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No. 5 Clemson survived an upset scare from No. 21 Wake Forest 51-45 with a defensive stand in double-overtime on Saturday. The win extends the Tigers' winning streak against the Demon Deacons to 14 games, a streak that dates back to 2009, and this victory seemed as improbable as any other win in the last decade.
DJ Uiagalelei had his best game of the season, totaling 371 yards and five touchdowns passing while also finishing as the team's second-leading rusher. Uiagalelei used his size and strength as an advantage not only in the run game but to keep plays alive as Wake Forest did a good job of applying pressure on the Tigers starting quarterback. It was Uiagalelei's ability to connect with receivers in scoring position that proved the difference; his two touchdowns in the overtime period allowed Clemson's defense to go make the stand that won the game.
This loss hurts for a Wake Forest program that had not only lost 13 straight to Clemson coming into Saturday but had seen every meeting since 2012 finish with a double-digit margin. Sam Hartman put together a historic and, at times, heroic effort leading the Wake Forest offense, finishing with 337 yards and a school-record six touchdowns on 20-for-27 passing. The offense was thriving thanks to Wake Forest receivers winning one-on-one matchups against Clemson's secondary; Jahmal Banks had six catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns and Donavon Greene, back in the rotation after missing 2021 with an injury, added two touchdowns as well to lead the aerial attack.
Clemson jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter but was kept out of the end zone for its next six drives as Wake Forest's defense came up with big third-down stops to force punts and field goals. That's when Hartman and the offense got rolling, eventually jumping ahead with a 21-20 lead early in the third quarter and extending that lead to 28-20 on their ensuing offensive possessions.
Uiagalelei refused to let Clemson go down without a fight, however, and for the first time since the first quarter guided the Tigers offense into the end zone, completing the nine-play, 75-yard drive with a touchdown pass to Davis Allen and a 2-point conversion toss to Beaux Collins that tied the game at 28-28. The execution in scoring position by Uiagalelei and the Clemson offense was a preview of what was to come in overtime, but there would be several more scores before those final possessions.
Wake Forest marched right down the field on the very next possession to go up 35-28, and Clemson answered right back with a long touchdown drive capped by a Will Shipley run to tie the game again.
Both teams exchanged field goals before the end of regulation, sending the game to overtime at 38-38. Each scored touchdowns in the first overtime, then Uiagalelei put the pressure on Hartman with a touchdown pass to start the second overtime. That's when Clemson's defense came up with its biggest stop of the game at the best time, sealing the win and preserving the Tigers' spot as the favorites in the ACC.
Here are three big takeaways from Clemson's big ACC Atlantic win on Saturday.
1. Wake Forest was on the verge of historic win
The context of this game, given the result, focuses on the series against Clemson, but for a Demon Deacons team that did not trail in the second half there was also the potential of making some program history. Wake Forest has now lost 63 straight games against top-10 opponents and has not beaten a top-five opponent since 1946. As Sam Hartman continued to march the offense down the field, it sure seemed to everyone in attendance and everyone at home that these streaks -- along with the 13-game losing skid to the Tigers -- were about to fall. The fact that the streaks were extended does not reflect on where Dave Clawson has this program or where the 2022 Demon Deacons stand compared to other teams in the top five or top 10 nationally, but to have the opportunity to make history taken away in such dramatic fashion is going to sting for a little bit.
2. Both teams dealt with secondary issues
One explanation for the 708 combined passing yards and 11 combined passing touchdowns in this game is the fact that Clemson and Wake Forest have been dealing with attrition in the defensive backfield. The Tigers were down two starters and a key rotation player, while Wake Forest ruled out its top cornerback prior to the kickoff. Wake Forest's wide receivers were feasting on Clemson's young corners, either making big grabs or forcing pass interference penalties, and Clemson had its own success through the air using the athleticism of players like Joseph Ngata, Beaux Collins and Davis Allen to find mismatches and create big plays.
3. Just the beginning of Clemson's division challenges
The ACC is going to move away from divisions in 2023, but for one more season we've got a tight race at the top of the ACC Atlantic. Wake Forest snapped Clemson's run of six straight division titles in 2021, finishing one game ahead of the Tigers in the standings even after a head-to-head loss. Clemson moves back into the driver's seat after beating the reigning champs, but two more contenders are watching Saturday's tape and taking notes as they, too, will face the Tigers in the next three weeks.
The first test is hosting No. 12 NC State, a team that beat Clemson last season, in Death Valley next Saturday. Then there's a road trip to a resurgent Florida State squad two weeks after that on Oct. 15. It's a good thing Uiagalelei and the offense found a rhythm in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, because the Tigers will face arguably tougher defenses in both those games and perhaps need just as much in terms of clutch heroics to win potentially close games.
