'Complementary football at its finest' boosts Tigers over Tar Heels

Nate Wiggins displayed all of his skill in a big fumble strip against UNC and in coverage more after that.

by Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Sun Nov 19 12:30:13 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON - Sometimes, all it takes is one play to flip momentum and change an entire game. Many of those kinds of plays have been going against Clemson this season, but against No. 20 North Carolina, they finally had one go their way.

Near the end of the first quarter, the Tar Heels already had a 7-0 lead, and it appeared that sophomore running back Omarion Hampton would make it a 14-0 lead on a 64-yard rushing touchdown. However, junior cornerback Nate Wiggins shifted the entire game when he tracked down Hampton, pushed the ball out at the one-yard line and the ball bounced into the end zone for a touchback, giving Clemson the football. That single play helped both sides of the ball.

“That play Nate had was the best play I’ve ever seen in my life. It might be, for the rest of my life, the best play I’ve ever seen. Without a doubt, it’s unreal, and then to respond like we did, get the ball back, and I think we scored on that drive,” Klubnik said. “That’s complementary football at its finest. So, just taking advantage of opportunities was huge for us, and we did that.”

That forced fumble would ultimately lead to a Clemson touchdown to tie up the score. Right before the end of the half, the Tigers would score again to get the lead; they maintained the lead for the rest of the game. Defensive leader, linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, said that effort by Wiggins is what helped to get the offense fired up and hype up the defense.

“That was a really good effort play, really strained to get 100 percent right there and got the ball out to get the ball back to our offense,” Trotter said. “On the defense side, we really hype, and on the offensive side, that really got them fired up for that upcoming drive.”

Something about playing the Tar Heels seems to bring out the best in Wiggins. Last season in the ACC Championship against North Carolina, Wiggins had a 98-yard pick-six. He may not have had a touchdown in this game, but in addition to the forced fumble that changed the whole trajectory of the game, Wiggins also had the game-sealing interception. He attributes this success to how the team as a whole has come on strong since the victory against Notre Dame.

“I just feel like all the last past three games, the energy (has) just been outstanding for the team. So, I just feel like we got a whole lot of momentum now,” Wiggins said. “I just feel like we just stay prepared, hard work, the effort we give and our offense too. In practice, our offense (is) pushing us, and we’re pushing them. So I feel like they’re all playing (a) part - the offense and defense.”

In addition to the high performance by Wiggins, the running game was also strong. Junior running back Will Shipley had his highest rushing total of the season with 126 yards; fellow junior back Phil Mafah had another 84 yards. Klubnik also ran the ball a good deal with a total of 44 yards, including his rushing touchdown right before halftime; however, that was a risky play that he should not have done. Still, it is a learning opportunity for Klubnik.

“I guess we just had to get Will a little angry, just so proud of him and how he bounced back. That’s big time and 126 (yards), and Phil had (84), and that’s just really, really good. But, it just starts up front. Just super proud of those guys. It was so fun,” Klubnik said. “I can’t run that ball. So, definitely one I’ve got to learn from right there. End up making a play, but when we get in that situation again, definitely a situation I’ll learn from. But, made a play there and made it work, but definitely a situation that we’ll learn from,” said Klubnik on his half-ending TD run.

Plays like the risk Klubnik took were going the wrong way for the Tigers earlier in the season. For several weeks, they led the FBS in fumbles lost, and prior to this game, Klubnik had four straight games with an interception. The way Clemson is playing now is how Klubnik always knew the Tigers could play.

“We’re playing like what I thought we were going to be playing like all year. We saw it. We’ve seen it the whole year. We’ve never lost faith in this team. I think that we still could be 11-0 if we just didn’t shoot ourselves in the foot a few times in a few different games,” Klubnik said. “These last three games, I think we’ve just played like who we are and really gotten to show it.”

To keep this hot streak going, Clemson must win their final game of the season - South Carolina this Saturday (7:30 p.m./SEC Network). The Gamecocks spoiled Clemson’s potential National Championship run last season. Perhaps this season is the time to return the favor, as South Carolina needs to beat Clemson to become bowl-eligible for the third season in a row.