Clemson Tigers Seek to Avoid Letdown vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

The Clemson Tigers are undefeated in ACC action but the grind continues with a trip to Winston-Salem to face Wake Forest.

Oct 5, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Clemson Tigers wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. (12) runs the ball against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. / Melina Myers-Imagn Images

The temptation after beating a team like Florida State is to take the foot off the gas just a bit. The No. 10 Clemson Tigers can’t afford that.

A trip to Winston-Salem, N.C., awaits as the Tigers (4-1, 3-0 in ACC) prepare to face the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2-1, 1-1) at noon eastern on Saturday.

The Tigers are back in the AP Top 10 after falling all the way to No. 25 after their season-opening loss to Georgia. These Tigers have clearly figured things out and now look like the co-favorite to win the ACC title, along with Miami. The Hurricanes are undefeated and they don’t play the Tigers in the regular season.

Wake Forest won its first ACC game of the year, defeating NC State, 34,-30, as the Wolfpack lost quarterback Grayson McCall during the game. Coupled with a 31-30 loss to Virginia earlier this year, the Demon Deacons appear to have the talent to hang with the rest of the ACC.

They’ll find out how significant the gap is between them and the Tigers when they face each other on Saturday.

Here is a preview of Clemson and Wake Forest.

Clemson at Wake Forest

Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium, Winston-Salem, N.C.

Time: noon, ET

TV: ESPN

Radio: WCCP 105.5 FM (flagship)

Coaches: Clemson — Dabo Swinney (174-44 at Clemson and for his career); Wake Forest — Dave Clawson (65-64 at Wake Forest, 155-144 for his career).

Fun fact: Wake Forest broke Clemson’s five-year streak of Atlantic Division titles (2015-19) in 2021, even though the Demon Deacons lost to the Tigers that season. There were no divisions in the ACC during the 2020 season due to COVID.

All-Times Series: Clemson leads series, 71-17-1,

Last meeting: Clemson 17, Wake Forest 12 (2023).

Series notes: Wake Forest last beat Clemson in 2008. That was the game before Swinney took over as interim coach. So, Swinney has never lost to the Demon Deacons.

Last Week: Clemson def. Florida State, 29-13; Wake Forest def. NC State, 34-30.

About Wake Forest: Clawson’s high-water mark was 2021. The Demon Deacons went 11-3, won the Atlantic Division and lost the ACC title game. But, in the context of this program, he’s been one of its most successful coaches. Wake Forest went to seven straight bowl game (2016-22). But, they’re coming off an awful 4-8 season in 2023.

Can Wake Forest bounce back and get to a bowl game? Squandering an early-season meeting with Louisiana (41-38) certainly doesn’t help their case.

About Clemson: One interesting stat in the aftermath of the Florida State victory from Jon Blau of the Courier-Times:

When Clemson rushes for at least 200 yards and passes for at least 200 yards under Swinney the Tigers are 64-1. In program history they are 114-1-1.

The explosive plays stick out for the Tigers during this four-game winning streak. The offense is balanced, thanks in part of Cade Klubnik’s emergence as an efficient runner.

But the Tigers also now as fully healthy as they can be. Their injured wide receivers returned for the FSU game. So did standout defensive tackle Peter Woods. He didn’t have a tackle, but he played for the first time since the Georgia game.

These Tigers have emerged as one of the best teams in the country and that loss to Georgia, oddly, has only made them more resilient.

Next Up: Clemson hosts Virginia on Oct. 19. Wake Forest will be at UConn on Oct. 19.