Clemson vs. Wake Forest Preview
The Game
•Clemson (10-0, 7-0) vs. Wake Forest (7-2, 3-2)
•Clemson ranked #3 by College Football Playoff, #3 by USA Today and #3 by Associated Press
•ABC, 3:30 p.m. (Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, Allison Williams)
•Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC (81,500)
The Series
•Clemson leads the series 66-17-1, including a 38-7 lead in games played at Clemson. The 66 wins are the second most for the Clemson program against any team. The Tigers have beaten South Carolina 70 times.
•The Tigers are 56-9-1 against Wake Forest since the formation of the ACC in 1953, a .856 winning percentage. This will be the 67th consecutive year the schools have met on the gridiron.
•Dabo Swinney has a 10-0 record against Wake Forest and the Tigers have won the games by a combined score of 390-124. Clemson has scored at least 28 points all 10 games.
•Wake Forest’s last win in the series took place at Wake Forest in 2008, a 12-7 victory in Tommy Bowden’s last game as Clemson coach.
•Wake Forest enters the game with a 7-2 record and the Tigers are 10-0. The 17-2 combined record is the most combined wins entering the game in the history of the series. The combined .895 winning percentage is the best since the 2017 game when the two teams were a combined 9-1 entering the game. Given a minimum of 12 combined games played, it is the best combined winning percentage in the history of the series.
The Coaches
• Dave Clawson, a 1989 graduate of Williams, is in his sixth season as head coach at Wake Forest. He has already clinched a fourth straight winning season for the Demon Deacons, the first time the program has done that since 1944-48. Prior to his career at Wake Forest he was the head coach at Bowling Green, Richmond and Fordham. He is 35-37 at Wake Forest entering Saturday’s game at Clemson.
•Overall, Clawson is 125-117 as a head coach. He has 125 career wins and Dabo Swinney has a 126. This is just the fifth time in history Wake Forest has won at least seven of its first nine games, just the second time since 1979. Wake Forest was 8-1 through nine games in 2006 when the Demon Deacons won the ACC Championship under Jim Grobe.
•Clawson has led Wake Forest to bowl wins each of the last three years, the only ACC coach who can make that claim.
•Dabo Swinney is in his 11th full season (12th overall including seven games as interim head coach in 2008) at Clemson and has a 126-30 (.808) record entering Saturday’s game. It took him 155 games to reach 125 wins, the 10th fewest games need to reach that victory total in FBS history.
•Swinney is one of nine coaches in FBS history with at least 150 games coached and an 80 percent winning percentage.
•Swinney is the winningest active coach at the FBS level. He moved ahead of Washington Coach Chris Petersen into first place among winningest active coaches (min five years) with the win at Louisville and Washington’s loss to Oregon. Petersen is now 145-37 for a .797 mark.
•Swinney’s record includes a 77-16 mark in ACC games and that .828 winning percentage is the best in league history.
•Swinney is 29-2 against teams from the state of North Carolina.
Five Notes of Interest
•Clemson’s seniors will play their final game in Memorial Stadium this Saturday. The group is 26-1 at home in their time at Clemson and have a 21-game winning streak. A win over Wake Forest will give the class 22 straight wins at home, a school record.
•Trevor Lawrence is averaging 5.5 yards per rush and has seven rushing touchdowns this year, up from a 2.8 average per attempt and one rushing touchdown last year.
•Travis Etienne needs three touchdowns to become the ACC’s all-time leader in total TDs. He has 54 and James Conner of Pittsburgh (2013-16) had 56.
•Trevor Lawrence has a passing efficiency rating of 196 in games since October 1, second in the nation behind Jalen Hurts of Oklahoma (199).
•Clemson has the longest overall active winning streak in the nation (25), the longest road winning streak (11) and the longest home winning streak (21).
Dabo Swinney on Wake Forest
“Wake Forest is a tough team and they have had a heck of a season. I feel like I know more about Wake Forest than any team, because we have had a lot of common opponents and I have seen a lot of video on them.
