Mack Brown, North Carolina's upset bid vs. Clemson falls short on curious 2-point attempt

Zac Al-Khateeb

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Mack Brown, North Carolina's upset bid vs. Clemson falls short on curious 2-point attempt image

For the third time in five years, Clemson needed a defensive stop on an opposing 2-point conversion attempt to come away with a slim victory.

The latest defensive stand came against North Carolina on Saturday against the Tar Heels, led by first-year coach Mack Brown. Carolina running back Javonte Williams scored a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:17 remaining; Brown — not wanting to draw the game out further — made the decision to go for the 2-point attempt.

Unfortunately for Carolina, the slow-developing triple-option play failed to convert, allowing Clemson to maintain the one-point lead. After failing to recover the ensuing onside kick, Carolina fell 21-20 at home against the top-ranked Tigers.

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It was a valiant effort by Brown and the Heels, who were considered 27.5-point home underdogs heading into the matchup. But college football is not a game of moral victories, and the Twitter reactions to the play call reflected as much:

Zac Al-Khateeb

Zac Al-Khateeb Photo

Zac Al-Khateeb has been part of The Sporting News team since 2015 after earning his Bachelor's (2013) and Master's (2014) degrees in journalism at the University of Alabama. Prior to joining TSN, he covered high school sports and general news in Alabama. A college sports specialist, Zac has been a voter for the Biletnikoff Award and Heisman Trophy since 2020.