Tar Heels dispute late offside call in ACC championship game

The Tigers can seal a spot in the College Football Playoff and extend the longest winning streak in the country to 16 games while led by ACC Player of the Year Deshaun Watson at quarterback.

It didn’t come without some suspense.

After scoring with 1 minute, 13 seconds remaining to cut the Tigers’ lead to eight points, North Carolina appeared to recover an onsides kick and swing the game’s momentum its way.

The ensuing onside kick, North Carolina was called for being offside, though replays failed to reveal any Tar Heel infraction.

Switzer, who was on the field for both onside kicks, said simply, not recovering the onside kicks did not lose his team the game.

Clemson’s Artavis Scott (3) celebrates Deshaun Watson’s (4) touchdown against North Carolina during the second half of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship NCAA college football game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015.

Watson ended the half going 19-of-32 passing for 191 yards and two scores. “It was just time to change that”. One minute with three timeouts would have been plenty of time.

The 82-yard march wiped out Iowa’s 13-9 lead, which it got on an 85-yard pass from C.J. Beathard to Tevaun Smith.

“We’ve got three top 10 wins”.

UNC started the second half fast, moving the ball down field with runs and a 25-yard pass to Mack Hollins that got the Tar Heels down to Clemson’s 16 yard line. It was their ninth 500-plus yard game in a row and helped run their record to 13-0, with at least one more date – and perhaps two – on their schedule. Watson also threw for 289 yards.

The 100 represents the number of games Swinney has coached for the Tigers and his players provided a memory for him on Saturday night that he will never forget. The Tigers entered this game allowing 288.5 yards per game. Gallman finished with 187 rushing yards and also caught his first touchdown pass of the season in the second quarter. The 2-yard rush was enough to make it 42-30 Clemson with 9:54 to play.

“Yeah, it’s tough, coming back into my hometown not being able to get a win”, Williams said.

The victory makes Houston the Group of Five representative, earning the Cougars a trip to either the Peach Bowl or Fiesta Bowl.

The Tigers would respond with an 11-play, 80-yard drive capped by Watson’s fifth touchdown of the game on a 2-yard run that pushed Clemson’s lead to 42-23 with 11:34 left in the game.

Temple (10-3) had a chance to get within a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but Jeremy Winchester knocked down a pass in the end zone and the Owls settled for a field goal that made it 24-13.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Brandon Doughty threw for 410 yards with three touchdown passes and Western Kentucky came from behind to defeat Southern Mississippi 45-28 in the Conference USA Championship Game on Saturday.

The Tigers took 57 first-half snaps on offense. The sophomore rushed for 94 yards in the third quarter alone after putting up only 17 in the first half. While sophomore Elijah Hood still managed 4.6 yards per carry, he only rushed 14 times for 65 yards.

Nick Mullins was 15 of 30 for 181 yards with a touchdown for Southern Miss, but threw three costly interceptions.

“That was championship football”, Swinney said. Championship teams find different ways to win. It marks the 11th league title for Alcorn State. Entering the game, UNC averaged 229.7 rushing yards per game thanks to a much-improved ground attack.

The loss marked just the second time Grambling State (9-3) has fallen in the title game.

Had the Tar Heels won, the College Football Playoff rankings would have been a bit unpredictable. Would have most definitely liked to have got that.