“They are unbelievably well coached. They have done an awesome job offensively and defensively. They don’t make a lot of mistakes.
“On defense, they cover well. They will pick their spots to pressure you. I am very impressed with their defensive front. Carlos Basham is heck of a defensive end.
“Wake Forest is not as big as some teams on defense, but they are never in the same place. They are athletic and move around. They have created a lot of turnovers. Forcing those turnovers has been the difference in some close games.
“On offense it all starts with the quarterback, Jamie Newman. He is 6-4, 230 pounds and has experience. I have been impressed with him all year.
“ They have some great wide outs, but will have some guys out with injuries. When healthy they are the best group we have faced. Kendall Hinton can create separation. You watch the tape and say, they won’t complete that pass, then they go and get it.
“They have a good group on offense. They are similar to us in that they have a strong quarterback, a good physical offensive line and good skill position players. We will have to be physical up front. They have backs that can turn a two-yard gain into a six-yard gain.
“We have known for a while this would be a big game. I know they weren’t pleased how they played last year against us, so they will be motivated.
Clemson Offense vs. Wake Forest Defense
Clemson’s offense continues to be among the most effective and balanced in the nation. The Tigers are second in the nation in total offense, averaging 546 yards per game. No Clemson team has finished the season among the top two in the nation in total offense or scoring. Clemson’s 45.3 scoring average is fifth in the nation. Clemson is eighth in the country in rushing and 33rd in passing. Clemson averages 276 yards a game passing and 270 rushing, the only team in the nation at 270 or better in both areas.
Clemson’s veteran offensive line (four seniors) has allowed just seven sacks all year, fourth in the nation in fewest sacks allowed. That group has as much to do with Clemson’s success as any area.
Running back Travis Etienne has been on a record pace this year. He has five consecutive 100-yard rushing games to tie the Clemson record. Obviously another 100-yard game will move set the school record. He is averaging 121.4 yards per game and needs just 329 rushing yards to break Raymond Priester’s career rushing record of 3,966 set between 1994-97.
Etienne has been incredible when it comes to yards per carry with an 8.9 average for the season and 8.1 average for his career. No other Clemson player in history has averaged over 6.0 yards per rush. He has 13 rushing TDs this year and 15 overall. For his career he has 50 rushing touchdowns and 54 total TDs, two short of the ACC career record.
Trevor Lawrence has completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 230 yards per game. He has 23 touchdown passes and seven more rushing for 30 total TDs, just one short of what he had in 15 games last year. Over the last four games he has 12 touchdown passes and no interceptions. Lawrence’s 167.60 passing efficiency is better than his 157.56 mark of last year. He has risen to eighth in the nation in passing efficiency and 10th in yards per attempt this year.
Lawrence was 58th in the nation in passing efficiency through games of September 30, but has been second in games since October .
Justyn Ross leads the Tigers in receptions with 40 for 519 yards and six scores. Tee Higgins leads in receiving yards with 735 on 36 receptions and five scores. His 20.7 yards per reception figure is eighth in the nation among players with at least 30 receptions. Amari Rodgers is a third productive option for Lawrence. The native of Tennessee has 25 catches for 372 yards and four scores. All three receivers caught a TD pass against Wofford.
Wake Forest has allowed 26 points and 408 yards per game so far this year, ranking 56th and 76th in the nation, respectively. They are 72nd in rushing defense and 90th in pass defense. They have been excellent on third down defense, as the Demon Deacons allow just 31 percent on third down, 16th in the nation.
Leading the Wake Forest defense is Carlos Basham, who is 14th in the nation and second in the ACC in sacks with 7.5. He is fourth in tackles for loss per game with 1.44. Cornerback Amari Henderson leads the ACC in interceptions with four and is second in the league in passes defended with 13. He is the leading active player in the nation in terms of career passes defended with 47. Safety Nasir Greer is second in the league in forced fumbles with three.
