Kobe Pace – Page 5 – Syndication Server

Elliott expounds on Shipley’s ‘jealousy’ comment, how the RB room has evolved

In the week leading up to No. 23 Clemson’s 30-0 win over South Carolina on Saturday night at Williams-Brice Stadium, freshman running back Will Shipley provided insight into the drama that clouded the Tigers’ running back room earlier this season, …

The Tigers, who finished the regular season 9-3 after Saturday’s victory over their in-state rival, lost a pair of running backs to the transfer portal when Lyn-J Dixon entered it after the Georgia Tech game on Sept. 18 and Michel Dukes put his name in the portal after the Syracuse game on Oct. 15.

Following Saturday’s win against South Carolina (6-6) – during which the Tigers rushed for 265 yards, improving to 72-1 when rushing for 200-plus yards under Dabo Swinney – Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott was asked about Shipley’s “jealousy” comment and how Elliott has seen the running backs room evolve over the course of the 2021 season under first-year running backs coach C.J. Spiller.

“It takes time, and again, that was a tough situation, as I said, for C.J. walking in,” said Elliott, who coached the running backs at Clemson from 2011-20 before transitioning to tight ends coach in early 2021.“He had been around, he knew those guys, but all those guys had come to Clemson to play for me as a running backs coach. So, you make that transition, and then it was a fresh start.

“So, what happened is you had guys that took advantage of the fresh start and some guys that didn’t take advantage of it. And obviously, the running back position, those guys are so used to touching the ball all the time. So now they go from a situation where maybe you thought from a hierarchy standpoint or a transition with Travis (Etienne), that things were going to go a certain way. And C.J. had to establish his code of conduct and his mode of operation within that room. So, early on … and then the adversity on top of that didn’t help. But once he was able to get all those guys to buy in, now you’re seeing what’s paid dividends.”

After rushing for a season-high 333 yards in last week’s win over Wake Forest, Clemson has now reached 250 rushing yards in consecutive games for the first time since a four-game streak against Florida State, Louisville, Boston College and Wofford in 2019.

With a 6.2-yards-per-carry average against the Gamecocks, Clemson has now averaged 6.0 or more yards per carry in consecutive games for the first time this season, and the Tigers have now rushed for at least three touchdowns in three consecutive games for the first time since last season against Miami, Georgia Tech and Syracuse.

A week after Shipley and sophomore Kobe Pace combined for 303 yards and four touchdowns on the ground against Wake Forest, Shipley rushed 19 times for a career-high-tying 128 yards with a touchdown against the Gamecocks, while Pace rushed seven times for 58 yards with one touchdown. Freshman Phil Mafah added his third rushing touchdown of the season and of his career on a 6-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter, finishing with 11 carries for 43 yards.

It’s safe to say that after the early season trouble in the running backs room, things have turned out pretty well for those who stuck it out and stayed the course.

“Love the guys that decided to move on. Understand the situation,” Elliott said. “If I had to say one thing to those guys, timing may not have been the best thing, but it looks like it’s going to work out well for both of those guys. Matter of fact, talked to one of them the other day. Called and wished me a happy birthday.

“So, they made business decisions, which I understand. But that also created opportunity for the guys that wanted to buy in, that wanted to be a part of what C.J. was establishing in that running back room.”

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New coach, same story: Clemson still owns South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Clemson cruised to its seventh straight victory over rival South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday. The Tigers dominated the line of scrimmage en route to a 30-0 win. The streak matched the 23rd ranked Tigers’ …

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Clemson cruised to its seventh straight victory over rival South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday. The Tigers dominated the line of scrimmage en route to a 30-0 win.

The streak matched the 23rd ranked Tigers’ seven-game stretch from 1934-40 and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney became the first head coach from either school to lead a team to seven consecutive wins in the series.

Clemson improved to 17-6 since 1977 at Williams-Brice Stadium, it is 31-13-1 overall against the Gamecocks since 1976.

The win also marked the first shutout for either program in the rivalry since Clemson beat the Gamecocks 45-0 in the same venue in 1989.

Clemson (9-3) relied on a strong run game and stingy defense to finish the regular season on a high note.

The Tigers rushed for 265 yards on 43 carries for an average of 6.2 yards per carry and held the Gamecocks to 206 yards of total offense and 3.3 yards per play.

Will Shipley led the way with 19 carries for 128 yards and a 29-yard touchdown run to give Clemson a 7-0 lead with 11:34 to play in the first quarter.

