Week 7 will see the Clemson Tigers visit Winston-Salem for a noon ET kickoff (ESPN) against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in ACC play. Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney spoke to reporters at his weekly Tuesday press conference ahead of the game.
“Excited to have another opportunity to just keep getting better,” Swinney said in his opening remarks. “Wake Forest, it’s a typical Dave Clawson team: well-coached, play hard every snap, fundamentally sound, incredibly disciplined, challenging scheme that’s well put together, and they’ve got some playmakers.”
Clemson (4-1) is ranked No. 10 in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll and No. 11 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. The Tigers are 3-0 in ACC play following last Saturday’s 29-13 win over Florida State. Wake Forest (2-3) is coming off a 34-30 upset win at NC State.
In Clemson’s last visit to Winston-Salem in 2022, the Tigers came away with a 51-45 double-overtime win in a game that pitted two Top 25 teams. Clemson was ranked No. 5; Wake Forest was ranked No. 21. Both teams were 3-0 when they met in Week 4.
A year ago, the Tigers pulled out a 17-12 win over the Deacs in Death Valley.
“Those of you who were with us a couple of years ago, that was a tough one,” Swinney recalled. “We were very, very fortunate to win that game. We literally made one more play than they did. So, got a lot of respect for Wake Forest and how well-coached they are, how hard they play. Year in and year out, they’re a tough challenge.
“It was a tough challenge here last year. It was 10-6 in the fourth quarter. Always a hard-fought battle and don’t expect anything different this year,” Swinney added.
Here’s everything Swinney said at Tuesday’s press conference.
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