchdown runs by Travis Etienne and Trevor Lawrence in the second quarter. After a scoreless third, the Tigers took the lead, 21-14, when Lawrence found Tee Higgins on a 38-yard pass. 

The Tar Heels marched down the field on an 8:37 scoring drive that was capped by a Javonte Williams 1-yard TD run with 1:17 left in the game. Brown opted to go for the two-point conversion and the lead, but a QB sprint play was stopped. 

Skalski, a former Tiger linebacker, was one of three Clemson defenders, along with Nolan Turner and Xavier Thomas, to converge on UNC quarterback Sam Howell on the try. As he was going down, Howell fumbled, but it landed in the hands of Dazz Newsome, who was stopped by linebacker Chad Smith. 

"I remember I was proud of our guys," Brown said about that game. "They hung in there. They had a chance to win until the end. A lot of people wondered why I went for two. We were down five starters on defense and Clemson was a whole lot better than we were. 

"They had one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game and there was a minute and 17 seconds left. That game wasn't near over and I just wanted to put more pressure on them if we could get one up and make them try to get down for a field goal." 

Kickoff for this week's conference title at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., is scheduled for 8 p.m.

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