CLEMSON – Physicality was paramount and the Clemson Tigers forced their will on No. 22 North Carolina to the tune of a 31-20 victory on Senior Day.

The first half was utter chaos with multiple turnovers by both teams, but things calmed down in the second half for Clemson. Death Valley was rocking, and fueled 21 unanswered points in the win. Here’s the 411 on the Tigers honoring their seniors under the lights.

-North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye was under duress from the word go. Clemson sacked the the top-five passer four times and it continued to influence his play. Maye finished 16-36 for 209 yards with a single touchdown and interception.

-Making the Tar Heels one-dimensional was crucial and the Tigers did just that. It wasn’t pretty early, but forcing two fumbles from running back Omarion Hampton voided the yardage gained. He did draw blood with a 55-yard rushing touchdown, but a 17-point lead eliminated the run game from North Carolina’s plans.

-Wide receiver Adam Randall shined for the Tigers even with limited usage. He was Clemson’s leading receiver with two catches for 57 yards, both coming on difficult grabs. On the latter, he was nearly leapfrogged by head coach Dabo Swinney. If that doesn’t show how much his success means to this team, I don’t know what will.

-This was a different Will Shipley on the field after he was recognized for Senior Day. The first tackle attempt was an afterthought almost every time he touched the ball, and he finished the game with 18 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown. That’s Shipley’s season-high in rushing yards, eclipsing his 114 in the opener vs. Duke. He added two catches for 53 receiving yards. A great curtain call if this is his last game in Death Valley.

TURNING POINT

Hustle and effort completely changed the complexion of this game.Hampton was inches from making it a 14-point game in the first quarter with a 64-yard run, but Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins ripped the ball out of his hands and it harmlessly rolled out of the end zone.

Things look very different if North Carolina held a two-touchdown lead, but the Tigers’ championship defense kept the game in close reach early. That one piece of effort went on to change everything.

Wiggins added an exclamation point with a late interception of Maye, rushing to the student section to celebrate the moment.

TELLING STAT: 219 rushing yards

The storyline coming in was the Tar Heels offense, but Clemson’s run game made sure they didn’t;t get the light of day. Over 10 yards a carry, the Tigers marched at will and it helped them dominate the time of possession