Clemson added to its lead with a 29-yard field goal by B.T. Potter to go up 10-0 with 2:40 to play in the first quarter. The drive started after Andrew Booth intercepted Brown at the South Carolina 13-yard line.

The Tigers struck again on a 34-yard touchdown run by Kobe Pace with 12:10 to play in the second quarter to take a 17-0 lead. The drive covered 79 yards in seven plays and 3:38.

South Carolina will receive the kickoff at the start of the third quarter.

Potter added two more field goals from 47 yards and 49 yards in the second half to extend Clemson’s lead to 23-0.

Phil Mafah put the icing on the cake, with a six yard touchdown run on fourth-and-two and gave the Tigers a 30-0 advantage, with two and half minutes remaining in the contest.

Clemson preserved the shutout as it stopped South Carolina quarterback Zeb Noland shy of the goal line at the three yard line, as time expired.

Clemson now awaits its bowl destination and next opponent.

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Clemson controlling line of scrimmage at the break

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Clemson entered the halftime break with a 17-0 lead over South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. The Tigers dominated the line of scrimmage in the opening quarters and forced a pair of turnovers. Clemson totaled 193 …

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Clemson entered the halftime break with a 17-0 lead over South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.

The Tigers dominated the line of scrimmage in the opening quarters and forced a pair of turnovers.

Clemson totaled 193 yards rushing on 25 carries for an average of 7.7 yards per carry. Will Shipley led the way with 10 carries for 86 yards and a 29-yard touchdown and Kobe Pace added 54 yards on five carries with a touchdown.

Meanwhile the Gamecocks managed just 75 yards of total offense and Andrew Booth intercepted quarterback Jason Brown twice.

The Tigers struck first on Shipley’s 29-yard touchdown run with 11:44 to play in the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead. The score capped off a seven play 73-yard drive in 3:11.

The Tigers struck again on a 34-yard touchdown run by Kobe Pace with 12:10 to play in the second quarter to take a 17-0 lead. The drive covered 79 yards in seven plays and 3:38.

South Carolina will receive the kickoff at the start of the third quarter.

Pace gashes Gamecocks to increase Clemson’s lead

Clemson is running all over South Carolina. Kobe Pace’s 34-yard touchdown scamper capped off a 7-play, 79-yard drive (3:08). Following B.T. Potter’s extra point, Clemson now leads 17-0. Pace added Clemson’s second rushing touchdown of the game. On …

Clemson is running all over South Carolina.

Kobe Pace’s 34-yard touchdown scamper capped off a 7-play, 79-yard drive (3:08). Following B.T. Potter’s extra point, Clemson now leads 17-0.

Pace added Clemson’s second rushing touchdown of the game. On Clemson’s second touchdown drive on the night, he rushed for 47 yards on three carries. The Tigers now have 141 rushing yards with just over 12 minutes to play here at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia (S.C).

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How – and when – Clemson’s offense began to ’embrace the adversity’

Clemson’s offense is fresh off its best performance of the season, one that wasn’t exactly easy to see coming given the way the group has performed for most of the season and the attrition it continues to pile up. The Tigers rolled up season-highs …

The Tigers rolled up season-highs in points (48), total yards (543) and rushing yards (333) en route to their 21-point pasting of No. 10 Wake Forest last week to close out their home slate. With six wins in its last seven games, Clemson will try to carry that momentum over to its regular-season finale at in-state rival South Carolina on Saturday.

But Tony Elliott sensed that momentum building weeks ago for his group. Even though the offense mustered just 17 points and scored seven points for Pittsburgh on D.J. Uiagalelei’s pick-six to start the second half of that 10-point loss to the Panthers back on Oct. 23, that’s when Clemson’s offensive coordinator said he saw a shift in the mindset of a unit that’s been dealt one setback after another.

“(Our players) knew, ‘OK, we’re good enough to go get it done. We’ve just got to go make the plays,'” Elliott said. “We can’t say, ‘Oh well, this is what’s going to happen all season.’ They figured it out there.

“I think going into that game, their confidence was starting to rise. And then after that game, I felt like the guys they knew they were good enough, and we’ve just got to go to work, and everybody’s got to accept their responsibility for preparing to the best of their ability. And it’ll come together at some point.”

