Clemson Rallies Past UNC After 2.5-Hour Lightning Delay

Clemson beat North Carolina 28-20 after a 2.5-hour lightning delay flipped a game UNC led 17-15 with 8:11 left.

Clemson beat North Carolina 28-20 at Memorial Stadium on Saturday in a game that lasted nearly six hours, according to the Associated Press via Newsday. Lightning was detected near the stadium with 8:11 left in the fourth quarter while North Carolina led 17-15 and stood at second-and-goal on the Clemson 7-yard line. After the 2 1/2-hour delay, the Tar Heels' drive stalled into a field goal, and the Tigers scored two touchdowns to take their first ACC win of the season.

The Associated Press reports that when players returned, it was all Clemson — the defense stuffed two Tar Heels runs near the goal line to force a field goal, then freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds and the offense seized the momentum. Rubbing the Rock noted Dabo Swinney was 'beside himself' that lightning struck his team for a third straight week, calling the timing 'cruel and unusual punishment' with UNC deep in Clemson territory.

Per the NCAA protocol explained by Rubbing the Rock and Hindustan Times, play must be suspended for 30 minutes whenever lightning is detected within an eight-mile radius of the stadium, and the clock resets with every new strike. Clemson Athletics announced the warning was extended until at least 5 p.m. Fans were directed to shelters, and many never came back to a half-filled stadium.

Freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds made his first career start and completed 20 of 29 passes for 215 yards with a touchdown and one interception, per the Associated Press. His 27-yard strike to Christian Bentancur was his first career touchdown pass — the AP notes Reynolds had gone 24 drives to open his career without leading a scoring drive. 'All of the coaches, they kind of told me I have to grow up,' Reynolds said after coming through a delay he admitted he had never seen before. Gideon Davidson ran for 105 yards, including the go-ahead touchdown with five minutes left.

North Carolina (2-1, 1-1) led 17-3 behind a Demon June touchdown run and a Billy Edwards Jr. TD pass to Benjamin Hall, but was outscored 22-3 in the second half, per Tar Heels Wire. Coach Bill Belichick refused to blame the delay: 'They made a few more plays than us in the last eight minutes of the game,' he said, adding 'We missed an opportunity down there. I'll just leave it at that' about the stalled red-zone trip. The AP reports UNC hasn't won at Memorial Stadium in 25 years, and Edwards' late pass was picked off by Elliot Washington with 32 seconds left.

The win mattered enormously for both embattled programs. The AP notes Clemson's job-security questions around Dabo Swinney after a 51-10 opener loss to LSU, while UNC arrived amid a probe that saw defensive coordinator Steve Belichick and general manager Michael Lombardi resign. It was also the third straight Clemson game disrupted by weather, so fans finally got a full result. Next up, per the AP: Clemson travels to California on Friday night, while UNC has a bye before hosting No. 3 Notre Dame on Oct.