Clemson trailed Wake Forest on the road by 7 points at the end of the second quarter, but won the middle frames in dominant fashion to race away from the Demon Deacons and win 49-14.
The Tigers are 5-1 on the season and lead the ACC with a perfect 4-0 record. They’ve won 5 straight since the season-opening loss to Georgia, and they’ve scored at least 40 points in 4 of those 5 wins.
Cade Klubnik completed 31 of his 41 pass attempts for 309 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tailback Phil Mafah ran for 118 yards and 2 scores. Jake Briningstool caught 7 balls for 104 yards and a score. Clemson was perfect in the red zone — 5 trips, 5 touchdowns — and did not turn the football over.
Wake Forest scored first on a 31-yard pass from Hank Bachmeier to Horatio Fields. Clemson’s first 2 drives ended in punts with just 47 yards gained on 14 snaps.
The Tigers then scored on 4 consecutive possessions — 2 of which began with short fields after Wake Forest turnovers. The Tigers scored consecutive touchdowns on drives to open the second half to put the game all but out of reach.
In the second and third quarters, Clemson outgained Wake Forest 364-92. The Demon Deacons averaged 3 yards per play and turned it over twice. In the third quarter, the Demon Deacons were sacked twice and did not produce a single yard through the air.
With the victory, Clemson extended its streak to 16 straight wins over Wake Forest. Dabo Swinney has never lost to Wake Forest.
The 10th-ranked Tigers face Virginia at home next weekend.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
