Clemson @ Wake Forest preview

Clemson at Wake Forest

Last Meeting ( Oct 7, 2023 ) Wake Forest 12, Clemson 17

No. 10 Clemson has been cranking up the momentum in its season for several weeks. Now Wake Forest is looking to do the same.

The teams will meet Saturday afternoon in an Atlantic Coast Conference game at Winston-Salem, N.C.

Clemson (4-1, 3-0) has won its past four games by double-figure margins. The Tigers are ranked in the AP Top 10 in an in-season poll for the first time since late in 2022. Yet they will be on full upset alert after knowing what transpired last weekend with a bevy of big-time shockers around the country, including then-No. 1 Alabama falling to Vanderbilt.

"College football did us a favor last week," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. "This isn't a game of ‘supposed to.' You've got to show up and play every single week."

Wake Forest (2-3, 1-1) sputtered throughout a winless September with three home losses, but the Demon Deacons are back on track after last Saturday's 34-30 comeback victory against host North Carolina State.

"We fixed our problems, and we've got to keep fixing them," Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said of the defense. "Clemson is going to come out (with some new wrinkles). It's going to be another challenge this week."

Clemson has climbed back into the polls after a disappointing opening-game loss to then-No. 1 Georgia. Yet Swinney said the Tigers haven't peaked even with the positive trend.

"There's a lot of good things," he said. "I don't think we're playing our best football. I see it in spurts. Good news is we're still in control, still where we want to be."

The ACC-leading Tigers have 400 or more yards of offense in four straight games for the first time in four years. Quarterback Cade Klubnik (14 TD passes, 1,219 passing yards) has excelled and has found a variety of targets to deliver the big production.

"It's a good room with good depth that has been a couple of years in the works," Swinney said.

Clemson receiver Antonio Williams notched a career-high 157 all-purpose yards in a 29-13 victory at Florida State last week. He has four touchdown catches this season. Freshman receiver T.J. Moore made a TD catch last week in a bid for more time on the field.

"I'm going to keep working until I'm at the top," Moore said.

Meanwhile, quarterback Hank Bachmeier helped spark the Wake Forest comeback against North Carolina State, which included two fourth-down conversions on the winning touchdown drive.

"He has played a lot of football, and it shows," Swinney said. "He doesn't get rattled."

The Tigers have dominated the Demon Deacons through the years, winning the past 15 meetings. Wake Forest gave Clemson a scare last year before falling 17-12, while the 2022 meeting was decided in double overtime.

"Always a tough matchup, always a great challenge," Clawson said. "The last two years have been very competitive."

This year, both teams have defeated North Carolina State.

Clemson receiver Adam Randall and offensive lineman Collin Sadler didn't play in the Florida State game last week because of injuries but could be ready for this weekend's game.

"Around this time of the year, you've always got a few guys managing things," Swinney said.

--Field Level Media