WINSTON-SALEM — During the COVID-19 pandemic in which uncertainty abounds, a pre-existing clarity was rediscovered at Truist Field on Saturday night.
Clemson still perfectly plays the part of a perennial powerhouse, and Atlantic Coast Conference foe Wake Forest once again experienced it firsthand, only this time without a crowd of spectators on hand.
Trevor Lawrence accounted for three total touchdowns and 351 yards passing, Travis Etienne accelerated his way to 102 rushing yards and a score, and top-ranked Clemson took care of its season-opening business with a 37-13 victory against the Demon Deacons.
“They’re an excellent football program and they came out strong like they always do,” Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said. “They played better than us and won the game. That quarterback and tailback are both special players. Disappointed with the result, but I think there’s a lot of positives to build on.”
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The only fans to witness it were 50 family members of Wake Forest players, in accordance with guidelines from Gov. Roy Cooper on gatherings at outdoor venues. Or perhaps you also can count the few hundred cardboard cutouts of fans that sat in the first few rows in certain sections closest to the field.
“I told our players (Friday), when that ball got kicked off, that was our first victory,” Clawson said. “To do what we’ve done the last 2½ months and make the sacrifices our players and our staff and everybody has made, the second that thing got kicked off, that was a win. We wish we had more fans in the stands, but we understand why we don’t."
Certainly different from the 80,875 spectators who showed up at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium last season when Clemson rolled to a 52-3 blowout of the Demon Deacons.
Never able to gain consistent traction in its attempts to move the ball, Wake Forest was held out of the end zone until the fourth quarter, with reserves on the field for both teams.
“Missed opportunities here and there,” said quarterback Sam Hartman, who went 11-for-21 passing for 182 yards. “We obviously had some bad plays. I think it’s a great learning opportunity for us, playing the No. 1 team in the country.”
Here's a look at five Wake Forest takeaways from Saturday night’s game:
There’s a reason why Clemson is the clear ACC favorite
The Tigers received 132 out of 134 first-place votes to finish first in the league's preseason poll for good reason. The combination of Lawrence and Etienne, along with several playmakers on the outside, again make them a tough matchup for anyone in the country. Defensively, the Tigers held Wake Forest to just one touchdown, coming late in the game with backup players on the field, and doing so without starting cornerback and preseason All-ACC selection Derion Kendrick and co-starting cornerback Mario Goodrich, who were on an inactive list released before kickoff. Starting defensive end Justin Foster was also on that list.
Secondary has room to improve
Clemson had no trouble moving the ball through the air, and on several occasions, Wake Forest defensive backs appeared to have blown assignments or miscommunications. Lawrence connected with receivers for gains of more than 20 yards on six different occasions. Clemson tight end J.C. Chalk managed to get completely behind the Wake Forest secondary for a wide-open 12-yard touchdown grab in the corner of the end zone. In the first quarter, receiver Amari Rodgers was all alone in the back of the end zone, but dropped the pass while trying to keep his feet in bounds. “Obviously, some missed tackles,” Wake Forest safety Luke Masterson said. “A few plays we probably miscommunicated.”
Offensive line struggled at times
Wake Forest struggled to move the ball in the run game, managing only 37 yards on 34 carries. Clawson attributed much of that to Clemson’s emphasis on stopping the run. Yet in the passing game, Wake Forest gave up six sacks to a swarming group of Tigers. Hartman moved gingerly after a hit in the second half, and later got popped when scrambling to try to pick up a first down. Hartman didn’t return to the game after that point, but that was because of the score, not an injury, Clawson said after the game.
Greene shows potential, other receivers step up
Redshirt freshman receiver Donavon Greene racked up 76 yards on three catches. He appears to be the Demon Deacons' No. 1 receiver, showing off his athletic ability Saturday night. Greene climbed the ladder to pull down a 50-50 ball from a Clemson defender in the first quarter. Morin caught nine passes for 93 yards and looks like a solid option in the slot. Jaquarii Roberson stepped up in the second half and brought in four catches for 92 yards, including one where he bounced off Clemson defenders after the catch and sprinted for significant additional yardage.
Wake Forest played it safe against the top team in the country
Twice in the first half, the Demon Deacons found themselves with a fourth down of 2 or fewer yards to go near midfield while trailing. In both instances, Clawson elected to punt instead of going for it and potentially grabbing some momentum away from Clemson. While down by 14 and facing fourth-and-1 from the Clemson 26, the Demon Deacons unsuccessfully attempted a field goal instead of going for it. “I think most of those plays were early and they were on our side of the 50,” Clawson said. “If those had been on Clemson’s side of the 50, I probably would’ve gone for it. We haven’t scored a lot of points against Clemson lately and that one fourth-and-1 that was down tight, I wanted to get points on the board, I didn’t want to come out empty-handed.”
• STRANGE TIMES: Wake Forest kicker Nick Sciba uncharacteristically missed two of his four field-goal attempts, including one from 31 yards that clanked off the right upright. The junior made 24 of his 25 field goal attempts last season and is on the Lou Groza Award Watchlist, awarded to the top kicker in college football. Sciba connected on field goals of 39 and 42 yards Saturday night.
• CAREER FIRSTS: True freshman and third-string quarterback Mitch Griffis found the redshirt freshman Morin on a 1-yard score, serving as the first touchdown in college for both players. Prior to that, the Tigers had held Wake Forest out of the end zone since late in the 2017 meeting between the teams, a stretch of 11 quarters without a touchdown.
This article originally appeared on Times-News: Five takeaways from Wake Forest's loss to No. 1 Clemson