Clemson Defense vs. Wake Forest Offense
The most interesting area of comparison will take place when Wake Forest’s offense is on the field. The Demon Deacons are 11th in the nation in passing offense with 314 yards a game and Clemson’s pass defense is second in the nation, allowing just 137 yards per game.
Clemson has not allowed a team to reach 300 yards of total offense in a game this year, just the third team to do that for the first 10 games of a season in the last 20 years. Despite the loss of six players to the NFL, the Clemson defense is actually improved statistically over last year. The Tigers led the nation in scoring defense last year, allowing 13.1 points per game, but allow just 11.5 so far this year, third in the nation. Clemson allowed 286 yards a game last year to rank fifth in the nation. Clemson is fourth in that category so far this year, allowing 251 a game. Clemson has not allowed more than 20 points in a game this year and the streak is 13 games over two years, the longest streak by a Clemson team since 1958.
Isaiah Simmons is the leader of the defense. The linebacker from Olathe, Kansas was named a semifinalist for the Butkus Award and leads the team in tackles (69), tackles for loss (11.5), sacks (6-42) and quarterback pressures (12). Many feel he will be the third Clemson defensive player named Simmons (Wayne, 1992, Anthony, 1997) to be a first-round draft choice.
James Skalski, who redshirted last season, is second in tackles with 67, while linebacker Chad Smith is third with 53. Tanner Muse is fourth from his safety position with 52 and a team best three interceptions. K’Von Wallace is a starting defensive back with 48 tackles, two tackles for loss, four passes broken up and two interceptions.
The leader of the defensive front has been freshman Tyler Davis, who has 34 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss. Reserve linebacker Jake Venables is second in the team in tackles for loss with 7.5, including 3.5 in the win over Wofford.
Wake Forest will be without two of their top three receivers. Sage Surratt leads the ACC in receiving with 66-1001 and 11 touchdowns, but he will miss the game with an injury. Scotty Washington is second on the team in reception yardage with 607 on 35 catches also will be out. Kendall Hinton, third in the ACC in receptions per game with 7.3, will play. He has 51 total receptions for 659 yards.
Quarterback Jamie Newman is first in the ACC in passing yards per game with 287 and is third in pass efficiency with a 153.7 figure. Newman has started 12 games in his Wake Forest career and thrown for at least 200 yards in 11 of them. He threw for 401 yards in the season opening win over Utah State. Also a strong runner, Newman averages 324 yards of total offense per game, first in the ACC and ninth in the nation.
Cade Carney is the top rusher for Wake Forest with 429 yards and three touchdowns. He is eighth in Wake Forest history in rushing yards with 2,255. Kenneth Walker averages 6.9 yards a rush and has three scores. Newman actually has the most rushing touchdowns with five and has 301 yards on the ground.
Special Teams
•Clemson’s kickoff man B.T. Potter has 49 touchbacks on 66 kickoffs so far this year and is third in the nation in kickoffs with a 64.53 yards per kickoff average. He has 128 career touchbacks on 180 kickoffs and has kicked just one out of bounds in his career. At Louisville he made a 51-yard field goal, the second 51-yarder he has made this year.
•Will Spiers is one of the most improved punters in the nation, as his average has gone from 38.9 to 43.0. He has allowed just three punt returns for 20 yards this year and his individual net average of 42.6, near the Clemson single season record of 42.6 by Dale Hatcher in 1984.
•In terms of returns, Joseph Ngata has a 23.2 kickoff return average on 14 returns. Amari Rodgers has a solid 7.6 punt return average.
•Wake Forest kicker Nick Sciba is the nation’s most accurate field goal kicker having made 35-38 for his career, 92 percent. He is 16-16 on field goals and 38-38 on extra points this year.
•Punter Dom Maggio has a 43.2 career average, 19th best among active players. He has a 46.0 average this year with 19 punts inside the 20.
