Clemson vs. Wake Forest: Keys to Watch and Prediction

It’s never a bad time to plant yourself in front of the couch for a few hours on a Saturday and watch the number one team in the country take care of business, even in a game that shouldn’t prove to be a task too tough to handle. Tomorrow, that’s exactly the spot we’ll so thankfully be put in with Clemson vs. Wake Forest as Dabo Swinney and his #1 ranked Tigers defend their home turf against the 3-7 Demon Deacons.

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Swinney’s squad has the opportunity to finish the regular season with a blemish-free 12-0 regular season with just two more victories (11/28 at in-state rival South Carolina). Can the story of the season continue to heat up as the holiday season rolls around?

Clemson’s Keys to the Game

• Should RB Wayne Gallman be active, limit his touches to a minimum: Perhaps the best running back that with the least amount of current buzz, the 6’1″ sophomore is nursing an ankle injury that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Averaging 5.3 yards per carry with nine rushing touchdowns, Gallman is a must-have should the Tigers enter the Playoff — not so much against a slumping Wake Forest.
• Build WR Charone Peake’s comfort with continued targets and touches: The quietly productive senior won’t get much national attention, but the South Carolina native has seen an increased workload as the year has rolled along. Peake’s ability to break out was shown last week against Syracuse in a 7/120/1 performance. It’s safe to say QB Deshaun Watson won’t complain about added momentum for yet another target.
• Capitalize on what Wake Forest does — turn the ball over: The Deamon Deacons sit at 3-7 for a plethora of reasons, perhaps nothing more noteworthy than their carelessness with the football through the year. They’ve tossed 15 interceptions and sit at -12 in turnover margin as a whole. A few of those against an already pesky Tigers defense — one that can and will turn them into scores — and it could be a quick exit from Death Valley.

Wake Forest can win by…

I would assume that if you’re picking Wake this weekend, you are one of the following:

1) living in Winston-Salem with large gold blinders on…

OR

2) an 85-year-old grandmother who picks games by “rooting for the underdog” because that’s how they did it back in the 1940s.

Either way, you’re probably wrong. Now, let’s never say never — after much thought and quite frankly unrealistic projecting, I’ve come up with the following blueprint for a potential Wake Forest win:

Wayne Gallman sits with the ankle injury, Clemson struggles to find consistency in the run game. They have issues with the overall game plan, forcing Watson to throw and utilize a one-dimensional offense to out-score Wake. The Demon Deacons construct their best pass rush of the season to put the pressure on Watson and Co. in the third quarter. While relatively close, Wake Forest finds a way to capitalize upon a nervous atmosphere in Clemson to squeak out a win as time expires.

Was that enough fairytale-level excitement for you?

It’s going to take a perfect world, plenty of Tigers mistakes and a stroke or two of luck for Wake Forest to emerge victorious.

Technically, it’s possible.

Just ask your Grandma Ruth. Perhaps she’ll have an even better reason why the #1 team in the nation loses this weekend.

The Pick

Unlike grandma, I’ll be realistic.

Not a chance Clemson drops this one. The Tigers smoothly sail to a 45-17 victory, inching them one more step closer to a spot in the College Football Playoff.