By Heath Bradley.
By Heath Bradley
CLEMSON – While it has been four years, it seems like just yesterday that Clemson traveled to Winston-Salem, N.C. to take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
A Thursday night primetime matchup on ESPN matched the 3-2 Tigers versus the 3-1 Demon Deacons. What took place was a game that changed the course of Clemson football history forever.
The Tigers fell to the Demon Deacons 12-7, with the Clemson offense only managing 198 total yards of offense. That Thursday night loss to Wake Forest was the final game that Tommy Bowden would coach as the head coach of the Tigers.
Bowden finished his Clemson career with a 72-45 record. Early the next week a young wide receivers coach named Dabo Swinney would be named the interim head coach. After leading the Tigers to 4-2 record to end the regular season, Swinney was named the head coach.
In his four seasons as head coach, Swinney has amassed a 35-20 record. Swinney has reached the ACC Championship game two times in three seasons, something Bowden never was able to do. He led the Tigers to the ACC Championship last year, the Tigers first conference title in 20 years.
One team Swinney has had success versus in his career as the Tigers head coach is the Demon Deacons. In three career matchups against Wake Forest, Swinney owns a 3-0 record, with an average score of 33-14. As the Tigers head to Winston-Salem Thursday, the Tigers will look to pick up where they last left off in the city known as the “Dash.”
The Tigers defeated the Demon Deacons 30-10 in 2010, and were led by a touchdown reception from DeAndre Hopkins as well as a 3-for-3 day on field goals from Chandler Catanzaro. The 20-point victory was the largest margin of victory for the Tigers at Wake Forest since 1978.
In two home matchups versus the Demon Deacons Swinney has won by scores of 38-3 and 31-28. The 2009 matchup saw the Tigers defeat Wake Forest 38-3, with the Tigers holding Wake Forest to 178 yards of total offense while amassing 382 yards, including 195 yards rushing. CJ Spiller led the Tigers with 106 yards rushing on nine carries, while also scoring two touchdowns.
Last year’s matchup saw the Tigers defeat Wake Forest 31-28 to win the ACC Atlantic Division Championship. The Tigers overcame a 14-point deficit late in the third quarter to defeat the Demon Deacons on a 43-yard Catanzaro field goal as time expired.
The double-digit comeback came without the help of their leading wide receiver, Sammy Watkins, who had been lost for the game due to a shoulder injury earlier in the third quarter. Tajh Boyd bounced back from a tough start to finish the game with 343 yards passing and two touchdowns to help lead the Tigers to their second ACC Championship game appearance in three seasons under Swinney.
As the Tigers head to Winston-Salem it will surely be an emotional day for Swinney, returning to the site where he coached his last game as an assistant coach for the Tigers. Swinney will be looking to lead the Tigers to their 22nd victory over the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem and their 60th overall victory versus the Demon Deacons, second most in Clemson history versus any opponent.