It came down to the final whistle, but No. 5 Clemson came away with a double-overtime 51-45 victory against No. 21 Wake Forest on Saturday.
Following a nail-biting four quarters, the Tigers entered overtime tied up with the Demon Deacons at 38 points apiece.
Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei was calm, cool and collected, however, as he delivered a 21-yard strike to tight end David Allen in the second overtime period that ended up being the game-winning touchdown.
The Tigers’ performance on the defensive side of the ball was far from perfect, though, as Clemson allowed 447 total yards and struggled to keep Wake Forest out of the end zone.
Still, head coach Dabo Swinney was more than happy to leave Winston Salem, North Carolina, with a win over the defending Atlantic Division champions.
“I think we grew up in a lot of areas tonight, especially offensively,” Swinney said. “You hate games like that, but sometimes you need a game like that to really solidify your confidence and your belief
Swinney’s starting signal-caller ended up having his most productive game of the 2022 season thus far, as Uiagalelei completed 26 of his 41 passes for 371 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Swinney knew the junior was capable of a performance like he had on Saturday, but he now wants everyone else in the country to have that same confidence in Uiagalelei.
“I’ve never been happier for a guy. The kid deserves it, and that’s who he is,” Swinney said. “That’s the guy we recruited, and that’s who he was in high school. All these people forget about him and have written him off like he’s some terrible player. He’s not.”
When Uiagalelei wasn’t throwing the ball, he was often handing the ball off to running back Will Shipley, who had 104 rushing yards on the day and a 1-yard score early in the fourth quarter to tie the game.
Although the offense came through when needed, the Tigers’ defense was a different story, particularly the secondary.
Down multiple starters, Clemson’s back end allowed 337 passing yards and had numerous penalties that often put the Demon Deacons in scoring position.
Speaking of his cornerbacks, Swinney did not mince his words.
“The only good thing about the game is that we gave up six touchdown passes, and we didn’t give up seven,” Swinney said.
With the win, Clemson has now defeated Wake Forest in 14 consecutive games, dating back to 2009.
The Tigers will have just as big of a challenge next week as the Tigers host NC State, which is ranked as one of the top 15 teams in the country.
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Clemson takes down Wake Forest in double-overtime thriller
Justin Robertson, Sports Editor
September 24, 2022
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