Clemson football vs UNC: Score prediction, scouting report for Drake Maye vs Clade Klubnik

Clemson football has a chance at another top-25 team when it hosts No. 20 North Carolina. The Tigers are on a two-game win streak that began with an upset of No. 12 Notre Dame, and Clemson hopes to improve its record against ranked opponents this season to 2-1.

It's a rematch of last season's ACC Championship game, which Clemson won 39-10 behind a big performance from quarterback Cade Klubnik.

Here's how UNC (8-2, 4-2 ACC) matches up against Clemson (6-4, 3-4) at Memorial Stadium on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

UNC quarterback Drake Maye leads potent offense

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Drake Maye entered the season as a Heisman Trophy candidate and potential top NFL Draft pick. With UNC's record, he might not be a Heisman front-runner, but he's still a top pro prospect.

Maye leads the ACC's top scoring offense (39.9 points per game). He ranks first in the league and third in the country in passing yards per game (314.5) and leads the conference in passer rating (157.39). He's second in completion percentage (65.8) and passing touchdowns (21). Maye is also a threat to run, though he does so less this season than he did last season.

Against Clemson in last season's title game, Maye threw for 268 yards but no touchdowns and two interceptions. That was against a Tiger pass defense that was one of its biggest weaknesses. This season, it's much improved: Clemson ranks second in the ACC in pass defense (162 yards per game allowed) and interceptions (12).

Tar Heels have dominant running back in Omarion Hampton

UNC's Omarion Hampton is one of the top running backs in the country. He ranks second in the country and first in the ACC in rushing yards (1,236), averaging six yards per carry. He's scored 12 rushing touchdowns and averages more than 20 carries per game.

Clemson's run defense has seen good running backs this season and performed well against them, but Hampton will be the best it's faced. The Tigers' defense cedes 109 rushing yards per game and 3.45 yards per carry, both the fourth-best marks in the ACC.

Clemson offense vs. UNC defense

UNC's defense has been a weakness at times. The Tar Heels allow 25 points per game, fifth-most in the conference.

Klubnik is coming off one of his best passing performances against Georgia Tech. He could take advantage of a Tar Heels defense that ranks second-worst in the ACC, allowing more than 235 yards per game and 15 passing touchdowns on the season. UNC has allowed 103 pass plays of more than 10 yards, the most in the league by far. But on the other hand, the Tar Heels are tied with Clemson for second-most interceptions caught (12).

If Klubnik can avoid costly mistakes, and if the Clemson run game continues its recent upward trend, Clemson's offense should be able to handle the UNC defense.

DABO ON DRAKE: How Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney views UNC quarterback Drake Maye ahead of their second meeting

Clemson score prediction vs North Carolina

Clemson 38, UNC 31: A month ago, I would have said Clemson was sure to lose this game. But since then, Clemson is on an upswing, and UNC has lost two bad games to Virginia and Georgia Tech, then needed overtime to beat a Duke team with a backup quarterback. Clemson is favored by 6.5 points, and I think the Tigers' offense will take advantage of UNC's defense while Clemson's defense does its job enough to cover that spread.

Christina Long covers the Clemson Tigers for the Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@greenvillenews.com.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson football score prediction, scouting report vs UNC, Drake Maye