The Game
•Clemson (10-0, 7-0) vs. Wake Forest (7-2, 3-2)
•Clemson ranked #3 by College Football Playoff, #3 by USA Today and #3 by Associated Press
•ABC, 3:30 p.m. (Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, Allison Williams)
•Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC (81,500)
The Series
•Clemson leads the series 66-17-1, including a 38-7 lead in games played at Clemson. The 66 wins are the second most for the Clemson program against any team. The Tigers have beaten South Carolina 70 times.
•The Tigers are 56-9-1 against Wake Forest since the formation of the ACC in 1953, a .856 winning percentage. This will be the 67th consecutive year the schools have met on the gridiron.
•Dabo Swinney has a 10-0 record against Wake Forest and the Tigers have won the games by a combined score of 390-124. Clemson has scored at least 28 points all 10 games.
•Wake Forest’s last win in the series took place at Wake Forest in 2008, a 12-7 victory in Tommy Bowden’s last game as Clemson coach.
•Wake Forest enters the game with a 7-2 record and the Tigers are 10-0. The 17-2 combined record is the most combined wins entering the game in the history of the series. The combined .895 winning percentage is the best since the 2017 game when the two teams were a combined 9-1 entering the game. Given a minimum of 12 combined games played, it is the best combined winning percentage in the history of the series.
The Coaches
• Dave Clawson, a 1989 graduate of Williams, is in his sixth season as head coach at Wake Forest. He has already clinched a fourth straight winning season for the Demon Deacons, the first time the program has done that since 1944-48. Prior to his career at Wake Forest he was the head coach at Bowling Green, Richmond and Fordham. He is 35-37 at Wake Forest entering Saturday’s game at Clemson.
•Overall, Clawson is 125-117 as a head coach. He has 125 career wins and Dabo Swinney has a 126. This is just the fifth time in history Wake Forest has won at least seven of its first nine games, just the second time since 1979. Wake Forest was 8-1 through nine games in 2006 when the Demon Deacons won the ACC Championship under Jim Grobe.
•Clawson has led Wake Forest to bowl wins each of the last three years, the only ACC coach who can make that claim.
•Dabo Swinney is in his 11th full season (12th overall including seven games as interim head coach in 2008) at Clemson and has a 126-30 (.808) record entering Saturday’s game. It took him 155 games to reach 125 wins, the 10th fewest games need to reach that victory total in FBS history.
•Swinney is one of nine coaches in FBS history with at least 150 games coached and an 80 percent winning percentage.
•Swinney is the winningest active coach at the FBS level. He moved ahead of Washington Coach Chris Petersen into first place among winningest active coaches (min five years) with the win at Louisville and Washington’s loss to Oregon. Petersen is now 145-37 for a .797 mark.
•Swinney’s record includes a 77-16 mark in ACC games and that .828 winning percentage is the best in league history.
•Swinney is 29-2 against teams from the state of North Carolina.
Five Notes of Interest
•Clemson’s seniors will play their final game in Memorial Stadium this Saturday. The group is 26-1 at home in their time at Clemson and have a 21-game winning streak. A win over Wake Forest will give the class 22 straight wins at home, a school record.
•Trevor Lawrence is averaging 5.5 yards per rush and has seven rushing touchdowns this year, up from a 2.8 average per attempt and one rushing touchdown last year.
•Travis Etienne needs three touchdowns to become the ACC’s all-time leader in total TDs. He has 54 and James Conner of Pittsburgh (2013-16) had 56.
•Trevor Lawrence has a passing efficiency rating of 196 in games since October 1, second in the nation behind Jalen Hurts of Oklahoma (199).
•Clemson has the longest overall active winning streak in the nation (25), the longest road winning streak (11) and the longest home winning streak (21).
Dabo Swinney on Wake Forest
“Wake Forest is a tough team and they have had a heck of a season. I feel like I know more about Wake Forest than any team, because we have had a lot of common opponents and I have seen a lot of video on them.