Clemson’s offense has been among the nation’s worst in most statistical categories all season but had taken some baby steps in the second half of the season. The unit drove the length of the field in the fourth quarter for go-ahead touchdowns in back-to-back weeks against Florida State and Louisville, cracking the 20-point mark in regulation in back-to-back games against FBS competition for the first time all season.

An improved running game helped, but injuries and transfers haven’t stopped, making continuity virtually impossible within the Tigers’ two-deep all season. Veteran offensive lineman Matt Bockhorst was lost for the season early in the game against Pitt, and the Tigers’ other starting guard, Will Putnam, sat two more games with an ankle injury after missing one earlier in the season with a different foot injury.

That’s contributed to Clemson starting seven different combinations along the offensive line this season. Then the Tigers’ top two running backs, Will Shipley and Kobe Pace, got banged up against Louisville. So did receiver Joseph Ngata (foot), and quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei finished that game despite spraining his right knee in the first half.

Clemson’s leading wideout, Justyn Ross, went down early against UConn, aggravating a stress fracture in his foot that may spell the end of his collegiate career. E.J. Williams then sustained a leg injury during the middle of the week that kept him out of last week’s game, and the bad luck continued when freshman receiver Troy Stellato hurt his heel during pregame warmups.

Wake Forest hasn’t been a good defensive team this season, but neither has UConn, which Clemson rolled past the previous week but didn’t necessarily look good doing it without its top three receivers, top two running backs, a starting offensive lineman and two banged-up quarterbacks. Backup Taisun Phommachanh dinged his shoulder early in that 44-7 win, one in which Uiagalelei completed less than half of his passes and didn’t get much help from a running game that generated just 3.1 yards per carry.

But freshman Beaux Collins, one of Clemson’s receivers who suddenly finds himself in a starting role with all the attrition at that position, said the offense had what he thought was its best week of practice leading up to the Wake Forest game.

“Everybody was locked in and during their job,” Collins said of the offense’s preparation. “There wasn’t many mistakes.”

Even with the Tigers adjusting their personnel and approach on the fly, it carried over to the game.

With a skeleton crew at receiver, Clemson frequently went with 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) and split tight end Davis Allen out wide more often than usual. Allen was Uiagalelei’s most frequent target in the passing game (eight targets) and led the team with six receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown, but Clemson also utilized those multiple tight-end sets in the running game, too.

The Tigers made a habit of attacking the Demon Deacons on the edge with outsize zone runs and pitches.

“We knew versus Wake Forest, they do so much twisting on the interior (of the defensive line),” Elliott said. “And they run their linebackers through the gaps really, really fast that they’re going to gap you out on your inside zone stuff. The best thing is to get them going sideways and then try to equalize the numbers.

The end result? A career-high 191 rushing yards for Pace, two 100-yard rushers in the same game for the first time in three years and 6.2 yards per carry. Clemson surpassed its previous season-high in rushing (242 against South Carolina State) by nearly 100 yards.

The Tigers are averaging 38 points over their last four games, 11.5 more than their season average.

“I think once the guys took on the mindset of we’re going to embrace the adversity and not ask why is it happening, I felt like we were able to take a step forward in terms of being able to be a little bit more multiple,” Elliott said. “Then also, at the same time, those guys could absorb a little bit more, and we could do a little bit more with those guys.

“Each week, we’ve got to figure out defensively what’s their philosophy, what’s their structure and then what gives us the best chance based off the personnel and the scheme we have.”

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Shipley reveals there was trouble in running backs room

Will Shipley provided insight into the drama that clouded Clemson’s running back room early this season. On Saturday the Tigers rushed for 333 yards as Kobe Pace and Shipley carried the ball 24 times for 191 yards and 19 times for 112 yards …

Will Shipley provided insight into the drama that clouded Clemson’s running back room early this season.

On Saturday the Tigers rushed for 333 yards as Kobe Pace and Shipley carried the ball 24 times for 191 yards and 19 times for 112 yards respectively.

Shipley credited their success on the ground to tight relationships off the field but that hasn’t always been the case.

“The relationships that we have been able to create and just how happy we are for each other, that’s a great sign of how our room is,” Shipley said. “I think there was a lot of jealousy and some bad make up in our room early in season.”

“And the happiness for one another we have is just great and it’s great to know that somebody can prosper and somebody else is happy for them rather than wishing on their downfall in the background,” he continued.

