Don't Expect 'Frosty' Handshakes From Wake Forest
CLEMSON — Some coaches, like NC State head coach Dave Doeren appear to handle getting beat by a superior opponent like a petulant child. You know the ones that say, "I'm not talking to you anymore. You're not my friend." And then they proceed to run home and tell their mommy that the other person used a laptop to beat them, while using the towels that they stole to wipe their tears.
Then there are some coaches who are the opposite, even after getting beat by 60 point. Which is exactly what happened following the Clemson Tigers' 63-3 win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons last season.
"This year they're more experienced," head coach Dabo Swinney said. "It was one of the things that (Wake Forest head coach) Dave Clawson told me last year, it was kind of a weird deal, he thanked me. He said it was the best thing that happened to us because it made us better. I think they won like five in a row after us. They responded and had a really good year. He just felt like it kind of got some guys focused the way they needed to be."
That focus has turned the Demon Deacons into the second-best team in the ACC.
In fact, the Tigers' game Saturday (3:30 p.m., ABC) could have been for the Atlantic Division championship had they not fallen to the Virginia Tech Hokies. But even though Wake Forest fell last week, Swinney still believes they will pose a challenge.
The Demon Deacons will enter Saturday's contest as 34.5-point underdogs to the fifth-ranked Tigers and will be without record-setting wide receiver Sage Surratt. However, Swinney still believes that Wake Forest can pose a challenge for the Tigers.
"They don't beat themselves," Swinney said. "They are one of the best in the country in turnovers. Almost 50 percent on third down. Very cohesive offensive line. Backs know what they're going. Wide receivers are playmakers and are going play on Sunday. Tight end is a good player.
"They believe in what they're doing and they've been able to stay relatively healthy and I think that's a key."
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