The top-ranked Clemson Tigers will host Wake Forest at 3:30 p.m. in Death Valley. The game will be televised by ESPN2. It will also be Senior Day and Military Appreciation Day at Clemson. Here are some of the key match ups to watch for in today’s game.
Deshaun Watson vs. Wake’s pass defense: The Demon Deacons held Notre Dame quarterback DeShawn Kiser to 111 passing yards on 13 of 19 passing. Wake Forest is 12th nationally in passing defense, allowing 176.9 yards per game. Watson has averaged 399 yards a game over the last five games and has 16 touchdown responsibilities. He has completed 71 percent of his passes for 1,603 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has been intercepted just one time during that stretch. Advantage: Clemson
Clemson’s wide receivers vs. Wake’s defensive backs: Wake Forest held Notre Dame’s Will Fuller to three catches for 37 yards – his second worst outing of the season (had 2 for 37 vs. Clemson). Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said Wake has one of the best defensive backfields in the ACC, led by safeties Ryan Janvion and Zach Dancel, and cornerback Brad Watson, who has 10 passes broken up this year. Deshaun Watson likes to spread the wealth around for the Tigers as five receivers have at least 23 receptions, led by Artavis Scott’s 68 receptions for 627 yards and four touchdowns. Charone Peake is coming on and has 443 yards and four scores on 30 catches, while freshman Deon Cain is averaging 19.3 yards per reception for 445 yards (second on the team) and three touchdowns. Tight end Jordan Leggett has hauled in six touchdown passes for 334 yards on 26 catches. Advantage: Clemson
Clemson’s run defense vs. Wake running back Tyler Bell: Clemson’s defense was called out by defensive coordinator Brent Venables earlier this week after allowing 574 rushing yards the last three weeks. The Tigers are giving up 6.3 yards per carry. How will they respond? Wake Forest, though dreadful in rushing offense, did block well enough to allow running back Tyler Bell to run for 90 yards on 23 carries against Notre Dame’s stout front seven. Advantage: Clemson
Clemson linebackers vs. Wake tight end Cam Serigne: This will be an interesting matchup for sure. Serigne is a finalist for the John Mackey Award, which is given to the nation’s best tight end. He leads the Deacons with 40 catches and has 421 yards and three touchdowns. He can cause issues because Clemson linebackers Ben Boulware and B.J. Goodson have had issues all year covering tight ends and running backs out of the backfield. Look for Wake Forest to try and exploit this advantage. Advantage: Wake Forest
Clemson’s D-Line vs. Wake’s O-Line: Wake Forest is averaging just 3.1 yards per carry. They have yielded 34 sacks, which ranks next to last in the ACC. Clemson’s defensive front, led by Lombardi and Nagurski finalist Shaq Lawson, has 27 sacks and has 84 tackles for loss which is sixth in the nation and second in the ACC. Wake Forest is allowing 7.4 tackles for loss per game, one of the worst in the country. Advantage: Clemson
Clemson’s running game vs. Wake’s run defense: The Demon Deacons are allowing opponents to average 4.1 yards per carry and 161.3 yards per game. They did hold Notre Dame to 171 yards on the ground last week – the Irish’s second lowest output next to the Clemson game. The Tigers will more than likely be without Wayne Gallman, who is nursing an injured ankle. He is listed as questionable for the game. That means on senior day, senior Zac Brooks will carry the load. Clemson is second in the ACC in rushing and 22nd nationally at 216.6 yards per game. Look to see Tyshon Dye and C.J. Davidson get some work as well. Advantage: Clemson
Bottom line: Clemson has too much strength and speed on both sides of the ball for Wake. The Demon Deacons can and will hold their own on defense for a little while, but due to a lack of offense, they will tire out and by the end of the first half, Deshaun Watson and the Clemson offense should be churning out yards and touchdowns.
Prediction: Clemson 35, Wake Forest 10