Tigers Overcome Delay to Defeat North Carolina
The Clemson Tigers secured their first Atlantic Coast Conference win of the season in a game against North Carolina that was affected by a two-and-a-half-hour weather delay. The game, played at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C., on Saturday, September 19, saw the Tigers trailing the North Carolina Tar Heels 17-15 with 8:11 left in the game when officials halted play due to lightning detected in the area. This marked the Tigers’ third consecutive game to experience a weather delay, and their third in three weeks.
Before the delay, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and North Carolina coach Bill Belichick met ahead of their teams’ ACC opener. North Carolina had taken a 17-6 lead at halftime. The NCAA’s 8-mile rule mandates that play stops when lightning is detected within that radius of the stadium, and the 30-minute clock rule requires 30 minutes without new strikes before play can resume.
Following the lengthy interruption, Clemson scored 13 unanswered points, ultimately winning the game 28-20. Freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds and running back Gideon Davidson entered the game for Clemson. Davidson scored a touchdown and achieved his first career 100-yard rushing game. The Tigers finished with 186 rushing yards against North Carolina.
