During Clemson’s blowout win over North Carolina, defensive coordinator Tom Allen did something he has not done all season. He called the game from the sideline.

After the Tigers’ 38-10 victory, head coach Dabo Swinney revealed Allen decided to make the move, despite having a preference for calling the game from the coaches’ box up top.

One day later, Swinney was asked if the move might be a permanent one.

“I think he enjoyed it, so I would anticipate him being down there,” the head coach said during his weekly Zoom call on Sunday. “Again, it was his idea. Him just kind of seeing where we were — ‘you know what, I better give up what I want to do, and here is what I need to do to see if I can give us a little spark down there.'”

Whether the move was the catalyst or not, Allen’s defense played with a chip on its shoulder, something that had rarely been seen during the Tigers’ 1-3 start to the season.

The Tar Heels totaled just 78 yards of offense in the opening half, as Clemson raced out to a 35-3 lead. North Carolina picked up 58 of those yards on its first possession, which resulted in a field goal. After that, Clemson forced four straight three-and-outs, with the Heels totaling -5 yards of offense.

North Carolina rushed for just 1.2 yards per carry across the first two quarters and the Tar Heels were 0-for-6 on third downs.

While Swinney doesn’t believe Allen being on the sideline was the biggest reason for how well the unit played, the head coach readily admits having him down there surely didn’t hurt.

“We played our best game,” Swinney said. “I don’t know if that is the sole reason… I think you have to give the players credit. Coaches coach and players play.”

“Tom being on the field was not a negative. He enjoyed it, and I think we will continue to see that until he decides he wants to go back up. All I want to do is stop them. That is all I care about.”

Photo by Bart Boatwright