Swinney Previews Tigers and Demon Deacons
After a successful two-game homestand, the No. 5/5 Clemson Tigers will hit the road this week when the team travels to face the No. 21/16 Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Saturday, Sept. 24. Kickoff for the early contest at Truist Field is set for noon ET.
."It'll be our first noon game. We're super excited," Dabo Swinney said. "I'm sure it'll be a great crowd. Our guys are excited about the challenge and opportunity to stay in control of our destiny. We'll have to play well. We'll have to play our best game to this point."
With Clemson earning its ninth consecutive victory last week and with Louisiana's 15-game winning streak concluding by virtue of a defeat at Rice, the Tigers enter this week sporting the nation's longest active winning streak. A win Saturday would push Clemson's streak to 10 games and would represent the Tigers' 11th double-digit winning streak in program history.
"We're excited about our first division road game," Swinney said. "Each game is critical. To be able to go on the road and win is what it takes to win the league. Our goal is to win the division. This is a huge, huge, game for us. It's two good teams. We're both improving. Both want the exact same thing. It comes down to being able to execute."Wake is an outstanding team. Dave Clawson is a friend. I've probably spent more time with Dave than any other coach over the last three years ... a lot of phone calls, conference calls, zoom calls. He's one of the great people in the profession. They evaluate well, teach, coach and develop well. It's one of the more veteran teams out there. It's the most veteran team he has had. Rarely does Wake beat itself. You have to beat them. You have to be disciplined. It starts with the guys in the trenches.
"Their offensive line ... they have played a million snaps. They rush the passer defensively. Their linebackers are really good. They've always had one of the better secondaries that we see. They challenge you and play with good technique. Safeties are good tacklers and aggressive."
Saturday's game will be one of only three between two teams ranked in this week's AP Top 25. It will be only the third matchup between two ranked teams in the soon-to-be 88-game series history between Clemson and Wake Forest. Clemson won both of the previous AP Top 25 matchups between the two programs, with Frank Howard's ranked Tigers topping Peahead Walker's ranked Demon Deacons squads on the road in both 1948 and 1950.
"This is a complete football team. Dave has had these guys rolling," Swinney said. "They've been to a bunch of bowl games. They won the division last year. You don't get lucky and win the division. They have good skill at receiver, really elite. Both backs are outstanding. The third back had a good day on us last year."
Clemson hits the road for an ACC Atlantic Division showdown on Saturday with Wake Forest as a 7-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
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