The Clemson Tigers dominated the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the final home game of the year, improving to 11-0 on the season.
The No. 3-ranked Clemson Tigers absolutely dominated the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Senior Day, on their way to a 52-3 victory.
Following a defensive stop on the first drive of the game, Amari Rodgers took a punt 52 yards back to deep inside of Wake Forest territory. The Tigers got on the board with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Trevor Lawrence to Tee Higgins.
On the ensuing drive, Tanner Muse came away with an interception and Travis Etienne made the Demon Deacons pay with a 14-yard touchdown run.
The lone points of the game for Wake Forest came after a fumbled snap from punter Will Spiers that set the Deacs up with good field position, but they were forced to settle for a field goal.
After a BT Potter field goal, Clemson scored two touchdowns in the final minute of the second quarter (both were passes from Lawrence to Higgins) to take a 31-3 lead into halftime.
The Tigers took the second half to build depth and the defensive dominance continued, holding Wake Forest to a total of just five first downs and 105 yards of offense for the entire evening.
Here’s a look at the stat leaders and our analysis from the victory.
Stat Leaders (Via ESPN):
Passing: Trevor Lawrence (21-of-27 for 272 yards, 4 TDs); Chase Brice (5-of-8 for 75 yards, 1 TD).
Rushing: Travis Etienne (16 carries, 121 yards, 1 TD); Lyn-J Dixon (6 carries, 34 yards, 1 TD).
Receiving: Tee Higgins (4 catches, 64 yards, 3 TDs); Lyn-J Dixon (2 catches, 62 yards); Diondre Overton (4 catches, 52 yards); Joseph Ngata (2 catches, 42 yards, 1 TD).
Analysis:
The Tigers were absolutely dominant in this one and that’s really all that needs to be said. The Clemson offense had a few lulls in the first half, but the unit recovered and had a nice day. The offensive line was having some trouble in pass-protection in the first quarter and for part of the second, but the unit did a much better job as the game progressed.
Both Trevor Lawrence and Tee Higgins had themselves really nice days, as Lawrence connected with Higgins for three touchdowns in the first half.
The defense continued to do what it does best, and that’s dominate. Wake Forest was statistically one of the better offenses in the nation and they were shut down by that Tiger defense. Tanner Muse was all over the field in this one, coming up with several tackles, an interception and a sack.
AJ Terrell also had an interception.
The defense continues to prove why many are starting to believe that Clemson is the most complete team in the country.
The Tigers will have a bye week- which will give them the opportunity to rest and recover- before traveling down to Williams-Brice Stadium to take on in-state rival South Carolina to close the regular season two weeks from now.