Coach Dave Clawson Puts Cal Defense On Par With Best Wake Has Faced

The Demon Deacons' coach is especially impressed by the Bears' veteran secondary

Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson, whose program often has produced explosive offenses over his 11 seasons, knows a stout defense when he sees one. And he’s impressed by what he’s seen from Cal, which visits Winston-Salem, NC on Friday night.

“They are sound, really well-coached, and very talented,” Clawson said this week. “I would rank them defensively right up there with Ole Miss and Clemson.”

The Demon Deacons (4-4, 2-2 ACC) have won two in a row, but struggled to score in losses against then-No. 5 Ole Miss (40-6) and No. 10 Clemson (49-14).

Cal (4-4, 0-4) heads to Allegacy Stadium still in search of its first-ever ACC victory. Kickoff is 5 p.m. PT and the game will be aired on the ACC Network.

Clawson is aware the Bears lost those four games by a combined total of nine points.

“They have the No. 2 (yardage) defense in the conference and the No. 1 scoring defense, giving up only 17 points a game,” he said. “Their rush defense is allowing under 100 yards a game . . . and they're incredible at taking the ball away. They've forced 18 turnovers, ranking fourth in the country in turnover margin. 

“Across the board, they're just good players.”

Cal has held six of its first eight opponents to 17 points or fewer and played, as coach Justin Wilcox noted, only two poor defensive quarters all season — the fourth periods in collapses against Miami and North Carolina State.

"It's not hyperbole to say they are just two missed field goals and a questionable call in a red-zone drive away from being undefeated,” Clawson said. “In the games they've won, they've done so decisively. They had a really impressive performance (winning 44-7) against Oregon State. 

“What's even more impressive to me is when a team loses a bunch of games in a row and then figures out how to turn it around; that's a sign of a good coach and a good program. I think Justin is a really good coach defensively.”

During his weekly news conference, Clawson singled out defensive lineman Aidan Keanaaina, outside linebacker Xavier Carlton and inside linebacker Teddye Buchanan.

He is especially impressed by the Bears’ secondary, featuring cornerbacks Nohl Williams (who leads the nation with six interceptions) and Marcus Harris and sixth-year safeties Craig Woodson and Miles Williams.

"On film, this secondary might be the best we've faced,” Clawson said. “They are really, really good. Every week, we present to our team the top four players on offense and defense, and literally, there was a discussion about their secondary; we could have chosen any one of their four guys.”

When asked if this Wake team can reach six or more victories, Clawson said this is not yet the time for that conversation.

"We just have to get to five wins before we can think about six. Getting to five is going to be a challenge this week with Cal,” he said. “This is our ninth game, and I would certainly rank them among the top three or four teams we've played.”