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Clemson football held on for a 17-12 win against Wake Forest on Saturday, but it didn’t come easily, and that’s reflected in the grades we’ve doled out.
The offense struggled, leaving the burden of proof on the defense again and leaving a Clemson homecoming crowd shaking its collective head heading into a bye week. Coach Dabo Swinney, after collecting a share of the program’s wins record, will have much to be concerned about with a trip to Miami looming Oct. 21.
Here are the grades:
Offense: D
The lone bright spot for Clemson’s offense was a 16-play, seven-minute scoring drive that bridged the first and second quarters. The Tigers’ other five possessions in the first half resulted in four punts and a fumble. The Tigers had just two plays of 10 yards or more and a long play of 16 yards.
Clemson opened the second half with a 15-play drive, but had to settle for a field goal despite having a first-and-goal at the Wake Forest 1-yard line.
Quarterback Cade Klubnik didn’t have a great day, going 18-for-28 for 131 yards. The Tigers salvaged the day with a late-game drive that resulted in a touchdown by Will Shipley, who had 97 yards rushing.
Defense: B
Clemson’s defense continued to play well despite being put in some bad positions. The Tigers held Wake scoreless despite a first-and-goal at the 9-yard line, then allowed just a field goal on the Deacons’ next possession despite them having a first-and-goal at Clemson’s 11, then later forced a fumble on a big hit by linebacker Khalil Barnes.
Clemson’s defense also had the misfortune of having Jeremiah Trotter Jr. being whistled for a roughing the passer penalty on what appeared to be a perfectly legal hit on Wake quarterback Mitch Grffis. The call gave the Deacons a first down and led to a field goal that cut Clemson’s lead to 10-6 with 2:20 left in the third quarter.
Special teams: F
There was nothing special about Clemson’s special teams against Wake Forest. The usually reliable Tyler Brown fumbled a punt at his own 31-yard line; the Demon Deacons missed a short field goal five plays later, but the miscue cost the Tigers the final offensive possession of the first half.
Later, kicker Jonathan Weitz was trotted out to attempt a 51-yard field goal that wound up wide left.
TYING HOWARD: Dabo Swinney ties Clemson football wins record after beating Wake Forest
Coaches: C
A 51-yard field goal try for Jonathan Weitz? This is a kicker who has been with the team for just a few weeks and missed a 29-yard attempt in the game at Syracuse last week. It was good to see the Tigers go for it (and succeed) in a couple of fourth-down situations, but some of the play-calling was questionable.
Overall: C
The Tigers got the victory, but it was the ugliest in quite some time and not in a fashion that provides much inspiration heading into an idle week. Clemson will have to play considerably better after the off week when they face consecutive road games at Miami and NC State.
Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ScottKeepfer
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson football grades vs. Wake Forest: Making sense of an ugly win
