No. 1 Clemson brought ruthless efficiency to his 2020 season debut, a performance from his veterans on offense and signs encouraged by the youth movement on defense for a 37-13 win at Wake Forest. The five-time ACC champion Tigers started the second half by playing three quarterbacks as part of a decisive road victory.
Even though T Higgins left for the NFL during the preseason and Justin Ross was sitting out with an injury, quarterback Trevor Lance Rance actually showed better form than in early 2019. After suffering his first defeat as a college led starter in the College Football Playoff Nationals, spending the championship and his on-fusion on and off the field as a voice leader, Lance raises the drama of everyone around him. The opener had no interruptions and very few errors, as Law Rance threw 351 yards on a 22-of-F-28 passing (78.6%) and a total of three touchdowns (one pass, two runs). The ground scores were particularly unique in that Law Rance never had a game with multiple rushing touchdowns, and had two matches before the end of the first quarter.
Of course, all the focus on relays around the goal line was thanks to a 100-yard performance by two-time ACC Player of the Year Travis Etienne. Returning to his senior season, Etienne will likely rewrite The Clemson Record Book and expand on the ACC Touchdown records he broke in 2019. Saturday night’s feat broke Van Gelman’s career record with his 18th outing in 100 yards, with a total of 102. Touchdown on yards and 17 attempts. And the way he was a senior rushing forward, he was another senior who earned 90 yards on five catches in a huge receiver room with Amri Radgers.
But with all the te te presence in the offense, the flip side is a deep nod and a strong defense that is being filled with underclassmen. A truly refreshing defensive end Miles Murphy led the team in tackles (seven) and sacks (two), while fellow freshman Brian Brassey started with an assisted sack and a redshirt softer KJ Henry flew around the field and finished with four tackles and sacks.
Wake Forrest had plenty of chances in the scoring position, but each time Clemson’s defense continued to advance until the end of the fourth quarter when Damon Dacins made the game’s lone touchdown. Sam Hartman showed great toughness under the constant pressure of the Times’ defensive front and when Dex’s offense hit some big plays against Clemson’s secondary there was hardly any threat whose final outcome was in doubt.
So, as the first week of the ACC game approaches, the results for Clemson remain horribly similar to what we’ve seen in conference play over the last five years. Now winning 39 of their last 41 ACC games, the Tigers have an inspiring combination of PV leadership at key positions and a desire for young talent that will definitely be evolving. There have been many changes in college football to make this the 2020 season, but Clemson’s dominance and his grip on the ACC is a small piece of the general situation in this fantastic year.
Let’s take a look at three takeovers from Clemson’s absolute win over Wake Forest.
1. No mistakes: Lawrence entered the 2019 season in Notre Dame and Alabama with 300-plus yards and tons of hype after three touchdown lighting in the College Football.l playoffs the year before. It was his best game of the recent season, and the result was that he was forced to perform at that level in 2019. Pushing the issue and trying to live up to that expectation affected his play, and the initial interruptions derailed the conversation around one. College football is a great talent. A lot was made with interruptions, but not much with 22 touchdowns, the zero interception run he surpassed in the final eight games of the season.
Lawrence was selected as the decision-maker against Wake Forest, and that performance changes when he enters the 2020 season when his first loss was lost as a Ledge player and without such protection that receivers like Higgins and Ross are obtained. On the outside. Maybe it all leads to a more consistent and efficient game like what we saw on Saturday night against Wake Forest, and if so it would put Lawrence in the Heisman Trophy discussion instead of looking at him vaguely from the spotlight.
2. This is Clemson’s most talented team: Left Swinney believes the raw talent of the 2020 team could be as good as any team coached at Clemson, and the number of our partners at 247 sports is definitely behind it. As the game wore on and took up more territory, it is impossible to ignore the high school stellar wealth that makes relatively small impacts on the game. What’s nerve-breaking for the rest of the ACC (and the nation) is that Clems has experienced the success of his rise – five conference titles, four appearances in a national championship game and two national titles – from top-10 to top-15 type talent. Now that Miles Murphy, Brian Brassie and quarterback DJ Yuagaleli are anchoring in the top-10 to top-five categories, Clemson will only get better.
3. Touchdown Drought prevailed: Clemson’s 12 straight wins in the series may be disappointing for Wake Forest fans, but it’s especially hard to swallow the fact that Dex didn’t even make a touchdown after their 2017 loss. Credit Wake Forest never gave up the competition against the country’s No. 1 team, regained after every clear knockout punch and finally found the zone late in the fourth quarter. The support of other teams may return, but until the final hour, the DXs remain dial in all three stages.
CBS Sports was totally with you to update this story with the latest from Clemson vs. Wake Forest on Saturday. Continue scrolling for game highlights and analysis.
