Offense/Special Teams:
— The first drive opened with a three-and-out thanks to unimaginative play calling – a quarterback keeper, followed by a seven-yard pass to wide receiver Troy Stellato and finishing with a one-yard rush from Will Shipley.
— The Tigers’ turnover struggles continued as quarterback Cade Klubnik fumbled the ball at Clemson’s nine-yard line midway through the first quarter; Wake Forest defensive lineman Kevin Pointer recovered it and returned possession to the Demon Deacons. With two minutes left in the half, the ball was again fumbled by freshman receiver Tyler Brown on a punt and recovered by Wake Forest at Clemson’s 31-yard line.
— Klubnik completed 12 of 18 pass attempts in the first half for 84 yards; comparatively Wake Forest signal caller Mitch Griffis made four of 10 for 55 yards.
— Klubnik also put his wheels to use when a pass play did not seem to be a safe option, picking up 20 rushing yards and one touchdown to lead the Tigers on the ground.
— Redshirt sophomore Troy Stellato has continued to prove his spot in the Tigers’ receiving core, catching two of two targets for 10 yards; junior wide receiver Beaux Collins was a major contributor to the offense as well with four receptions for 43 yards.

FUMBLEEEEE 💥@KhalilBarnes7 forces the fumble, @RjMickens10 with the recovery! pic.twitter.com/3BUj6RDg8j

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) October 7, 2023

Defense:
— Safety Andrew Mukuba made a fierce play early on, with a fumble recovery which he ran to the end zone; although the play was overturned and did not result in points for the Tigers, Mukuba’s 34-yard run displayed the defense’s power early in the game.
— Head coach Dabo Swinney was adamant that the Tigers improve their red zone defense this game and force more field goals, and Clemson’s defensive unit took this to heart. The Demon Deacons converted one of three red zone opportunities for one field goal on the board in the first half.
— Clemson put up three sacks against Griffis; one from defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro on third down, resulting in a loss of eight yards and preventing the Deacons from scoring a touchdown, and two from linebacker Wade Woodaz.

— Freshman Khalil Barnes forced a fumble, recovered by R.J. Mickens at the 38-yard line.
— Clemson defense came out ready in the first half with 38 tackles; Peter Woods led with three solo tackles for the Tigers.