The ACC Championship between North Carolina and Clemson essentially came down to one play: a Tar Heels onside kick.
After scoring a touchdown to cut the deficit to 45-37, North Carolina lined up for an onside kick with three timeouts and over a minute left on the game clock.
The Tar Heels recovered the ball, but it was negated by an apparent offside penalty. The infraction resulted in another onside kick attempt, which was recovered by Clemson. The Tigers then ran out the clock and sealed the championship.
"That was a blown call, obviously," said receiver Ryan Switzer. "Anybody who's seen the picture or the replay knows it was blown, but one play doesn't lose you a game. Would have most definitely liked to have got that. With our offense, we can score anywhere on the field. One minute with three timeouts would have been plenty of time. Frustrating, definitely, but it was a blown call.
"Obviously, it makes you sick. It didn't lose us the game, but it also didn't help us win it, either."
Heels head coach Larry Fedora echoed Switzer's remarks.
"I had a chance to look at (the call) and they missed it. They were wrong. That's all I'm going to say about it. They were wrong,"' he said.
The missed call left a sour taste in the mouths of North Carolina, as the team was stripped of a chance at a comeback and a shot at the College Football Playoff.
"It isn't going to change,'' Fedora said. "It doesn't matter one way or the other, so I'm going to have to swallow it like a man and just take it.''
