IN THEIR WAKE?
UNBEATEN TIGERS WILL TRY TO LEAVE DEMON DEACONS BEHIND
Keys for Wake Forest
Contain perimeter runs: Louisville and Virginia Tech hurt Wake Forest when they were able to break runs outside the ends. The Deacons were especially vulnerable when quarterbacks for those teams kept the ball on read-option plays. Limiting big runs outside by Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne will keep Wake in the game.
Healthy S&S combo: The Deacons played without senior receiver Scotty Washington against Virginia Tech last week, and junior Sage Surratt left the game with an injury. Why is that significant? Well they are one of the top pass-catching combos in the ACC this season. Surratt (66 catches, 1,001 yards, 11 touchdowns) leads the league in yardage and receiving scores, while Washington (35-607-7) averages 17.3 yards per catch. Neither was listed on the pre-game depth chart for Clemson, which doesn’t bode well for Wake.
Keys for Clemson
Rattle Newman: ACC total offense leader, Wake quarterback Jamie Newman, may already be a bit out of his comfort zone if Surratt and Washington aren’t able to play against Clemson. So applying some additional pressure through blitzes and stunts could rattle Newman into turnovers and keep him from racking up his average of 324.8 total yards per game. Keep Lawrence hot: Sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been on fire of late throwing the football. Over the last three games, he’s completed 48 of 62 passes (77%) for 769 yards and nine touchdowns. Lawrence achieved that despite not even playing the final quarter last week in a rout of N.C. State. If Lawrence stays hot, so will the Tigers against Wake Forest.
Prediction
Clemson 44, Wake Forest
17: It’s been a really good year for Wake Forest, but the Tigers are starting to get in sync for another run at the national title. Although it may not be an early knockout punch like Clemson delivered last week against N.C. State, this will wind up being an easy victory as the Tigers close in on an unbeaten regular season for the second straight year.