Johnny White rushed for two touchdowns and made a clutch catch for a first down late in the fourth quarter to help host North Carolina seal a 21-16 ACC win over Clemson on Saturday in Chapel Hill.

White rushed for 89 yards and scored on runs of 4 and 26 yards.

In a tight defensive battle, the Tar Heels built a 14-3 halftime lead on T.J. Yates' nine-yard touchdown pass to Jheranie Boyd with 53 second left in the second quarter. Clemson closed to 14-10 on Jamie Harper's 10-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter.

But White's 26-yard touchdown with 6:53 left to play was the deciding score.

Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker hit Jaron Brown for a 74-yard touchdown pass with 5:31 to play, but the Tigers were unable to put together another scoring drive.

Ravaged by an NCAA investigation, the depleted Tar Heels now sit at 3-2 and 1-1 in the ACC.

It's the third straight loss for Clemson (2-3, 0-2), which was held under 100 yards rushing.

North Carolina (3-2, 1-1) is at Virginia next week. Clemson will try to bounce back at home against Maryland on Oct. 16.