“They are unbelievably well coached. They have done an awesome job offensively and defensively. They don’t make a lot of mistakes.
“On defense, they cover well. They will pick their spots to pressure you. I am very impressed with their defensive front. Carlos Basham is heck of a defensive end.
“Wake Forest is not as big as some teams on defense, but they are never in the same place. They are athletic and move around. They have created a lot of turnovers. Forcing those turnovers has been the difference in some close games.
“On offense it all starts with the quarterback, Jamie Newman. He is 6-4, 230 pounds and has experience. I have been impressed with him all year.
“ They have some great wide outs, but will have some guys out with injuries. When healthy they are the best group we have faced. Kendall Hinton can create separation. You watch the tape and say, they won’t complete that pass, then they go and get it.
“They have a good group on offense. They are similar to us in that they have a strong quarterback, a good physical offensive line and good skill position players. We will have to be physical up front. They have backs that can turn a two-yard gain into a six-yard gain.
“We have known for a while this would be a big game. I know they weren’t pleased how they played last year against us, so they will be motivated.
Clemson Offense vs. Wake Forest Defense
Clemson’s offense continues to be among the most effective and balanced in the nation. The Tigers are second in the nation in total offense, averaging 546 yards per game. No Clemson team has finished the season among the top two in the nation in total offense or scoring. Clemson’s 45.3 scoring average is fifth in the nation. Clemson is eighth in the country in rushing and 33rd in passing. Clemson averages 276 yards a game passing and 270 rushing, the only team in the nation at 270 or better in both areas.
Clemson’s veteran offensive line (four seniors) has allowed just seven sacks all year, fourth in the nation in fewest sacks allowed. That group has as much to do with Clemson’s success as any area.
Running back Travis Etienne has been on a record pace this year. He has five consecutive 100-yard rushing games to tie the Clemson record. Obviously another 100-yard game will move set the school record. He is averaging 121.4 yards per game and needs just 329 rushing yards to break Raymond Priester’s career rushing record of 3,966 set between 1994-97.
Etienne has been incredible when it comes to yards per carry with an 8.9 average for the season and 8.1 average for his career. No other Clemson player in history has averaged over 6.0 yards per rush. He has 13 rushing TDs this year and 15 overall. For his career he has 50 rushing touchdowns and 54 total TDs, two short of the ACC career record.
Trevor Lawrence has completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 230 yards per game. He has 23 touchdown passes and seven more rushing for 30 total TDs, just one short of what he had in 15 games last year. Over the last four games he has 12 touchdown passes and no interceptions. Lawrence’s 167.60 passing efficiency is better than his 157.56 mark of last year. He has risen to eighth in the nation in passing efficiency and 10th in yards per attempt this year.
Lawrence was 58th in the nation in passing efficiency through games of September 30, but has been second in games since October .
Justyn Ross leads the Tigers in receptions with 40 for 519 yards and six scores. Tee Higgins leads in receiving yards with 735 on 36 receptions and five scores. His 20.7 yards per reception figure is eighth in the nation among players with at least 30 receptions. Amari Rodgers is a third productive option for Lawrence. The native of Tennessee has 25 catches for 372 yards and four scores. All three receivers caught a TD pass against Wofford.
Wake Forest has allowed 26 points and 408 yards per game so far this year, ranking 56th and 76th in the nation, respectively. They are 72nd in rushing defense and 90th in pass defense. They have been excellent on third down defense, as the Demon Deacons allow just 31 percent on third down, 16th in the nation.
Leading the Wake Forest defense is Carlos Basham, who is 14th in the nation and second in the ACC in sacks with 7.5. He is fourth in tackles for loss per game with 1.44. Cornerback Amari Henderson leads the ACC in interceptions with four and is second in the league in passes defended with 13. He is the leading active player in the nation in terms of career passes defended with 47. Safety Nasir Greer is second in the league in forced fumbles with three.
