CLEMSON - Despite trailing by just two points at halftime, Clemson's defense

was in trouble.

Wake Forest spent the first half of Saturday's game at Death Valley walking

all over John Lovett's unit, rolling up 295 total yards - including 189 yards

rushing - while holding onto the ball for all but just over eight minutes of

the half.

But despite the Demon Deacons eventually running their total yardage count up

to 523, Clemson came away with a 31-23 victory Saturday because of one key

advantage:

The Tigers won the turnover battle 5-0. All five WFU miscues came in the

second half.

"We went in the locker room and coach Lovett was like 'Keep plugging. Don't

let this one be like Virginia or the other games. We've got to win this one

on defense,'" said senior rover Altroy Bodrick. "We needed to get turnovers,

and we came out in the second half and did that."

Playing more aggressively and with a greater sense of purpose, the Tigers got

the turnovers on five of Wake Forest's final six possessions:

- True freshman Justin Miller, senior Brian Mance and Bodrick all had

interceptions. Bodrick's was the first of his career. Miller now has three

this season, Mance a team-high four;

- Travis Pugh recovered a Nick Burney fumble that set up Bernard Rambert's

third-quarter two-yard TD run that pulled Clemson within 23-21;

- Mance forced Chris Barclay's fumble by stripping him of the ball at the

five yard line. Had Barclay scored, the touchdown would have set up a

two-point conversion attempt to tie the game with 1:15 to go.

"The seniors got together and decided to win it," Bodrick said. "This is

Homecoming, it was our last time, and we knew we had to win it on defense.

That's been a goal for us all year, to win one on defense, and we finally did

it."

The did it against a Wake Forest offense designed to both run over and trick

opposing defenses.

The Demon Deacons under Jim Grobe have become one of the most physical teams

on Clemson's schedule, yet at the same time the multiple formations and

options shown by the offense can leave defenders hanging out to dry.

"They take their offense and they make you think a whole bunch," Bodrick

said. "Sometimes you're going to have a lot of one-on-one matchups, and if

you don't tackle the guy they're going to make a big play."

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