CLEMSON — It is Homecoming in Death Valley where the Tigers battle Wake Forest.

The Tigers look to get to .500 on the season in the ACC and continue to build momentum going into the bye week.

Location: Memorial Stadium (Death Valley)

Kickoff: 3:30

Television: ACC Network

Announcers:  Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlich, Sherree Burruss

2023 Record: Clemson 3-2,  Wake Forest 3-1

ACC Record: Clemson 1-2, Wake Forest 0-1

Series History: Clemson leads series 70-17-1

Last Meeting:  Clemson won 51-45 (2 OT) on September 24, 2022

SWINNEY SEEKS RECORD-TYING WIN SATURDAY AGAINST WAKE FOREST

Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney will attempt to tie College Football Hall of Famer Frank Howard as Clemson’s all-time winningest head coach when his Tigers host the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Saturday, Oct. 7. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C., is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.

Howard, “The Bashful Baron of Barlow Bend,” compiled a 165-118-12 record in 30 seasons at Clemson from 1940-69. His final win came against Maryland on Nov. 1, 1969, and his 165 career wins will enter Saturday having stood alone at the top of Clemson’s leaderboard for a total of 19,698 days, just shy of 54 years.

A victory would pull Swinney even with Howard and give Swinney a 165-41 all-time record. Howard coached 295 career games at Clemson and won his 165th game in his 292nd career game. Swinney can accomplish the feat in his 206th career game with a win on Saturday.

Last week, Swinney earned his 100th regular season conference win, matching Howard’s 100 conference wins at Clemson in a career that included membership in both the Southern Conference and the ACC. Swinney earned his 100th ACC regular season win on the exact same day Virginia Tech, a four-time ACC Championship program that had a four-and-a-half season head start on him, earned its 100th ACC regular season win.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS WEEK

– Head Coach Dabo Swinney attempting to earn his 165th career win to tie College Football Hall of Famer Frank Howard as the winningest head coach in Clemson history (165 from 1940-69).
– Swinney potentially matching the career win total of one of Howard’s famous foes, College Football Hall of Famer Bobby Dodd, who won 165 career games at Georgia Tech.
– Swinney (100-21) attempting to earn his 101st career regular-season conference win and pass Howard (100) for sole possession of the school record for career regular season conference victories. Howard went 100-
48-5 in conference play across the Southern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference.
– Swinney attempting to improve to 15-0 as a head coach against Wake Forest. Wake Forest is one of four ACC schools against whom Swinney is undefeated as head coach, a list that also includes Louisville (8-0), Virginia (5-0) and Virginia Tech (6-0).
– Swinney attempting to become the first FBS head coach in Stats Perform’s data set back to 1996 to win his first 15 games against a single FBS opponent. Swinney’s 14-game winning streak against Wake Forest to open his career is already the longest on record against an FBS opponent among coaches who began their head coaching career in 1996 or later.

– Brown attempting to become the first Clemson freshman to record 100 receiving yards in back-to-back games since Justyn Ross against Notre Dame (148) and Alabama (153) in the College Football Playoff to end the
2018 season.
– Brown attempting to become the first Clemson player with nine or more receptions in consecutive games since Artavis Scott in 2015 against Florida State and Syracuse.
– Linebacker Barrett Carter attempting to post a full sack in consecutive games for the first time since last year’s games against NC State and Boston College.
– Defensive tackle Tyler Davis (44) making his 45th career start to tie Christian Wilkins’ Clemson record for starts by a defensive tackle (45 from 2015-18).
– Quarterback Cade Klubnik attempting to exceed 250 passing yards in three straight games for the first time in his career.
– Klubnik attempting to record a passer rating of 135.0 or better in a fifth consecutive game.

TCI Predictions 

Robert – Clemson 59, Wake Forest 10

Will – Clemson 42, Wake Forest 13

Cameron – Clemson 45, Wake Forest 14