Clemson at Wake Forest: 5 Things to Watch For
In this story:
The No. 5 Tigers hit the road this weekend for a crucial ACC matchup with No. 21 Wake Forest.
Both teams come in a perfect 3-0 and this will be the highest-ranked matchup in the history of Truist Field, as the Demon Deacons look to snap a 13-game losing streak to Dabo Swinney and Clemson.
5 Things to Watch For
1. Can Clemson's DL Continue to Dominate Wake: Make no mistake, Sam Hartman is an excellent quarterback. However, in recent years, the Tigers have been able to make the savvy veteran look rather pedestrian at times. The Tigers have had tremendous success blowing up the slow developing mesh play that Wake's offense is centered around, which in turn throws off Hartman's timing, not letting him have time to push the ball down the field. Last year alone, Clemson sacked Hartman seven times.
Throwing off Hartman's timing tends to lead to him making rushed throws and affects his accuracy, and it's hard to see this one playing out much differently, despite the fact that Wes Goodwin is now in charge of the defense.
2. No One Runs On Clemson: It's almost a foregone conclusion going in that Wake isn't going to have much success running the ball. No team has done it yet against this Clemson defense. In the last three meetings between these two teams, the Demon Deacons have rushed for a total of 137 yards and have averaged just 1.4 YPC, while the Tigers have racked up a total of 31 tackles for loss.
3. DJ Uiagalelei Getting Better Every Week: Clemson's offense probably played its best half of football in the second half against Louisiana Tech and Uiagalelei was a big part of that. The junior quarterback is completing 65% of his passes and currently ranks fifth in the ACC with a passer rating of 144.44. That is a distinct difference from a season ago. With each passing week, Uiagalelei's confidence continues to grow and he was even a factor running the ball in the zone read game last weekend.
4. Ship Happens: After failing to really get the running game going in the first two games, Clemson forced the issue and finally found some success against Louisiana Tech. The Tigers ran for 280 yards and averaged more than seven yards per carry, led by sophomore back Will Shipley, who rushed for a career-high 139 yards.
Expect another concerted effort from the Tigers this week when it comes to the ground game. Liberty ran for 172 yards last weekend against this Wake Forest defense, averaging 4.4 YPC. Clemson's offensive line is really starting to gel now and this is the game that it might just come together for that group up front.
5. The Weak Link: The weak link on this Clemson defense through the first three games has no doubt been the pass defense. So far, the Tigers have given up 12 pass plays of 20 yards or more. This defense must improve on the backend. However, the best pass defense is an elite-level pass rush, something Clemson has been extremely successful at against Wake Forest in recent years. Having said that, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Deacs hit on a couple of plays down the field. The key will be keeping those plays to a bare minimum, while that front seven goes to work.
Clemson hits the road for an ACC Atlantic Division showdown on Saturday with Wake Forest as a 7-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Want to join in on the discussion? 100% FREE! Interact with fellow Tiger fans and hear directly from publisher Zach Lentz, deputy editor Brad Senkiw, recruiting analyst Jason Priester and staff writer Will Vandervort on any subject. Click here to become a member of the ALL CLEMSON message board community today!
