UNC football's defensive keys to a Week 6 victory

Through the North Carolina Tar Heels' first four games of their 2025 football season, fans still aren't sure how to grade defensive production.

UNC (2-2) looked horrendous against TCU, allowing 500+ yards and seemingly any Horned Frog to score at will. North Carolina wasn't much better against UCF, allowing 34 points and nearly 400 yards, while failing to generate a single turnover.

The Tar Heels held Charlotte to just three points, then Richmond to 199 yards. Charlotte is a miserable Group of Five program, while Richmond plays at the FCS level, but what UNC did was nonetheless impressive.

North Carolina's next test comes Saturday afternoon, with a 12 p.m. kickoff against preseason ACC favorite Clemson set from Kenan Stadium. The Tar Heels and Tigers (1-3, 0-2 ACC) last played in Chapel Hill during the 2019 campaign, when Sam Howell and his teammates were a 2-point conversion away from knocking off the nation's top-ranked team.

Clemson, like UNC, is falling extremely short of lofty preseason expectations. Whereas North Carolina's preseason outlook hinged on Bill Belichick's past success, the Tigers' preseason outlook centered more around College Football Playoff aspirations.

Clemson sports a nearly 1,000-yard passer in Cade Klubnik, a star running back in Adam Randall and one of the nation's top receivers in Bryant Wesco Jr. The Tar Heels will have their hands full Saturday, but hopefully, the off week gave them additional time to prepare.

Does UNC have a chance this weekend? Take a look at our defensive keys to a North Carolina victory, which would be a huge one, regardless of the Tigers' early-season struggles.

Find a way to neutralize Wesco's production

As previously mentioned, Wesco is one of the nation's top receivers – and he's only a sophomore. Through four games, Wesco has 389 yards and five touchdowns – on just 24 catches.

Wesco has two games with 100 receiving yards, plus two more with multiple touchdowns. This is the type of stardom the Tar Heels struggle with, but luckily, their secondary includes veterans like Marcus Allen and Thad Dixon.

UNC won't stop Wesco from producing, but if its defensive can neutralize him at minimum, a victory is that much more likely.

Take away the run game

UCF ran all over North Carolina in Week 4, to the tune of 143 yards. Three of the Knights' four touchdown came on the ground.

Clemson has Randall, a senior from Myrtle Beach, leading its backfield. Randall has a Tigers-best 338 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

There aren't many more big running threats on the Clemson roster, so the Tar Heels should focus their defensive efforts on slowing down Randall. This will force the Tigers to throw the football – and Klubnik already has four interceptions to his name.

Force turnovers

UNC didn't force a single turnover at UCF, which makes you wonder if Week 4's outcome would be different otherwise. North Carolina forced three Richmond turnovers, plus two the previous week at Charlotte.

Turnovers are big momentum-shifters. If the Tar Heels can take the football away from Clemson, they'll be better positioned for an upset victory.

Burst through the trenches and sack Klubnik

Delaware transfer Melkart Abou-Jaoude leads UNC with two sacks, while linebacker Mikai Gbayor and Andrew Simpson have one apiece. Four total sacks through four games isn't bad, but that's nowhere close to North Carolina's 2024 sack production.

Opposing teams sacked Klubnik four times through Clemson's first four games. If the Tar Heels can pressure Klubnik at minimum, they'll force him into bad decisions. If those pressures turn into sacks, momentum will shift – and hopefully, lead to a big win.

Limit big plays

North Carolina is no stranger to giving up big plays. Just look at Kevorian Barnes' 75-yard run in Week 1, or UCF's first two Week 4 touchdowns (13-yard run, 17-yard pass).

Clemson has big-play ability across its roster, something UNC needs to stop. If the Tar Heels can limit big plays, they'll have a chance to win Saturday.

This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC football's defensive keys to victory for Week 6 vs. Clemson