Clemson Football: Oppo Research – Previewing Wake Forest

Week 4 is upon us and arguably the toughest stretch for the Tigers commences.  Games with ranked opponents litter the upcoming schedule starting Saturday afternoon as Clemson football travels to Winston-Salem, NC to face the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

I was in attendance this past weekend and saw a whole lot of good things from Clemson, and also saw some really not good things as well.  However, the three games to open the season definitely felt like the calm before the storm and we can hope the Tigers have shaken off the rust and are ready to continue their winning ways.

How cool was the Sonny Cumbie moment where he came out for warm-ups with his LaTech squad in an E11a Strong shirt.  Classy move by the up-and-coming head coach.  Really special moment that I won’t soon forget.

As for this week, Wake comes into the contest at 3-0, mirroring Clemson’s record and currently ranked 21 and the Tigers still holding firm at #5, both according to ESPN.

Here is your preview of the #21 Wake Forest Demon Deacons from Winston-Salem, NC:

Head Coach Dave Clawson enters his 9th season for the Deacons and has been one of the most consistent head coaches in the country.  His teams are known for over-achieving and usually competing for ACC titles.  He adds 4 bowl victories to his ledger as well.  He has had plenty of opportunities to leave for larger programs, but he has stayed at Wake Forest, and has always had a really good football team.  This season is no different.

Offensive Coordinator Warren Ruggiero came to Wake with Clawson and has orchestrated one of the most prolific offenses in the country year over year.  His offenses have shattered Wake Forest records as well as they’ve set or matched over 350 school records.  They run a mesh-like RPO offense that gives defenses fits as it seems like it’s slow developing, but makes the defense commit to either the run or the pass and Wake is usually smart enough to take advantage.

Wake Forest is 3-0 on the season, with their wins coming against VMI (44-10), Vanderbilt (45-25) and Liberty (37-36).  They are averaging 42 points on offense thus far.

Here is a look at the projected starters on Offense:

Quarterback – Sam Hartman – Junior – 44-71 625 yards; 7 TDs, 2 Ints
Running Back – Justice Ellison – Sophomore – 31-149 yards; 2 TDs
Wide Receiver – A.T. Perry – Junior – 12-222 yards; 1 TD
Wide Receiver – Taylor Morin – Sophomore – 13-139 yards; 2 TDs
Wide Receiver – Donavon Greene – Sophomore – 12-184 yards
Tight End – Blake Whiteheart – Junior – 6-84 yards; 2 TDs
Tackle – DeVonte Gordon – Sophomore

Guard – Loic Ngassam Nya – Senior

Center – Michael Jurgens – Junior

Guard – Sean Maginn – Senior

Tackle – Je’Vionte Nash – Senior

Sam Hartman is one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC and maybe even the country.  He missed the first game with an undisclosed injury, reportedly related to his heart.  As soon as he came back, it was like he did not miss a beat.  He’s completing passes at a 62% clip, which lags a little bit from his career numbers, but with 7 TD passes in 2 games, he is still slinging it all over the field.

This is a big-time Run-Pass Option (RPO) offense that seemingly is playing in slow motion with how slow they play at the “mesh point.”  Clemson has had success against it in the past, however, Wake was still able to score 27 points a season ago even in a losing effort.  Star running back Christian Beal-Smith has transferred to South Carolina, but the cupboard is definitely not bare for the Deacs.  This is a three-headed monster attack led by Sophomore Justice Ellison, however Junior Christian Turner actually leads the team with nearly 150 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns in three games.  Sophomore Quinton Cooley  also has 14 carries on the season with just short of 100 yards total and a touchdown.  We will see all three RBs on Saturday.

This is arguably the best wide-receiver corp that Clemson will face this season.  Led by Junior A.T. Perry, who is usually very open and leaves opposing fans scratching their head.  He is an All-American candidate for a reason.  He is fast, big at 6’5” with great hands.  He’s a load for the young secondary of the Tigers to handle.  But he’s not alone.  Sophomores Taylor Morin, Donavon Greene and Ke’Shawn Williams all have more than 100 yards through three games and are really, really good.  And don’t forget about the big 6’4” 243 lb. Junior Tight End Blake Whiteheart.  He gets involved in the offense as well averaging 2 catches a game so far.

The offensive line is big, physical and strong led by three seniors in Je’Vionte Nash, Sean Maginn and Loic Ngassam Nya.  Junior Michael Jurgens mans the center position while Sophomore Right Tackle DeVonte Gordon rounds out the above-average offensive line.

Clemson football faces it’s first real challenge of the season as they travel to Winston-Salem, NC to face Wake Forest

Onto the defensive side of the ball: Defensive Coordinator, Brad Lambert enters his first season in Winston-Salem.  Coming to the Wake program after spending the 2021 season as the D-Coordinator at Purdue, with stints at Marshall and Charlotte before that.  Lambert was the DC at Wake under the previous regime of Jim Grobe.   The Wake defense is allowing an average of 23.6 points per game through three games.

Here is a look at the projected starters for the defense:

Defensive End – Rondell Bothroyd – Junior – 11 Tackles, 2 Sacks
Defensive End – Jacorey Johns – Junior – 11 Tackles, 1 Sack
Defensive Tackle – Dion Bergan Jr. – Senior – 5 Tackles
Defensive Tackle – Tyler Williams – Senior – 5 Tackles
Linebacker – Chase Jones – Junior – 10 Tackles, 1 INT
Linebacker – Ryan Smenda Jr. – Senior – 18 Tackles
Nickel – Isaiah Wingfield – Senior – 8 Tackles, 1 INT
Cornerback – Caelen Carson – Sophomore -3 Tackles, 3 PBUs
Cornerback – JJ Roberts – Sophomore – 6 Tackles, 2 PBUs
Safety – Chelen Garnes  – Junior – 18 Tackles, 1 INT
Safety – Malik Mustapha – Sophomore – 21 Tackles, 2 Sacks

Similarly to Louisiana Tech a week ago, the Wake Forest team is led by their much-heralded offense.  The defense is a work in progress under Coach Lambert, however with guys like Ryan Smenda, Jr. and Malk Mustapha manning the 2nd and 3rd levels respectively, this is a highly serviceable defense.  They are advantageous and adept at taking away the football with 4 interceptions through three games as well as 4 fumbles recovered.

Here are the projected starters on Special Teams:

Punter – Ivan Mora – Sophomore – 40.8 yd avg.
Kicker – Matthew Dennis – Freshman – 7-7; long of 46
Punt Returner – Taylor Morin – Sophomore -10.3 yard avg.
Kick Returner – Ke’Shawn Williams – Sophomore – 27.8 yard avg.

This is a good football team that the Tigers will be up against this weekend.  Wake, with their star QB, is a load, and while Clemson has had their number as of late, this is a huge early-season test.

I do believe that Clemson will outlast the Demon Deacons, and much like last week, I believe it will be closer than most think, however I believe in the Tigers.  They will win, and cover the 7-point spread.  In fact, I am realizing that my score prediction is the exact same as last weeks.  Oh well, I’m sticking with it.  Enjoy the game!  Go Tigers!