Second-ranked Clemson defeated Wake Forest 28-14 on Saturday in Death Valley. The Tigers improved to 6-0 (4-0 ACC), while the Demon Deacons dropped to 4-2 (1-2).

Here is a look back at how Clemson earned the victory:

What happened?

Clemson got off to a quick start, scoring touchdowns on its first two possessions of the game to take a 14-0 lead. However, Clemson’s offense sputtered for much of the contest and didn’t score again until midway through the third quarter. The Tigers’ offense did enough however, as their defense suffocated the Demon Deacons for most of the game.

Kelly Bryant put Clemson on the board just 2:01 into the game with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Deon Cain on a fade route. On the Tigers’ ensuing drive, following a couple of third-down conversions and an 19-yard pass from Bryant to Diondre Overton, Adam Choice found the end zone on a run from 4 yards out to give Clemson a 14-point lead. Clemson finished the first half with 285 total yards, though 206 came in the first quarter.

In the second half, freshman running back Travis Etienne afforded the Tigers some more breathing room with a 1-yard touchdown run that put Clemson up 21-0 at the 7:31 mark of the third quarter. Unfortunately for Clemson, Bryant suffered what looked to be an ankle injury on a running play during the drive and missed the rest of the game.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Zerick Cooper got the first crack at replacing Bryant, but played only a couple of series before being replaced by true freshman Hunter Johnson. Johnson wasted no time after entering the game, as he went 4-of-4 passing for 37 yards on his first drive, including a 13-yard touchdown toss to Cannon Smith. It marked Johnson’s first career touchdown pass and Smith’s first career touchdown reception, and all but ended the game as it extended Clemson’s lead to 28-0 with just under 12 remaining in the fourth.

Wake Forest finally scored on its next possession courtesy of a 16-yard touchdown pass from Kendall Hinton to Scotty Washington before adding another touchdown in scrub time to provide the final margin.

What went right?

Another week, another dominant effort for Clemson’s defense, which allowed just 200 yards through three quarters before yielding a couple of touchdowns when the game was already in hand. Wake Forest had only nine first downs through three quarters before picking up seven in the fourth. Overall, Clemson’s defense gave up only 133 rush yards and limited Wake Forest to a 4-of-16 clip on third down.

The Tigers recorded three sacks and eight tackles for loss. Tanner Muse logged a team-high eight tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.

Though it wasn’t the best day for Clemson’s offense, the unit converted all three of its fourth-down attempts.

What went wrong?

Bryant left the game with an apparent ankle injury midway through the third quarter and did not see the field again. While his absence didn’t affect Clemson in this contest, the Tigers certainly hope their starting quarterback isn’t forced to miss extended time.

Aside from that, the biggest negatives were turnovers, penalties and a missed field goal that altogether kept Clemson from scoring as many points as it could have without the mistakes. Bryant lost a fumble and threw an interception, while the Tigers were flagged nine times for 79 yards. Clemson had a chance to take a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, but kicker Alex Spence’s 43-yard field goal try that hit the uprights.

Game-changing moment?

The game changed the moment Clemson got off the bus and ran down the hill. It took less than nine minutes for the Tigers to jump out to a 14-0 lead and put the Demon Deacons behind the eight-ball right away. With the way Clemson’s defense played, the fast start proved too much for Wake Forest to overcome.