Clemson defeated Wake Forest 63-3 last season in Winston-Salem, jumping out to a 28-0 lead at halftime and scoring three more times in the third quarter. Head coach Dabo Swinney says that Demon Deacon head coach Dave Clawson thanked him later on, and while Clawson doesn’t remember it quite that way, he does think the game paid dividends down the road.
Wake Forest rebounded from that October loss to win four of its final six games, including a 37-34 victory over Memphis in the Jared Birmingham Bowl. Swinney was asked about the difference between that Wake Forest team and this year’s version, and he said that Clawson thanked him for the loss last season.