CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — When Bill Belichick took the job at North Carolina last December, his matchup with Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was supposed to be a mega one. The six-time Super Bowl Champion matching up against the two-time National Champion.

But with the Tigers’ awful start to the season, and UNC’s so-so beginning, no one is really looking forward to Saturday’s game outside the states of North and South Carolina.

However, Clemson’s players might be, as several players have said in the last two weeks that they look forward to playing against Belichick, so they can see how they measure against the NFL Legend.

Swinney, on the other hand, wants a win more than anything else.

 “Anytime you get a chance to coach against the best…I always look forward to playing Coach (Nick) Saban,” Swinney said. “I thought that was an amazing opportunity. If you are going to win a national championship, let’s got beat the best.

“If we get beat, we get beat by the best. So, I have always embraced all of those opportunities.”

In his career, Swinney has coached against a lot of legendary coaches besides Saban. Guys such as Urban Meyer, Bob Stoops, Les Miles and Bobby Bowden to name a few. He has beat them all.

Now he is trying to beat maybe the biggest of them all.

“But it is about that players, and Coach Belichick will say the same thing,” Swinney said.

Clemson (1-3, 0-2 ACC) at North Carolina (2-2, 0-0 ACC)

• Kickoff: Saturday, Noon
• Location: Kenan Stadium, Clemson
• TV: ESPN
• Spread: Clemson 14.5
• Over/Under: 46.5 points
• Series: Clemson leads the series 40-19-1

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Pride. Clemson desperately needs a win, as Swinney stated earlier this week. If the Tigers lose this game, then the season could spiral out of control.

KEY MATCHUP

North Carolina has already announced that Max Johnson will get the nod over Gio Lopez at quarterback. What does that mean? It means the Tigers need to blitz and blitz and blitz more. With the Tar Heels’ problems on offense and Johnson’s lack of mobility, Tom Allen’s defense should come after Johnson and pressure him on every pass. Of course, it also means they need to stop the run and make UNC one dimensional.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Defensive end Will Heldt (3.0) is sitting two sacks shy of his single-season career high (5.0) at Purdue in 2024. He is attempting to post a sack in back-to-back games for the second time this season. He is also attempting to become the first Clemson player to record a sack in four of the first five games of a season since Vic Beasley in 2014.

In the last three games, freshman Demon June has led the Tar Heels in rushing with 250 yards on 33 carries. He led the Tar Heels in the win over Richmond on Sept. 13, posting 148 yards and a touchdown. He also logged the first 100-yard game for Carolina this fall, becoming the first Tar Heel freshman to lead Carolina in rushing in back-to-back games since Michael Carter in 2017. The Jacksonville, N.C., native’s 148 yards were the most for a freshman running back since Carter’s 157 yards against Virginia in 2017. June ranks fourth nationally in freshman Power Four rushing yards this season.

THIS AND THAT

Saturday’s game will also be the 300th game of Swinney’s tenure at Clemson, including his time as an assistant coach. Swinney initially joined the program prior to the 2003 season as Clemson’s wide receivers coach and coached 68 games in that role into the 2008 season. Clemson is 181-50 (.784) in his head coaching tenure for an overall record of 224-75 (.749) during his employment with the Tigers in all capacities. Swinney becomes the third member of Clemson’s 300 game coaching club. Legend Frank Howard coached 380 career games (85 as an assistant, 295 as a head coach) at Clemson. One of Howard’s key lieutenants, Bob Jones, served on Clemson’s football staff for 343 games from 1931-’69.

FINAL ANALYSIS

As bad as things have been for the Tigers on offense, things have been worse for the Tar Heels. UNC ranks last in the ACC in total offense, averaging 263.5 yards per game. North Carolina is averaging 113.5 yards per game on the ground, while it is passing for just 150 per game, which ranks last in the conference. After the way Clemson’s defense played against Syracuse, this is an opportunity for a get-right game for Tom Allen’s unit. Unfortunately for the Tigers’ offense, they will probably continue to struggle.

Prediction

Clemson 21, UNC 13