Clemson Defense vs. Wake Forest Offense
The most interesting area of comparison will take place when Wake Forest’s offense is on the field. The Demon Deacons are 11th in the nation in passing offense with 314 yards a game and Clemson’s pass defense is second in the nation, allowing just 137 yards per game.
Clemson has not allowed a team to reach 300 yards of total offense in a game this year, just the third team to do that for the first 10 games of a season in the last 20 years. Despite the loss of six players to the NFL, the Clemson defense is actually improved statistically over last year. The Tigers led the nation in scoring defense last year, allowing 13.1 points per game, but allow just 11.5 so far this year, third in the nation. Clemson allowed 286 yards a game last year to rank fifth in the nation. Clemson is fourth in that category so far this year, allowing 251 a game. Clemson has not allowed more than 20 points in a game this year and the streak is 13 games over two years, the longest streak by a Clemson team since 1958.
Isaiah Simmons is the leader of the defense. The linebacker from Olathe, Kansas was named a semifinalist for the Butkus Award and leads the team in tackles (69), tackles for loss (11.5), sacks (6-42) and quarterback pressures (12). Many feel he will be the third Clemson defensive player named Simmons (Wayne, 1992, Anthony, 1997) to be a first-round draft choice.
James Skalski, who redshirted last season, is second in tackles with 67, while linebacker Chad Smith is third with 53. Tanner Muse is fourth from his safety position with 52 and a team best three interceptions. K’Von Wallace is a starting defensive back with 48 tackles, two tackles for loss, four passes broken up and two interceptions.
The leader of the defensive front has been freshman Tyler Davis, who has 34 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss. Reserve linebacker Jake Venables is second in the team in tackles for loss with 7.5, including 3.5 in the win over Wofford.
Wake Forest will be without two of their top three receivers. Sage Surratt leads the ACC in receiving with 66-1001 and 11 touchdowns, but he will miss the game with an injury. Scotty Washington is second on the team in reception yardage with 607 on 35 catches also will be out. Kendall Hinton, third in the ACC in receptions per game with 7.3, will play. He has 51 total receptions for 659 yards.
Quarterback Jamie Newman is first in the ACC in passing yards per game with 287 and is third in pass efficiency with a 153.7 figure. Newman has started 12 games in his Wake Forest career and thrown for at least 200 yards in 11 of them. He threw for 401 yards in the season opening win over Utah State. Also a strong runner, Newman averages 324 yards of total offense per game, first in the ACC and ninth in the nation.
Cade Carney is the top rusher for Wake Forest with 429 yards and three touchdowns. He is eighth in Wake Forest history in rushing yards with 2,255. Kenneth Walker averages 6.9 yards a rush and has three scores. Newman actually has the most rushing touchdowns with five and has 301 yards on the ground.
Special Teams
•Clemson’s kickoff man B.T. Potter has 49 touchbacks on 66 kickoffs so far this year and is third in the nation in kickoffs with a 64.53 yards per kickoff average. He has 128 career touchbacks on 180 kickoffs and has kicked just one out of bounds in his career. At Louisville he made a 51-yard field goal, the second 51-yarder he has made this year.
•Will Spiers is one of the most improved punters in the nation, as his average has gone from 38.9 to 43.0. He has allowed just three punt returns for 20 yards this year and his individual net average of 42.6, near the Clemson single season record of 42.6 by Dale Hatcher in 1984.
•In terms of returns, Joseph Ngata has a 23.2 kickoff return average on 14 returns. Amari Rodgers has a solid 7.6 punt return average.
•Wake Forest kicker Nick Sciba is the nation’s most accurate field goal kicker having made 35-38 for his career, 92 percent. He is 16-16 on field goals and 38-38 on extra points this year.
•Punter Dom Maggio has a 43.2 career average, 19th best among active players. He has a 46.0 average this year with 19 punts inside the 20.
