UNC football goes from Ludacris to ludicrous, crushed by Clemson in Bill Belichick ACC opener

CHAPEL HILL  — UNC football went from Ludacris to ludicrous.

The first Saturday in October started with such promise, kicking things off with a Ludacris concert at 10 a.m. in front of Wilson Library before the Tar Heels and Tigers kicked off at Kenan Stadium. 

The weather, sunny and 70, was perfect for a fall day in Chapel Hill. 

Similar to the scene ahead of UNC’s season opener and debut under coach Bill Belichick, there was a buzz created by the pregame atmosphere, aided by Luda’s lyrics to a sea of fans donning mostly blue and white, with a bit of orange sprinkled in the crowd.  

“I think we making history today,” Ludacris, a three-time Grammy Award-winning artist, said from the stage just after 10 a.m., two hours before kickoff.

“Because this, out of my whole 25 years of doing this, is my earliest show I’ve ever done in my entire life.” 

Millennials, including the one writing this column, were taken back to school, to the days of CDs and MP3 players. Then Clemson took Carolina to school, going from a Ludacris scene at Polk Place to a ludicrous scene inside Kenan Stadium. 

“Oh man, the energy is here,” Ludacris said during his show. “Y’all definitely gonna win today.”

Clearly, Luda hasn’t watched UNC this season. It’s not ludicrous to say the Tar Heels are on track for arguably their worst season in program history, blown out in three games against Power 4 teams to start the Belichick era. They almost certainly are the worst Power 4 team in the country after the performance against Clemson.

Even before the game, following good vibes from the Ludacris concert, UNC couldn’t get the rally towels right for the rapper it had for the pregame concert, with “Raise Up” written on the towels instead of “Stand Up.” 

But the game, which ended with the Tar Heels getting crushed by a score of 38-10, offered ample opportunity to use lyrics from the many hits provided by Luda. But “Act a Fool,” “Get Back," and "Move (expletive)” felt like the right choices to describe how the Tigers throttled the Tar Heels. It was over in the first quarter.

Too fast and too furious from jump street, Clemson scored on its first play with a trick-play for a touchdown in 11 seconds.

Heads up! Heads up!Here's another one!And a, and another one

The Tigers (2-3, 1-2 ACC) had 150 yards and two TDs on their first four plays in the first 6-plus minutes of the game. Those two drives took just under a minute and a half off the clock. Clemson had four touchdowns on 16 plays with 253 yards by the end of the first quarter, which ended with the Tar Heels trailing 28-3 and the Tigers on pace for 112 points.

Tell me what you gon' do? Act a fool

It was the most points allowed in the first quarter by UNC since giving up 31 points in the opening period against Oklahoma in 2001. Clemson coordinators could be heard in adjacent rooms going crazy, yelling in celebration after every big play for the Tigers. They had plenty of chances to “act a fool,” with players providing a crowd of explosive plays. 

Students starting filing out of Kenan Stadium at the end of the first quarter. Late in the fourth quarter, you could count the people in the student section.

Clemson didn't punt until its fifth drive, which featured a first-and-40 situation in the second quarter. They had six plays for 23 or more yards in the first half, including four TDs for 75, 36, 35, 45 and 23 yards.

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik had more passing yards (254) than UNC had total yards (161) at the end of the third quarter. Klubnik completed 92% of his passes with four TDs and didn't play in the fourth quarter. The Tigers had a walk-on QB playing in the final minutes.

Leading up to the Clemson game, the players and coaches who spoke with media members during pregame press conferences were singing from the same sheet of music, following the lead of Belichick in saying the Tar Heels were focused on the fundamentals and getting back to the basics.

Belichick said they’ve improved, but that hasn't happened in three games against Power 4 teams. What have they done in those matchups? Watch the winners “act a fool” with blowout victories and social media digs. UNC was outscored 120-33 in losses to TCU, UCF and Clemson.

See I caught 'em wit a right hook, caught 'em wit a jab / Caught 'em wit an uppercut, kicked 'em in his (butt) / Sent him on his way cause I ain't for that talk! No trips to the county, I ain't for that walk!

Clemson came, saw and hit Carolina right dead in the jaw.

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@fayobserver.com.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC football follows Ludacris concert with ludicrous start in loss to Clemson