Top-Ranked Tigers down the Demon Deacons in 2020 COVID-Season Opener

Wake Forest Redshirt Senior Carlos "Boogie" Basham JR. is a difference maker for the defense and team overall as one of the captains. He took down Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence to stop the Tiger's first drive. (Photo: Wake Forest Athletic Communications )

A cheer erupted from the crowd situated besides their cars at the Truist Drive-In: Wake Forest Football had officially kicked off. 

Never mind the fact that the Deacons were facing the No. 1 team in the country or that only 50 Wake Forest player family members were in the stands, football had returned. In a game where Clemson (1-0) was favored by 33 points, Wake Forest (0-1) gritted their way back in the end to a 24-point deficit and final score of 37-13.

“This was a special night for all of college football,” Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney said to reporters in the post-game presser. “I knew it was probably going to get a little sloppy, but that’s going to make our team better.”

It was sloppy indeed for the Demon Deacons, as the Tigers set the tone early with back-to-back scoring drives to end the first quarter. Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence was surgical in and out of the pocket, throwing for 351 yards on 22-of-28 passing (78.6%) with no interceptions and tallying three touchdowns (one passing, two rushing). 

It was Clemson’s 12th straight victory over Wake Forest and looked like it was going to be a blow-out at the half, with the Tigers up 27-0. In the end, it was the younger players who kept Wake in it. Redshirt freshman AJ Williams recorded his first career interception in the fourth quarter before freshman quarterback Mitch Griffis and redshirt freshman wide receiver Taylor Morin connected for the Deacon’s first touchdown of the game.

“We had a lot of good young players play a lot of football for the first time,” Wake Forest Head Coach Dave Clawson said in the post-game press conference. “Again, not happy with the result, but I thought our players competed. I thought we played hard for 60 minutes."

The expected players for Wake Forest, namely Boogie Basham and Donovan Greene, started the Demon Deacons off strong. Quarterback Sam Hartman connected with Greene for 67 yards on two passes in the first quarter, but it was the slot receiver play that stood out. Of 293 total receiving yards for the Deacons, the slot duo of Morin and Jacquarii Roberson tallied 185.

“Between Taylor and Jacquarii we had 13 catches for 185 yards; We’ve been very fortunate here to have great slots like Tabari Hines, Greg Dortch and Kendall Hinton” Clawson said. “To see those two guys get off to a good start and be productive is very encouraging.” 

Clemson also saw contributions from their stars, namely Lawrence and RB Travis Etienne. Etienne totaled 102 yards on 17 attempts, including a two-yard touchdown run and three receptions for 47 yards.

Wake Forest was fortunate to see big efforts from the younger guys, as many veterans did not play their best ball. A sometimes-frantic Hartman went 11-for-21 through the air for 182 yards and Nick Sciba, who set the NCAA record for most consecutive made field goals, went just 2-for-4. 

Other teams may have backed down, but the Deacs remained dialed in in all three phases down to the final minute against some of the best back-ups in the country.

“I think our young guys played really well at the end; we didn’t give up like the last two years and we were driving down the field,” Hartman said in the post-game press conference. “Mitch [Griffis] got the opportunity to throw a touchdown which was awesome for him - he put in a lot of work to get to that point.”

It was a momentous first game for both teams with Wake hosting College Gameday for the first time and displays of social justice as evident as ever within NCAA Football. While it wasn’t the close game the Demon Deacons were searching for in the national spotlight, there were plenty of bright spots along with the pomp and circumstance of the weekend.

Both teams now look forward to the next week of school, COVID tests and practices before they take the field again. 

Take Aways:

The Clemson Tigers picked up right where they left off, with their offense moving at the speed of light thanks to Lawrence and Etienne. Etienne attained a Clemson-record 18th career 100-yard rushing performance while Lawrence has now thrown 267 consecutive passes without an interception. With nationally ranked recruits to replace the drafted players, it’s no surprise that the Clemson squad simply reloaded rather than rebuild. Top-ranked recruit Bryan Breese saw the field as a true freshman and newly anointed backup quarterback DJ Uiagalelei saw the field for the first time. As usual, it’s just the beginning for this squad.

Basham Jr. certainly gives the Wake Forest defense some Boogie, but it just wasn’t enough against a well-oiled Clemson offense. It appears as though this will be one of the first years in recent history where the defense will come out stronger than the offense. A much girthier Sam Hartman was certainly an improvement and young guys like Donovan Greene and Taylor Morin showed promising flashes. The run game and secondary will need to improve to keep the Deacons competitive, but the 24-point loss sits a lot better than the past two years combined score of 115-6.

Star Watch:

Every year, Wake Forest has a wide receiver break out onto the scene and this year appears to be no different. Hartman described RS freshman slot receiver Taylor Morin as a prime breakout candidate before the game and he did just that. Leading the Deacs in receptions (9) and receiving yards (93), Morin scored Wake Forest’s first touchdown against Clemson since 2017. It was both Freshman QB Mitch Griffis and Morin’s first touchdown.

Play of the Game:

Carlos “Boogie” Basham Jr. came into the season with hype, as a Preseason All-American, and proved why in the first series of the game. The 285-pound, 6’5″ redshirt senior took down a potential Heisman Trophy winner in Trevor Lawrence with a monster 16-yard sack that forced the Tigers to go three and out to start the game. While Clemson was able to make plays down the line and came out with the win, Basham continued his streak of games with a tackle-for-loss (19), set the tone for his final season and put the ACC on watch moving forward.

Up Next:

Wake Forest heads to Raleigh to take on NC State next Saturday night in the Wolfpack’s first game of the season after some rearranging due to COVID. The Demon Deacons won the Big Four last year, going 3-0 at home, and now face all three teams on the road this year starting with Wolfpack. Clemson will face their lone non-conference opponent, The Citadel, at home in Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Citadel opened the season in Tampa against University of South Florida, a game that they lost 27-6 with both field goals coming in the first half.