Wake Forest Comes up Short in Thrilling 2OT Shootout vs Clemson
In a thrilling, double-overtime affair, Wake Forest came up just short against Clemson, losing 51-45. With the win, the Tigers extended their win streak over Wake Forest to 14 games.
Even in the loss, the Deacs fought valiantly and gave Clemson all they could handle. Clawson spoke after the game on the pride he felt for his players and how they performed.
“I’m proud of our team,” Clawson said. “We battled and competed. Our kids played so hard. The locker is hurting right now. This football team has invested a lot and they care a lot. They expected to win this game.”
Starting center Michael Jurgens was especially emotional addressing the media after the game. No matter how well the team played, the loss hurts all the same.
“We put a lot into this,” Jurgens said. “Every single rep, every practice. It hurts, it always hurts.”
READ: Quick Hitter - Clemson Defeats Wake Forest 51-45 in Double Overtime
Quarterback Sam Hartman had a career day for the Deacs, completing 20 of his 29 pass attempts for 337 yards and six touchdowns. He surpassed his previous high for touchdown passes in a single game and set a new school record in that category. Despite the personal success, the redshirt junior graded himself worse than his self-evaluated “D” from Liberty.
“We lost, so it’s a failure,” Hartman said of his performance. “Stats are great, touchdowns are great, but a loss is a loss.”
After going punch for punch with Clemson’s offense for nearly the entire game, Wake Forest finally fell on a deflected pass in the end zone. In a game of numerous high-caliber offensive plays, the result came down to one.
“It was a one play game,” Clawson said. “[Clemson] made one more play than us.”
Defensively, the Deacs struggled neutralizing the big plays, specifically the pass. Wake Forest allowed nine passes over 15 yards, including four over 30. Critically, six of those nine passes came on third down.
In a shootout game like today, Clawson hoped for a big defensive stand at the right time. While the Wake defense made several early in the game, the Clemson offense was ultimately too much to stop.
“We had to get a stop,” Clawson said. “It has to be an interception or a fumble, you just have to get a stop.”
With four minutes remaining in a tied game, Wake Forest got the ball back with a chance to win. According to Clawson, game management was front of mind during the entire drive.
“I thought we had to play with normal tempo,” he said. “We weren’t going to start bleeding the clock until we got to midfield under two minutes. I thought about going for it on that fourth down, but their kicker just hit a 53-yard field goal. If it was two or three yards closer, I probably would have ended up going for it. Fourth-and-five is just a little too much.”
READ: First Half Recap - Deacs Hang Tight With Clemson, Trail 20-14
While the loss hurts for Clawson and the team, along with their hopes of returning to the ACC Championship, it’s just one game of many. There’s a lot left to be played.
“We’re not going to win the league with one game and you’re not going to lose it from one,” Clawson said. “Obviously it’s a big loss and [Clemson] is one up on us. There’s a lot of football left and I feel that we have a pretty good football team. We’ll be back.”
“There’s a lot of positive takeaways [from the game],” defensive lineman Kobie Turner said. “We’re a team that’s going to fight. We’re a great team. We’re going to feed off of each other. When the offense is doing good, they’re going to take care of the defense and vice versa. We’re not going to be out of any game. We’re going to be right there in the present moment and fight.”
Now, at 3-1, the road doesn’t get any easier for Wake Forest. Next week, they travel to Tallahassee to face a reenergized Florida State.
“We have to get ready for next week,” Hartman said. “That’s part of being in the ACC. Every week is going to be a battle and every week you’re going to either be really happy or really disappointed. Frankly, the team we play next week doesn’t care.”
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