Wake head coach says Tigers are simply a better team and better program

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WINSTON-SALEM, NC – Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson had an honest assessment after his Demon Deacons were thrashed 49-14 by No. 10 Clemson Saturday afternoon at Allegacy Stadium.

The Deacs were simply beaten by a better team.

Clemson improved to 5-1 overall and 4-0 in the ACC, while Wake Forest fell to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in league play.

Quarterback Cade Klubnik was 31-of-41 for 309 yards and three touchdowns. He added 30 yards on the ground on seven carries, but Phil Mafah led the rushing attack with 19 carries for 108 yards and two scores. Tight end Jake Briningstool had seven catches for 104 yards, while Antonio Williams added six catches for 69 yards and Troy Stellato added seven for 68 yards. The 100-yard receiving game was the third of Briningstool’s career and second this season.

Clemson improved to 72-17-1 all-time against Wake Forest, pulling Wake Forest within one defeat of Clemson’s most-defeated opponent, South Carolina, which Clemson has beaten 73 times. Clemson also won its 16th consecutive game against Wake Forest to take sole possession of the longest winning streak in series history (passing its 15 from 1977-91). Clemson’s current 16-game winning streak since 2009 against Wake Forest is the Tigers’ longest active winning streak against an ACC foe.

Clawson said Clemson is just a better team and program.

"Certainly thanks to the fans and students who came out, I wish we'd have played better for them. And today we got beat by a better football team, and we got beat by a better football program,” he said in his postgame remarks. “So against Clemson, you got to play really well. Those two turnovers in the first half that led to touchdowns really put us in a deep hole. And again, they're a really good program so we know when we play them there's a small margin of error I trust that our players will press on. We've got a lot of football left, and it is what it is. So bad day at the office and we got to get better."

The Demon Deacons held Clemson on the Tigers’ first two drives and went up 7-0 on a late first-quarter touchdown. However, after the Tigers tied the score at 7-7, Wake Forest quarterback Hank Bachmeier threw interceptions on consecutive drives that turned into Clemson touchdowns.

“Well, we made some plays on third down. We got off the field a few times and it was great. There was a heck of a play made by Horatio (Fields), but it was kind of a little bit of a wake-up for them,” Clawson said. “So we are up 7-0. And then again, those two turnovers were daggers. It was on their side of the field, and it was at midfield, and we gave them short fields, and like I said, the part of the game playing with them is trying to make them drive 80 yards and try to make them do it in 15 plays, and hopefully, you get them off schedule, or you get a turnover. But we didn't turn them over at all. They turned us over twice. And again, they're a good football team, and that's a game that we had to play really well, and we didn't play really well."

Clawson said the Wake defense did what it could against a Clemson offense that is churning out yards and points at a high level.

"You've watched this all year, right? I mean what we got to do right now to protect our secondary makes it really hard to defend the run. So let's try to keep balls in front of us and not give up posts and go routes. And when you do that, you thin yourself out,” Clawson said. “Now having said that, we're missing tackles right now. We're choosing to die the slow death, and we didn't have Capone (Blue) again this week, and Jamare (Glasker) was hurt, and then CD (Kelly) got hurt, and Zamari (Stevenson) hasn't played corner in I don't know how long. He's a nickel for us.

“We had to move him to corner. We moved a receiver to corner and we are just really thin there. And so to put those guys on islands to play quarters or man coverage and put those guys on island, it's not fair to them. So you got to play a little lighter box and you try not to let the ball over your head. And then even when you do that, they got us on the trick play, and we kind of gave up a seam route there, but for the most part, we kept the ball in front of us. They're a team that's good enough to continue to drive the ball and score, but that's where we are right now."

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