Mack Brown identifies the main areas that concern him about Clemson

North Carolina did not end their season how they hoped. Still, the Tar Heels did enough over the course of their year to earn a spot in the ACC Championship Game against Clemson. The Tigers have struggled down the stretch too, ut Dabo Swinney’s team has been a Top-10 caliber squad all season for a reason. With all their talent, there’s one area of their team that has Mack Brown worried about Saturday night.

Brown crowned Clemson’s defense as the most talented unit in the nation during his press conference on Monday. He says you can see it in how their program recruits and it has led to the production they’ve seen on that side of the ball over this season.

“They’ve got the best group of defensive players in the country. Their frontline and linebackers are just draft choices…That’s just who they are. They’ve recruited that well,” said Brown. “People have not been able to run the ball at all. And then it’s hard to pass protect. I looked at their numbers. Talking about us not having many (sacks)? They’ve got a bunch of sacks, a bunch of pressures, and a bunch of tackles for loss. That’s just who they are.”

Clemson’s defense finished 28th in the nation by allowing just 20.9 points per game. Their counting stats have been incredibly productive too with 35 sacks that averages out to nearly three a game. They’ve also forced 18 takeaways on the year.

Although they boast a Top-15 offense, this will be one of the toughest defenses UNC will have faced all season, if not the toughest. That’s just what you have to expect when you play the Tigers, though, according to Brown. Clemson’s a top program for a reason and, if North Carolina wants to win the ACC, they’ll have to be ready for a team that Brown says will be ‘a handful’.

“They’re just a handful with everything they do. They’re well coached, they’re confident, and they’ll expect to win,” Brown said.