UNC football vs. Clemson in ACC championship: Scouting report, score prediction

The last time North Carolina won an Atlantic Coast Conference football championship, Jimmy Carter was the U.S. president, there were no such things as cell phones or social media, and a defensive player named Lawrence Taylor was selected the league's player of the year.

Forty-one years have come and gone since that 1980 season when a Taylor-led UNC squad rolled through the ACC with a 6-0 record, finished 11-1 overall and ended ranked 10th in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll. The only blemish on that team's record was an early November rout at Oklahoma (41-7).

North Carolina (9-3), the 2022 Coastal Division champion, will attempt to end that drought in Charlotte at Bank of America Stadium when it faces Atlantic winner and 20-time league champion Clemson (10-2) in the ACC Championship game on Saturday (8 p.m., ABC).

“We are really excited about playing in the ACC championship game,'' UNC coach Mack Brown said this week. "It’s only the second time for us since the divisions were established in 2012. ... We are very very proud of these guys. So, they’ve done something that has only been done two times since we’ve had divisions, so I’m proud of them. Winning nine games here is important because we haven’t done that except one other time since 1997. So, these guys have accomplished a lot. Winning six games on the road and having a chance to play a great team like Clemson is something that is very important for us.''

POWER RANKINGS:ACC football power rankings: Clemson, UNC head to Charlotte with tails tucked

ALL-ACC:UNC's Drake Maye earns first-team honors

OVER IT:'I'm not going to sit around and feel bad': UNC football turns focus to ACC Championship

Here's what to know about this year's Clemson-UNC matchup and a score prediction.

FIND THE OLD MAGIC

North Carolina lost its offensive mojo over the final two games of the regular season. After averaging more than 40 points and ranking among the national leaders in total offense, the Tar Heels were a shell of their former selves in losses to Georgia Tech and N.C. State.

UNC scored just four touchdowns in 12 visits to the red zone, was 9-for-34 in third-down situations and averaged 22 points in those two games, which included two overtime periods with the Wolfpack.

“We need to get back on track,” Brown said. “We did so well earlier in the season, and the things we had as priorities we were doing well, we haven’t done as well the last two weeks.''

TURNOVERS AND SACKS

Defense has been a glaring weakness for UNC all season. And the Tar Heels have been especially inept in two defensive areas — forcing turnovers and creating sacks.

The Tar Heels have forced a mere 13 turnovers in 12 games, a figure that is tied for next-to-the-last among ACC teams with Virginia and only ahead of Virginia Tech (9). Clemson, however, may be the perfect foil for UNC. The Tigers have been turnover-prone down the stretch this season, losing the ball 14 times over the last five games.Opposing quarterbacks have operated relatively pressure-free this season against North Carolina, which has registered an ACC-low 16 sacks.

Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei has been prone to mistakes when facing a strong rush, so look for the Tar Heels to turn up the heat via the blitz.

DEPLETED SECONDARY

Potentially three starters could be missing in UNC's secondary against Clemson.

Cornerbacks Tony Grimes and Storm Duck, along with safety Cam'Ron Kelly all missed all or part of last Saturday's game against N.C. State due to injuries. The trio will be monitored throughout the week, but a decision on their status isn't likely to be available until kickoff on Saturday.

Grimes missed all of the N.C. State game with a lower body injury, while Duck (upper body) and Kelly (hamstring) went down playing against the Wolfpack. Collectively, they've combined for 132 tackles, four interceptions, and 17 pass breakups on the season. Lejond Cavazos and Marcus Allen played well stepping in for Grimes and Duck last week, while Will Hardy would be the replacement for Kelly.

RECORD CHASING

Redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Maye has enjoyed an amazing season for UNC. Maye has already set the school single-season record for passing yards with 3,847 entering Saturday's title game. Next up for Maye is the single-season mark for passing touchdowns.

The record currently belongs to Maye's mentor, Sam Howell, who tossed 38 touchdown passes as a sophomore in 2019.

SCORE PREDICTION

Clemson 31, North Carolina 28: This will probably be a closer game than most people think. But the Tigers' superiority on defense will make UNC work for every point and their offense will score just enough to collect a 21st ACC football crown.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC football score prediction vs. Clemson: Scouting report