CLEMSON — With his team trailing by 11 points to start the second half on Saturday, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney noticed a drastic difference when the Tigers came back on the field at Memorial Stadium.

A lot of the fans were gone.

Keep in mind, this was before the game’s two-hour-and-25-minute weather delay that came with 8:11 to play in the fourth quarter.

“We didn’t have many fans there when we came out in third quarter,” Swinney said. “I guess everybody goes out and does whatever. So, it was kind of interesting to see that.”

What those fans did not see is Clemson come back and pull within two points before the weather delay. The majority of the fans went home after the weather delay. However, a few thousand did not and they, according to Swinney, helped pull the Tigers through in a 28-20 victory over North Carolina.

“The delays take a toll on the fans, as well. I mean, what do you do? I mean, they all got to go somewhere. And so, it’s very frustrating (for them),” Swinney said.

After falling behind 17-3 in the first half, Clemson outscored the Tar Heels 25-3 in the last 35 minutes to win the game, its eighth straight over UNC. It was extra sweet for Swinney because when the delay was over, he remembers seeing a lot of the North Carolina fans still in the stands while the Tigers warmed up.

At the time, UNC had a 17-15 lead with 8:11 to play and the ball at the Clemson 7-yard line on second-and-goal.

“Them North Carolina fans were there,” Swinney said. “They were there when we came out. When we came back after that delay, I saw a lot of Baby Blue in there. I saw a lot of them taking some pictures over there.”

However, when it mattered the most, it was the remaining Clemson fans in the stadium that made the most noise, which Swinney felt helped pulled the Tigers through.

“When it came down to crunch time, the Tiger fans were there,” he said. “So, I don’t know how many people were there, but we heard them. We heard them, and I really appreciate them.”