WINSTON-SALEM – No. 10 Clemson went into Winston-Salem on Saturday and came away with a dominating 49-14 win over Wake Forest, the program’s fifth consecutive victory after a season-opening loss to Georgia.
It also marked the Tigers’ 16th straight win in the series, dating back to 2008.
Clemson improves to 5-1 overall and 4-0 in ACC play, while the Demon Deacons drop to 2-4 and 1-2.
– Maybe Dabo Swinney was trying to prove a point in this one. The starting offense played almost halfway into the fourth quarter despite Clemson having a 42-14 lead after three quarters of play.
– The Tigers had no issues moving the ball and would finish the afternoon with 566 total yards, passing for more than 300 and rushing for more than 200.
Jake Bringinstool had seven catches with 104 receiving yards. Both were game-highs. He also had a touchdown catch.
Phil Mafah also went over the century mark, finishing with 108 yards and two touchdowns. The senior back averaged well over five yards a carry.
– With Bryant Wesco out dealing with an ankle injury, the offense needed a receiver to step up and fill that void and Troy Stellato did just that, having argiably his best game of the season. Stellatto finished with six catches for 72 yards and a touchdown.
– Cade Klubnik was fantastic. After a littlle bit of a slow start in the first quarter, that saw him overthrow some receivers, the junior signal caller responded. Klubnik finished 31-of-41 for 309 yards with three touchdowns. He completed passes to nine different players. The quarterback added another 30 yards on the ground.
– After allowing Wake to rack up 195 yards of offense in the first half, Wes Goodwin’s unit put up a stellar performance after the break. The regulars limited the Deacs to -11 yards total. The Tigers also held Wake to 0-for-3 on third down in that quarter. Even with backups in most of the fourth quarter, the Deacs managed just 49 yards over the final 15 minutes.
Turning Point
After taking a 14-point lead into the half, Clemson got the ball to start the third quarter. Klubnik marched the offense 75 yards on 10 plays, capped off by a nine yard touchdown catch by Adam Randall that put the Tigers up 35-14 and they would never look back.
Crazy Stat
Clemson had 37 first downs in the game to the Demon Deacons 16, with just four of those coming in the second half. The Tigers offense was efficient all after noon while the defense turned downright nasty in that third quarter.
A limited number of signed replica road signs from Cade Klubnik are available! Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!
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