More than two months after the game he’d rather forget, Nate Wiggins had one he’ll remember for a while.

While freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik stole the show for the offense in a nearly flawless relief role during the Tigers’ ACC championship victory over North Carolina late Saturday, Wiggins was the headliner for the defense inside at Bank of America Stadium. The Tigers’ sophomore cornerback had a couple of pass breakups in the first half to help contain the nation’s No. 8 passing offense.

With a major assist from Klubnik, who led three first-half touchdown drives after coming on for an ineffective D.J. Uiagalelei three series into the game, Clemson led 24-10 at halftime. UNC threatened to make it a one-score game on its second possession of the third quarter, driving inside the Tigers’ 10-yard line. 

That’s when Wiggins came up with his most timely play. 

Facing third-and-goal from the 5, UNC quarterback Drake Maye dropped back to pass but couldn’t find anyone open in Clemson’s cover-2 defense. Maye scrambled to his right to try to buy some more time, but Wiggins squatted in his zone near the front pylon. Maye eventually threw it in his direction anyway.

“I was surprised he threw the ball,” Wiggins said. “I don’t have to do nothing. It just came right to me.”

With no one around him, Wiggins intercepted the pass just in front of the goal line and immediately took off in the other direction. Once he got past Maye, who was essentially the Tar Heels’ last line of defense in that scenario, he knew he was gone. The result was a 98-yard pick-six that swung the momentum back in Clemson’s favor for good.

It’s also the longest scoring play in ACC championship game history.

“Obviously that was a huge play,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Really happy for him.”

It wasn’t the first time Wiggins had made his presence felt Saturday. In the first half, he knocked away a potential touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone. He saved another one later when broke up a pass at the goal on a third-down play, forcing UNC to settle for a 31-yard field-goal try midway through the second half.

But Wiggins never gave the kick a chance. He sped off the edge and blocked the kick, which resulted in a 10-point swing when the offense cashed its ensuing possession in for a touchdown on Klubnik’s short scoring run five plays later.

“I woke up this morning this morning thinking I was going to have a great day,” Wiggins said. “That was my mindset all day.”

It was a different head space than the one Wiggins found himself him 10 weeks ago following the Tigers’ win at Wake Forest in late September. Clemson won that game, but not before the Demon Deacons pushed the Tigers to double overtime with a passing game that racked up 337 yards against Clemson’s secondary.

Wiggins, who was often picked on by Sam Hartman and his big-bodied group of wideouts, showed visible frustration in that game. Most of all, Wiggins said, he was frustrated with himself.

“Right after that game, I told myself I would never have a game like that again,” Wiggins said.

In all honesty, Wiggins said he likely needed a game like the one he had at Wake Forest to serve as a personal wake-up call. It showed him going through the motions at this level isn’t going to cut it.

“I’ve never had something like that happen,” he said. “I was like, ‘That can’t happen no more.’”

Wiggins has been a different player since. He had a team-high 10 pass breakups heading into the weekend. Against the Tar Heels, the primary emotion he was feeling was elation, particularly after the kind of interception he’d been flirting with all season.

“He’s been close. He’s missed on about three of those pick-sixes throughout the year where he’s really been there,” Swinney said. “He’s a great player. He’s just really matured. He’s gotten more focused. He’s gotten more detailed as the year has gone on. I’m really proud of him.

“He’s a guy that early on was just a little rough around the edges and a little immature when it comes to really doing what you need to do programmatically. And he’s just come full circle. He really has.”

On Saturday, Wiggins got his redemption in a major way.

“I just stayed down, put the work in and started watching tremendous film,” Wiggins said. “It paid off.”