Two running backs transferred out earlier this season. Lyn-J Dixon entered the transfer portal after Clemson’s win over Georgia Tech and Mikey Dukes entered the portal after the win at Syracuse.

In Shipley’s assessment the transfers only served to make the Tigers stronger.

“In an obvious way I think we’ve lost a couple of soldiers, but I think what it’s really done has made us closer as a group because we’ve had so much adversity with guys transferring out,” Shipley said.

“We had five or six guys that could all produce and not everybody was getting to, so I think some jealousy arose, some emotions arose and everything has figured itself out,” he said. “God has a funny way of panning it out and he’s done that.”

Shipley credited running back’s coach C.J. Spiller for the way he handled the adversity early in the season.

“He handled it great, he’s great with handling relationships and communicating in a great way with all of his players,” Shipley said. “In my experience with him he will call you in the room and he tells you what you need to hear.”

Three Tigers Earn ACC Honors

CLEMSON, S.C. – The Atlantic Coast Conference announced today that offensive tackle Jordan McFadden (Offensive Lineman of the Week), running back Kobe Pace (Running Back of the Week) and running back Will Shipley (Co-Rookie of the Week) have earned …

CLEMSON, S.C. — The Atlantic Coast Conference announced today that offensive tackle Jordan McFadden (Offensive Lineman of the Week), running back Kobe Pace (Running Back of the Week) and running back Will Shipley (Co-Rookie of the Week) have earned ACC Player of the Week honors for their performances in Clemson’s 48-27 win against CFP No. 10 Wake Forest on Saturday.

Clemson has now earned a total of 552 weekly honors since 1968, including 11 honors this season.

McFadden earned his first career ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week honor after grading out at 92 percent with three knockdowns against Wake Forest, according to Clemson’s coaching staff. The All-ACC candidate helped power Clemson’s offense to season highs in total yards (543) and rushing yards (333). McFadden and Clemson allowed zero sacks despite starting its seventh different offensive line combination of the season.

Pace rushed for a career-high 191 yards on 24 carries with two touchdowns to earn his second ACC Running Back of the Week award of the year. His 191 yards were the most by a Clemson player since Travis Etienne’s 212 rushing yards against Wofford in 2019. The duo of Pace and Shipley helped give Clemson multiple 100-yard rushers in a single game for the first time since 2018.

Shipley recorded 112 rushing yards on 19 carries with two rushing touchdowns and also threw for a touchdown in the contest to earn his third ACC Rookie of the Week honor of the year. He rushed for multiple touchdowns in a fourth game this season to tie Travis Etienne (four in 2017) for the most games with multiple rushing touchdowns by a Clemson true freshman since 2000. His two-yard touchdown pass was the first touchdown pass by a Clemson non-quarterback since Sammy Watkins’ 52-yard scoring pass to Andre Ellington at Florida State in 2012. Shipley became the first Clemson non-quarterback to both rush for a touchdown and throw for a touchdown since his position coach C.J. Spiller accomplished the feat at NC State in 2009.

The good, the bad and the ugly from Clemson’s win over Wake Forest

Clemson closed out a fifth straight unblemished home slate Saturday with a dominant performance against No. 10 Wake Forest at Memorial Stadium. Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from the Tigers’ 48-29 win: The good Where has that offense been …

The good

Where has that offense been all season?

Whether it was driving the length of the field or turnovers that set them up with shorter ones, the Tigers took advantage of their opportunities in their best all-around performance of the season. Thanks in large part to the kind of red-zone execution Clemson coach Dabo Swinney called “incredible” afterward, Clemson started with a field goal and a touchdown on its first two possessions and got points on each of its final five, four of those being touchdowns. Will Spiers only punted once on a day in which the Tigers found the end zone six times en route to season-highs in points and yards (543).

Of course, the catalyst was a running game that also had its best performance of the season. With the Tigers back at full strength in the backfield, they racked up a whopping 333 yards on the ground and ripped off 6.2 yards per carry, doubling their average from an uninspiring showing against Connecticut the previous week. Kobe Pace, who had missed the previous six quarters, spearheaded it all with a career-high 191 yards and two scores on just 24 carries in his return. Will Shipley added 112 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 19 carries, giving Clemson multiple 100-yard rushers in the same game for the first time since Travis Etienne, Lyn-J Dixon and Tavien Feaster all got there against Louisville in 2018.

