Nate the Great: Wiggins saves his best performance for ACC Championship

Nate Wiggins' night had it all, including a 98-yard pick-six that set an ACC Championship record.

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Sun Dec 04 13:00:07 GMT-04:00 2022

CHARLOTTE – Nate Wiggins has been waiting for his first interception all season, and he saved the best for last.

The sophomore cornerback had the best performance of his young career Saturday night in Clemson's 39-10 victory over North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game at Bank of America Stadium.

Not only did Wiggins personally keep the Tar Heels from scoring 17 points – by virtue of two pass breakups in the endzone and a blocked field goal – but he also had a 98-yard interception returned for a touchdown, the longest play in ACC Championship Game history.

This performance has been building for Wiggins since the fourth week of the season when he had probably the worst day of his career. At that point, the Atlanta native knew a change needed to happen.

"I definitely need to work more," Wiggins said after the ACC Championship Game. "Going into that game, I was like, 'I can't get caught.' That game showed me that anything can happen, and I have to be on my P's and Q's the whole time. I really felt bad for myself. I've never had anything like that happen before. I was just like, 'that can't happen anymore.'

"Right after that game, I told myself that I would never have a game like that again. I stayed down, put the work in, and started watching a tremendous amount of film. It pays off."

The hard work paid off Saturday night as Wiggins logged his first career interception.

"I woke up this morning thinking I was going to have a great day, so that was just my mindset all day," Wiggins said. "I knew one of these days that I was going to get a pick, and I guess today was the day. I took it all the way back. I was surprised he threw it, and it came right to me. I had to make him pay. That's all I've been hearing, so I'm glad I finally got one."

After intercepting the pass and despite a leg cramp, Wiggins had one goal: to make it to the endzone.

"The play before, I caught a cramp, so when I was running, it came back up around the 50-yard line," he said. "I was just like, 'I need to make it to the endzone.' Right after I passed Drake Maye, I knew nobody was catching me."

Once he hit paydirt, the first thing he did was find the person that means the most to him.

"I was looking for my mom. I told her I love her. I've been telling her all year that I was going to get one for her," he said.