CLEMSON – Sometimes, regardless of any score or lead, you just need the touchdown. 

For a Clemson offense that struggled mightily through the better part of three games, wide receiver Tyler Brown’s race to the end zone in the final minute of a six-hour war against North Carolina meant far more than just six points on the scoreboard.

Though taking a knee after picking up a first down would have effectively guaranteed a Clemson victory over the Tar Heels, Brown saw a gaping hole extending all the way home in the final 66 seconds of play, and when the senior’s opportunity came, he raced right into the end zone.

“Touchdown Tyler Brown!” TV play-by-play man Bob Wischusen shouted as Brown hit a ‘goodnight’ celebration and the Tigers took a 28-20 lead with 58 seconds left in allowable time.

“I definitely thought about going down, man,” Brown said postgame. “But I just feel like, as an offense, we had a pretty slow start to the season, and I just feel like it was just good for us and good for our soul just to see that happen and just see the energy on our sideline.”

Head coach Dabo Swinney, in the meantime, had similar feelings. The veteran leader understood that taking a knee would ensure a victory and a 1-0 start in ACC-play. 

He also knew that Brown, a veteran who had not scored a touchdown since 2023, would be the perfect candidate to add an exclamation point to a final dominant eight minutes of football.

“There was part of me saying go down,” Swinney said. “Then the other part was like heck no, let’s score.”

“When I saw him shot out of a cannon, I said to heck with it, score,” he added. “I didn’t even worry about it. You know, we’ll figure it out from there.” 

The play itself–a pitch from quarterback Tait Reynolds to a sprinting Brown in the backfield–was a “gutsy” one, according to Swinney, who knew the Tigers needed to run time off the clock on a third-and-11 situation with over a minute to play.

After the snap, Brown, a freshman All-American in 2023 who suffered through a string of injuries over the next two years, caught and tucked the ball on North Carolina’s 42-yard line. He weaved through the Tar Heels’ defensive ends, tackles and secondary en route to his fifth collegiate touchdown.

All was well for approximately 2,000 Clemson fans that stayed through a 2 ½ hour lightning delay, as those diehards were treated to the best offensive production of the Tigers’ season. Brown’s run capped off 217 total yards of Clemson offense after the fourth-quarter delay, bringing the Tigers to over 400 yards of total offense despite starting the game off with three punts, a fumble and a field goal.

Reynolds had come alive with 215 passing yards and a touchdown pass. Running back Gideon Davidson had scored his first collegiate touchdown. Brown’s touchdown punctuated the offensive turnaround.

There was just one problem, however.

With time left after the final touchdown, North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. and his accompanying band of offensive players now had a chance to drive the field and force an overtime period with a touchdown and two-point conversion.

Brown, however, was not worried about it.

“I got a lot of trust in my defense, especially the way they were playing in that last quarter, man,” he said.

Indeed, Clemson cornerback Elliot Washington II came up with an interception three plays later that officially concluded the game.

“I thought the guys did a great job and, you know, that’s good stuff too,” Swinney said of his defense. “That’s good for our defense to have to play a situation like that where they got no timeouts. You know they can’t run it. You’re trying to keep them outside. That’s good for our season. Again, uncomfortable, but will be good for us in the long run.”

That defensive test will be crucial this Friday, as the Tigers will head out to Berkley, Calif., to take on the California Bears at 10:30 Eastern time. The Bears enter the contest with the fourth-best passing offense in the ACC, and have four passing plays of 60 or more yards this season.

On the other hand, Brown will enter the game with eight receptions for 83 yards, as well as the 34-yard rushing touchdown. He has notched the third-most all-purpose yards for the Tigers through three games.