And while the passing game didn’t have to do much with the way the Tigers ran the ball, Clemson produced some explosive plays through the air as D.J. Uiagelelei eventually settled in on a day in which the Tigers ran out a skeleton crew at receiver. Uiagalelei only attempted 19 passes but completed 11 of them, including five of his last six (his only miss during that stretch was an interception that bounced off the helmet of receiver Dacari Collins).

His final throw was a beauty of a deep ball to Beaux Collins, who made a one-handed grab before finishing off a 58-yard touchdown in the third quarter as part of a 137-yard day, a season-high for the freshman. Uiagalelei also turned in arguably his best play of the season when, despite still being braced up with that sprained right knee, he shed two would-be sacks before rolling out and eventually heaving a 52-yard bomb to Collins to set up Clemson’s first touchdown in the opening quarter.

Meanwhile, the defense did its thing against another potent offense that looked average at times against Clemson. Wake Forest, with its slow mesh point, came in as the second-highest scoring team in the FBS, but the Tigers attacked from the start and rarely relented their pressure. Clemson set the tone with four sacks of Sam Hartman in the first quarter and finished with seven, a season-high. Those contributed to holding the Demon Deacons to just 36 net rushing yards. Add that to the minus-21 UConn had, and those 15 net rushing yards are the fewest allowed by the Tigers in back-to-back games going back to 1954, according to the school.

Clemson also forced three turnovers, two of them deep in Wake Forest territory. And senior kicker B.T. Potter connected on both of his field-goal attempts, making him 8 for 8 since those three misses he had against Florida State late last month.

It all helped Clemson easily extend the nation’s longest active home winning streak to 34 games heading into next season.

The bad

Clemson could’ve hung half a hundred on the Demon Deacons if not for some of its own turnovers.

In addition to Uiagalalei’s lone interception, Pace fumbled in the first half while the Tigers were driving in Wake Forest territory. Clemson put it on the ground again inside the Demon Deacons’ 10 early in the third quarter when Wake defensive end Rondell Bothroyd got in the way of Uiagalelei’s pitch on an option play. The three turnovers tied a season-high for the Tigers, who’ve committed as many turnovers as they’ve forced this season (17).

The Tigers also allowed a season-high in passing yards (370). While some of that came with Clemson up big late in garbage time, Wake threw for 168 yards alone in the second quarter when the Tigers had a hard time getting off the field. The Demon Deacons converted five of its seven third downs in the quarter and reached the end zone on its next to last possession of the first half to trim Clemson’s lead to 17-10. Andrew Booth’s interception on Wake’s last possession kept that halftime lead intact before the Tigers began to take control.

The ugly

It’s hard to put anything about Clemson’s performance Saturday into this category, but fans might be at the point where they just want to look away from the Tigers’ injury situation.

The constant attrition is becoming comical in that department, particularly at receiver. Clemson already knew it would be without Frank Ladson Jr. (groin), Joseph Ngata (foot) and Justyn Ross (foot) at the beginning of the week. Then E.J. Williams, who’s already dealt with knee and thumb injuries, went down with an unrelated leg injury during practice Wednesday that Swinney had a hard time explaining afterward.

Swinney said he’s “got nothing” when asked how long Williams might be out, but that wasn’t the end of it. Swinney revealed freshman receiver Troy Stellato injured his heel during pregame warmups, leaving Beaux and Dacari Collins, walk-on Will Brown and Swinney’s sons, Will and Drew, as the primary group of receivers Saturday.

Defensive tackle Tre Williams went down at one point, though he’s been dealing with numerous injuries throughout the season and will need surgery once it’s over. Shipley and offensive lineman Walker Parks briefly left Saturday’s game but returned and finished.

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Clemson dips into ‘bayou’ for rare type of score

Late in the second quarter of their win over No. 10 Wake Forest, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and his offensive coordinator, Tony Elliott, couldn’t help but think about their former running back. Travis Etienne, who’s now with the Jacksonville …

Late in the second quarter of their win over No. 10 Wake Forest, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and his offensive coordinator, Tony Elliott, couldn’t help but think about their former running back.

Travis Etienne, who’s now with the Jacksonville Jaguars, left Clemson after last season as the ACC’s all-time leading rusher, but for years, the Tigers practiced using Etienne as a passer to catch defenses napping. Swinney said Clemson installed a play called “bayou” — an ode to Etienne’s home state of Louisiana — where Etienne would take the direct snap out of a jumbo package and act like he was going to run before pulling up for a jump pass ala Tim Tebow at Florida.

