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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Late Saturday evening, after surviving a livid upset bid by Liberty, Dave Clawson sat in a chair within the quiet coaches locker room at Wake Forest. Hair splayed haphazardly from hat head, Clawson delivered occasional exhales of reduction after a four-hour whiplash of a recreation.
Within the aftermath of Wake Forest’s 37-36 victory over Liberty, preserved solely by a failed two-point conversion from the Flames with 1:11 left, Clawson’s demeanor demonstrated the theme of evening — successful is tough.
Maybe the very best praise to Clawson’s nine-year tenure at Wake Forest is that the victory carried with it the disappointing aura of a loss, an indication that expectations have recalibrated a lot that successful crisply issues as a lot as merely successful. However for Clawson, explaining a hailstorm of 70 yards in penalties, defensive busts and stretches of sputtering offense is far simpler at 3-0. Therefore the exhales.
Because the Demon Deacons’ efficiency dropped them two spots within the AP ballot and quarterback Sam Hartman appeared as completely satisfied postgame as discovering a stack of parking tickets on his windshield, it is a reminder of how Clawson has rewired Wake Forest’s soccer DNA.
After reaching the ACC title recreation final 12 months and being ranked for 16 consecutive AP polls, Clawson hasn’t forgotten how tenuous a program’s stature could be when a standard have-not defies gravity.
“We do not get this one and also you’re observing Clemson and Florida State subsequent,” Clawson instructed ESPN after the sport. “After which, oh yeah, you are worried about not turning into nationally related once more.”
1:27
Liberty scores to get inside one level, however Wake Forest’s protection holds sturdy to disclaim the Flames the 2-point conversion.
No. 21 Wake Forest hosts No. 5 Clemson on Saturday (midday, ABC and ESPN App), marking a collision of the sturdy program Wake Forest has turn into with its annual take a look at of how far it must go to be elite. The Deacons had an 11-year stretch with out being nationally ranked from 2008 to 2019, and final 12 months’s 11-3 season noticed them peak at No. 10 within the AP ballot. The space Wake Forest has to go to assert ACC supremacy has clearly shrunk, however Clawson nonetheless enters the sport 0-8 in opposition to Clemson.
Is the hole shrinking? Final 12 months, for the primary time since 2014, Clemson each missed the Faculty Soccer Playoff and didn’t win the ACC. At the same time as Wake has outpunched its weight class and Clemson has fallen barely off a run of supreme dominance, there’s nonetheless a notion of a major distance between the applications.
The Deacons have misplaced by a mean of 38.5 factors the previous 4 years on this collection but enter Saturday as simply seven-point underdogs. That quantity is so small as a result of Clemson’s offense, whereas nonetheless averaging 41.3 factors, has been inconsistent and disjointed at instances to this point this season.
There’s additionally some unknown with the Tigers, as they’ve two new coordinators, and questions linger about quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, whilst he has distinctly improved his completion share (from 55.6% to 64.8%) and thrown only one interception in 88 makes an attempt over three video games.
Wake Forest enters the sport with a greater quarterback (Hartman), a extra refined offensive scheme and a veteran crew that options 39 gamers of their fifth, sixth or seventh years. The Deacons are anxious to take one of many few remaining steps remaining to push this system ahead. In case you exclude the COVID-19 12 months in 2020, Wake Forest has the second-best general report of any ACC group (44-25) since 2016, trailing solely Clemson (68-7).
“They’re nonetheless the measuring stick,” Clawson stated of Clemson. “They have been the category of the ACC, and our purpose is to be the very best program within the ACC. They usually’re a troublesome out. I am certain they will have a really proficient, excellent group coming in right here.”
The Demon Deacons gained two complete ACC video games Clawson’s first two seasons, 2014 and 2015, beating Virginia Tech, 6-3, in double extra time after a scoreless regulation in his first season and topping Boston Faculty 3-0 the subsequent 12 months. Wake Forest has advanced from Neanderthal to space-aged on offense, because the Deacons completed No. 4 nationally in scoring offense final 12 months (41.0) The 37 factors in opposition to Liberty got here with loads of grumbling a few subpar efficiency by the offense.
Has Wake Forest come far sufficient? Liberty provided a blueprint to gradual Wake’s slow-mesh offense, the unconventional scheme of coordinator Warren Ruggiero that has turn into stylish sufficient that Stanford adopted it and debuted it in opposition to USC earlier this 12 months.
Liberty’s defensive ends proved so efficient in attending to the quarterback and disrupting the sides that Wake Forest ran little of the slow-mesh idea. The Deacons completed with simply 21 dashing yards, and Hartman threw for 325 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
“I believe we simply performed a bit of extra sloppy [Saturday] than regular,” Hartman stated. “And I believe it begins with me and preserving us out of the second-, third-and-long. We turned one-dimensional.”
A lot of how Wake can additional overhaul the notion of its place close to the highest of the ACC shall be primarily based on the way it fares in opposition to Clemson. The Deacs will want star receivers A.T. Perry and Donavon Greene to play as much as their capabilities, as they entered the season billed as one of many nation’s greatest tandems.
They will additionally want a dynamic efficiency from Hartman, who missed almost a month of soccer with a blood clot issue. He required rapid surgical procedure on Aug. 9 that compelled him to overlook Wake Forest’s opener in opposition to VMI. Clawson identified that lacking a month of soccer brings with it some inherent timing and rust points.
Hartman stated going by way of that well being scare has taught him “how valuable all the things is,” however he is aware of that perspective will not alter any realities on Saturday. “I believe you form of overlook about it,” he stated. “You gotta play. No person actually cares when you need to get on the sector and carry out.”
The fear for the Deacons shall be that the Tigers have what many think about the nation’s greatest defensive entrance, which may grind down the Wake Forest offense the identical manner Liberty did. Wake moved the ball fairly effectively in opposition to Clemson final season in a 48-27 loss — 406 yards — however turned it over 3 times and yielded 543 yards.
There’s one other sellout anticipated Saturday at Truist Discipline, as the school soccer world will get one other likelihood to see how far the Deacons have come. However as Clawson mirrored a bit on Wake’s progress and challenges, he acknowledges that he works in a career the place he is obligated to maintain pushing ahead.
“This career is so unforgiving, you have got such tunnel imaginative and prescient through the season,” Clawson stated. “Are you aware anyone on this job that actually ever takes time to mirror on it?”
Will probably be a referendum with out sentimentality Saturday as Wake Forest makes an attempt to proceed to shut the hole with the category of the ACC. Profitable is all the time exhausting. And the nearer you get to the highest, the more durable the most important wins are to seize.
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