A plummeting completion percentage and a costly late-game interception raise a few questions for North Carolina's offense.
At one point, it felt like North Carolina was dominating Clemson, and that's because they were.
The Tar Heels held a commanding lead, and while the lightning delay may have changed everything, this loss can't solely be blamed on the weather.
Clemson stormed back with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, but it was more than just the fourth quarter that did them in.
Senior quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. completed just 43.3% of his passes, as his completion percentage plummets to 56.4% for the year.
That's not going to cut it, especially knowing Notre Dame awaits Bill Belichick and Co. after their bye week.
Edwards Jr. threw the game-ending interception, and while it was his first INT of the year, it proved that he may not be ready when the moment presents itself.
UNC fans can't give up on Edwards Jr. this early into the season
One of the great things about this UNC squad is their depth at the quarterback position. Should Edwards Jr. go down with an injury like he did last year at Wisconsin, they know they're in a decent spot with sophomore backup Miles O'Neill.
O'Neill transferred from Texas A&M, and while he was never a starter with the Aggies, that doesn't mean he's not ready to step up and take that role.
For now, all eyes remain on Edwards Jr. as he'll continue to be QB1 moving forward, and rightfully so. One interception shouldn't change the course of this team's season, but if they keep playing as they did late against the Tigers, it absolutely could.
Can Edwards Jr. get back to his 2024 form?
The biggest question here is how long it will take for Edwards Jr. to get back to the level he played at in 2024 with Maryland.
The Terrapins had a QB that year who threw for 2,881 yards, which, to no surprise, was a career high for the Virginia native.
Edwards Jr. has 22 career touchdowns to 11 interceptions, so that's far from the best ratio in the world, but his career 61.4% completion rate is nowhere near the abysmal number it was against Clemson.
Tar Heels fans also need to remember the severity of Edwards Jr.'s injury last season, but UNC clearly thought he was at 100%, and he got the job done with relative ease in Week 0 and Week 2.
Knowing Notre Dame is waiting, it'll be interesting to see what adjustments this team is able to make offensively, as they have nearly two full weeks to prepare for the Fighting Irish.
