WINSTON-SALEM — There are no cupcakes to be consumed early on this football season for Wake Forest as it dives headfirst into the meaty end of an 11-game, coronavirus-altered schedule Saturday night.
Top-ranked Clemson meets the Demon Deacons under the Truist Field lights for a nationally televised Atlantic Coast Conference game that, under these circumstances, will be played without spectators in attendance.
Here’s what to watch for as the Demon Deacons attempt to knock off a heavyweight:
Staying even-keeled
The top-ranked Tigers will undoubtedly have their moments and rip off some big plays. They always do, whether it be against ACC competition or in the College Football Playoff, where they’ve appeared in each of the last five seasons. But how will Wake Forest respond?
“No highs that are too high, no lows that are too low,” Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman said. “I think it's just got to be a very stoic approach to this whole game. … Things aren't going to go our way every play and it's just some of the younger guys on our team, we just gotta keep them level-headed and keep ourselves level-headed, but I think if that's going on, we'll be good.”
Wake Forest’s response to the Tigers in each of the last two seasons has been simply not good. Clemson dismantled the Demon Deacons 52-3 and 63-3 in each of the past two seasons. In coach Dave Clawson’s first four seasons leading Wake Forest, its largest margin of defeat to the Tigers was 22 points (in 2016), with both the 2014 and 2017 games being 14-point losses.
“We have to stay in it,” Clawson said. “We've actually played Clemson better when we weren't good. I think that we’ve gone into this game maybe a little uptight and it got away from us early, and then by the time we settled down, they’re a hard team to come back from.”
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Dealing with Lawrence, Etienne and Co.
When it comes to Clemson’s offensive weapons, there’s nothing lacking in the stockpile. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is a potential No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, running back Travis Etienne is the back-to-back ACC Player of the Year and Amari Rodgers leads an always dangerous receiving corps.
“I think the big thing when you look at Clemson on offense is just how explosive they are,” Clawson said. “I think it's just important that we get the ball down. Lawrence is arguably the best quarterback in the country. Travis Etienne is arguably the best tailback in the country. They've got a great receiver corps even with what they lost.
"These guys are big-time, awesome players. We've got to just prevent big plays. When Etienne gets the ball in space, we've got to try to get him down, and that's hard to do — you watch him against Ohio State. He can take a screen and he can take a draw, and he can make everybody miss against some of the very best teams in the country.”
Getting pressure in the offensive backfield could go a long way in helping the Demon Deacons defense at least slow down Clemson’s explosive nature.
“They're a young (offensive) line. They’ve got one starter returning (left tackle Jackson Carman),” Wake Forest defensive end Carlos “Boogie” Basham said. “So we should be able to capitalize on that. For the D-line, basically it’s just going out there and playing how we play — with juice, guys making plays, being able to celebrate with each other rather than being uptight. So I feel like that will be a big advantage for us.”
Basham’s 11 sacks a year ago are the second-most in a single season in program history. The redshirt senior enters the season with a tackle for loss in 18 consecutive games, which stands as the longest streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision by six games.
How does the secondary hold up?
Part of the responsibility of slowing down the Clemson offense falls on a Wake Forest secondary with new faces in the starting lineup. Safety Luke Masterson and cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor both have experience that the Demon Deacons will rely on.
“From experience, I think playing these big games, when you haven't played much football, it's very challenging,” Masterson said. “I think people don't realize how challenging it is until you actually do it. But I think, as a team, and all the coaches, we're doing everything we can to get those guys ready, so that they're in the best position that they can be when that time comes.”
Either Peyton Woulard or Isaiah Essissima, both sophomores, will start at the corner spot opposite of Taylor, meaning both cornerback positions are occupied by new starters after the departure of Essang Bassey and Amari Henderson from last season’s team. Bassey went on to make the Denver Broncos 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent.
“(Clemson has) a lot of explosive plays in every game that you see them win,” Masterson said. “I think that's probably the biggest thing, especially the past two years of us playing them, we haven't done a great job of doing that. Contain those explosive plays and making them drive the field is probably the biggest challenge.”
Junior Nasir Greer holds down the other safety spot, returning from surgery rehab after an injury held him out of the Pinstripe Bowl.
“That was great news for us that we got in the last two weeks,” Clawson said. “Some younger guys have really stepped up, I think Ja’Sir Taylor is playing at a really high level. We've had some nice surprises in camp from freshmen, but it's going to evolve.”
Can the offensive line, receivers step up?
Wake Forest returns just two starters on the offensive line from a season ago in Zach Tom and Sean Maginn. Tom has transitioned from center to left tackle where he will protect Hartman’s blind side.
Clemson defensive tackle Tyler Davis, a preseason All-ACC selection, will be looking to wreak havoc in the Wake Forest backfield. A sophomore, Davis has started every game since he arrived on campus last season, posting six sacks and nine tackles for a loss.
“Our line has been working good,” Hartman said. “(Clemson brings) a lot of twists, they bring a lot of pressure and I think it's just going to be one of those games where if guys win matchups, we’ll play well, and if guys don't, we won't. There's 11 guys on the field and it's a football game at the end of the day.”
Wake Forest is without its top four producers in receiving yards from last year, including preseason All-ACC selection Sage Surratt, who opted out of this season and declared for the NFL Draft.
Redshirt freshman Donavon Greene is listed as the starter at one receiver spot. Redshirt sophomore A.T. Perry and redshirt freshman Nolan Groulx are listed as co-starters at another spot, while redshirt junior Jaquarii Roberson and redshirt freshman Taylor Morin are both listed at the other wideout position.
“They're gonna bring pressure and they're gonna be able to cover you 1-on-1,” Hartman said. “It’s just any opportunity we get to give a guy a chance with a 1-on-1 throw will be probably the biggest opportunities for us.”
This article originally appeared on Times-News: What to watch for as Wake Forest attempts to upset Tigers
