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Bill Belichick discusses challenges of facing Clemson's offense
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- Bill Belichick discusses challenges of facing Clemson's offense
If you asked Tar Heel Nation where the UNC football team would be heading into its 2026 ACC opener at Clemson , what would you expect the answer to be?
Ahead of Saturday's 12 p.m. kickoff in Death Valley , that answer is now "in a great position." North Carolina (2-0) won each of its first two games, first upsetting TCU 15-10 in Ireland, then stomping ETSU 35-3 in its home opener.
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The Tar Heels' defense ranks amongst the country's best, particularly in getting to the quarterback. That same defense will now face a Clemson offense that, despite early struggles, still carries plenty of playmakers.
During weekly media availability , UNC head coach Bill Belichick discussed the challenges of defending the Tigers, honing in on their star wide receiver duo.
"Offensively, it starts with the two receivers, (Bryant) Wesco and (T.J.) Moore," Belichick said. "Those guys are really good, as good as anybody we'll see all year. They're big, they're fast, they're really physical, they're hard to handle. It's hard with Clemson . They're kind of similar to TCU. They attack across the field on every play. You have to defend from sideline to sideline and you don't know who's going to get the ball. They force you to defend from the line of scrimmage to the goal line."
Through two games, Clemson has the nation's fifth-worst offense at just 246 yards per game. The Tigers have just two offensive touchdowns, a task that won't be easy against North Carolina.
True freshman Tait Reynolds (20 completions, 200 yards) will start at quarterback for the Tigers, throwing passes to Wesco (64 receiving yards) and Moore (team-best 134 yards, one touchdown). Clemson also sports a running back room led by Gideon Davidson (21 carries, 82 yards) and Chris Johnson Jr. (10 carries, 53 yards).
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If the Tar Heels overlook their opponent's skilled, unproven offense, they're in for a rude awakening. Knowing Belichick, though, UNC will be well-prepared for Saturday.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Bill Belichick discusses challenges of facing Clemson's offense
