CLEMSON, S.C. — Bill Belichick called it earlier in the week before UNC football made its way down to Death Valley for the ACC opener against Clemson.

“The big thing with Clemson is going to be tackling,” Belichick said during his preview of the Tigers, adding that “tackling will be really important for us.”

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It proved prophetic Saturday, Sept. 20.

Missed tackles in a flat second-half showing contributed to the Tar Heels’ 28-20 loss against the Tigers, who rallied from an early two-touchdown deficit to prevent UNC from celebrating at Memorial Stadium for the first time since 2001.

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“Obviously, disappointing end. Proud of the way our players competed and Clemson’s a good football team. In the end, they made a few more plays than we did,” Belichick said.

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“In the last eight minutes of the game, we missed a couple opportunities on offense, missed tackles on defense. … Disappointing end. Just gotta keep working and getting better, which we are. Really not too much to say.”

The Tar Heels (2-1, 0-1 ACC) controlled the game in a first half that included a butt fumble and boos from Clemson fans, but the Tigers (2-1, 1-0) got going just before halftime with an 88-yard drive that sparked the shift.

The energy was even more noticeable after a 2 ½-hour weather delay.

“I don’t think we had enough energy. … We just came out kind of flat,” McDonald said of the restart.

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Clemson racked up 284 yards and three TDs in the second half, including two scores in the final 4 ½ minutes to complete the rally.

“We just didn’t play with great fundamentals the rest of the game,” McDonald said. “We just need to finish tackles.”

Six of Clemson’s seven explosive plays — defined as runs of at least 10 yards or passes of a least 20 yards — came in the second half, including two during the decisive final minutes following the delay.

UNC allowed 115 yards after the catch and missed a season-high 15 tackles. Five players were charged with multiple missed tackles. According to Pro Football Focus, the Tar Heels received a tackling grade of 50.4, its lowest mark of the season and its worst since producing a 32.2 grade in last year’s lopsided loss to Clemson in Chapel hill.

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McDonald pointed to a “lack of fundamentals” and “just us not finishing it” at crucial points in Death Valley.

“We have good play calls, we have good players,” he said. “We just have to execute.”

The performance marked a sharp contrast from the Tar Heels’ first two games, during which they allowed 13 points and held opponents scoreless for a stretch that reached nine consecutive quarters before the collapse at Clemson.

Now, it’s back to the drawing board for a defense that wasn’t at its best against a vulnerable offense led by a freshman quarterback.

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“Obviously, we’re disappointed,” McDonald said. “Losing is the worst thing, but we have a lot to look at and we have a lot to get better at. Get better this week and get ready for Notre Dame.”

Rodd Baxley covers North Carolina Tar Heels athletics for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding UNC? Send them to rbaxley@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Bill Belichick called it, but UNC football couldn’t do it in loss at Clemson