Watch: Clemson escapes upset bid thanks to Mack Brown’s odd two-point playcall
Mack Brown’s North Carolina Tar Heels were one play away from potentially pulling off a massive upset of the top-ranked Clemson Tigers, but his playcall on a two-point conversion left a lot to be desired.
The Tar Heels drove downfield to score a touchdown with 1:17 left, cutting Clemson’s lead to 21-20. Instead of kicking a game-tying extra point, Brown sent his team out to go for two and the lead. That may have been defensible, but the playcall did not work at all: a triple option against one of the quickest and most talented defenses in the country.
Clemson buckles down.
North Carolina goes for two to take the lead on the No. 1 team in the nation, but comes up short. pic.twitter.com/DOdI1mRR0H
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) September 28, 2019
It’s just not a good call. Clemson’s defense is fast, and there was no way running side-to-side in a short yardage situation was going to pay off here. It was great that the Tar Heels were in a position to pull the upset, but that’s a regrettable triple option.
On the bright side, now Brown knows he doesn’t need to have Dabo Swinney arrested to give Clemson all it can handle and then some.