Oct 113 min read

No. 10 Clemson Determined to Avoid Big Upset at Wake Forest

Clemson | Coach Dabo Swinney — © Melina Myers-Imagn Images

The No. 10 Clemson Tigers (4-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) hope to avoid the chaos of college football and beat the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2-3, 1-1 ACC) on Oct. 12 at noon EST. Clemson is a heavy favorite to win the ACC and head coach Dabo Swinney is making sure his team does not become the next victim to college football parity. Wake Forest is looking for another ACC victory to add to their win column. Can Clemson carry on or will the chaos of college football strike in Winston-Salem, N.C.?

Clemson’s Offensive Powers

Clemson is coming off its fourth straight victory after an ugly season opener against Georgia. Since then, quarterback Cade Klubnik and the offense have played consistent and mistake-free football. Clemson has the fifth-ranked offense in the ACC led by Klubnik and running back Phil Mafah. Both Klubnik and Mafa are among the top performers at their respective positions in the ACC. Mafah is currently the No. 5-ranked RB with 496 yards this season and a 7.3 yard-per-carry average. Klubnik is holding his own in a conference full of talented QBs and currently ranks No. 8 in overall passing yards in the ACC.

Clemson | QB Cade Klubnik — © Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Clemson’s offense is much more than a two-man show as the wide receiver corps is deep, talented and always seems to be open in the opposing secondary. Klubnik has completed passes to 15 different receivers this season. WR Antonio Williams is Klubnik’s top target with 4 TDs, but Clemson has seven different receivers that have scored at least one touchdown this year.

Clemson’s Key Players

QB Cade Klubnik - Klubnik is playing some of the best football in the nation. He is tied for ninth nationally with 14 TDs and has only thrown 2 interceptions. Klubnik will take full advantage of a struggling Wake Forest secondary.

DE T.J. Parker - Parker is an emerging superstar on the Clemson defensive line. The sophomore leads the team in sacks this season with 4 and will utilize his size and quickness against a mediocre Wake Forest offensive line.

Wake Forest’s Fighting Chance

Wake Forest is fresh off its first conference win this season after beating in-state rival North Carolina State. The win was a breath of fresh air for a drowning team as Wake Forest came from down 10 points in the fourth quarter behind the legs of running back Demond Claiborne. Claiborne is the No.6 RB in the ACC with 471 rushing yards this season.

The Wake Forest offensive has struggled to keep their QB upright this season. Despite that, Hank Bachmeier is throwing the football with the best of the ACC QBs. Bachmeier has thrown for over 1,300 yards this season and 7 touchdowns. Bachmeier, like Klubnik, is also protecting the ball this season, having only thrown 2 interceptions.

Wake Forest Key Players

Offensive Line - The Wake Forest OL has allowed 13 sacks on Bachmeier this season and ranks No. 2 in the ACC and 14th nationally for sacks allowed. The OL must protect Bachmeier on passing downs to win this game.

Defense - The offense is the lone bright spot in this program as the defense is in the bottom 10 nationally and worst in the ACC, allowing 460 yards per game. Wake Forest is coming off of a good win but the defense must improve quickly for its best chance at victory.

Wake Forest | Demon Deacons defense — © Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Game Outcome

This is a typical David vs. Goliath matchup but unlike the biblical story, this victory will go to Goliath. Offensively, both programs are eerily similar, Clemson and Wake Forest have great QB play and dynamic RBs. Clemson executes its offense much more consistently and has an outstanding 86 percent red zone scoring percentage.

There is a world where Wake Forest can tip the scales and continue the craziness of the 2024 season. Unfortunately for Wake Forest, this is not that particular multiverse and Clemson is here to snap things back into normalcy. Expect Clemson to win this one big, 44-24.