Problem is, Clemson never found the right time to call it during Etienne’s four years with the Tigers. On Saturday, they finally dialed it up.

“Somewhere Travis Etienne is not happy with me right now,” Swinney said afterward.

The Tigers built a quick 10-0 lead before the Demon Deacons cut into it with a field goal early in the second quarter. Looking to respond, Clemson drove to Wake’s 1-yard line in eight plays on its ensuing possession. The Tigers ran for 46 of the 70 yards needed to get there and stayed on the ground on the next two snaps, but freshman running back Will Shipley was stuffed for no gain on first down before quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei’s keeper lost a yard on second, bringing up third-and-goal for the Tigers at the 2.

The situation, Swinney thought, called for dipping into the bayou.

“The heavy boys package has been Coach Swinney’s package for several years since we had (former defensive tackle) Christian (Wilkins), and we’ve been working on that particular play for a while,” Elliott said. “Coach is like, ‘Hey, if we get into this certain situation in the game, let’s run it.’”

Uiagalelei and Shipley lined up in the backfield with tight ends Davis Allen and Sage Ennis on the field. To sell a run to Wake Forest even harder, Clemson also put a pair of defensive linemen, Ruke Orhorhoro and Myles Murphy, in the backfield as blockers.

Uiagalelei motioned out wide before the snap, leaving Shipley directly behind center. He took the snap and darted toward the line of scrimmage before pulling up to loft a pass toward Allen, who tried to release toward the back of the end zone after initially selling a block, though Wake linebacker Jaylen Hudson, who was responsible for Allen in coverage, wasn’t fooled.

It didn’t matter. Allen extended over Hudson and got one hand on the ball before securing it with both on his way to the ground to give Clemson a 17-3 lead with 5 minutes, 15 seconds left in the second quarter.

“What a play,” Swinney said. “Shipley kind of gets (the pass) up there. It’s just kind of a pop-pass jump ball and trying to affect them with a little quarterback motion there. It was a great play and a great finish.”

It was Clemson’s first touchdown thrown by a player other than a quarterback since Sammy Watkins tossed a 52-yard score to fellow receiver Andre Ellington at Florida State in 2012. The right play at the right time helped the Tigers maintain their lead the rest of the way after Wake scored its first touchdown on its next possession.

Clemson answered that with Kobe Pace’s 8-yard touchdown run following a turnover early in the third quarter. The Tigers maintained a multi-score advantage from then on in their most prolific offensive performance of the season, leading by as many as 25 points at one point.

“We’ve had it for a while just trying to find the right opportunity,” Elliott said. “Shipley came in and showed he was able to execute it. Just happy for those guys.”

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Clemson’s offense sees red en route to breakout performance

The breakout offensive performance Clemson’s coaches and players have been trying to talk into existence all season finally came to fruition for the Tigers in impressive fashion Saturday. A unit ranked 82nd or worse nationally in both categories …

The breakout offensive performance Clemson’s coaches and players have been trying to talk into existence all season finally came to fruition for the Tigers in impressive fashion Saturday.

A unit ranked 82nd or worse nationally in both categories posted season-highs in rushing yards (333) and total offense (543) in Clemson’s runaway victory over No. 10 Wake Forest to close out its home slate at Memorial Stadium. The nation’s 95th-ranked scoring offense also easily reached a season-high in points (48) thanks in large part to one of its most efficient performances in the red zone all season.

Clemson also finished with 25 first downs — the most it’s had against anyone not named South Carolina State or Connecticut — to make seven trips inside Wake Forest’s 20-yard line, tying a season-high. Five of those finished in the end zone for the second-most touchdowns the Tigers have scored from there all season.

Just about all of them came when Clemson needed them to keep the Demon Deacons at a comfortable distance.

“Incredible execution,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.

Will Shipley’s 1-yard touchdown plunge on fourth down gave the Tigers their first two-score lead midway through the first quarter. After Wake Forest got its first points on a field goal early in the second quarter, the Tigers immediately answered with some trickeration when it got back inside Wake’s 5-yard line. Clemson punched it in from 2 yards out on Shipley’s jump pass to tight end Davis Allen on third-and-goal to push its lead back to two touchdowns.

Once Wake Forest responded after that with its longest touchdown drive of the day (11 plays, 75 yards) to cut the deficit to 17-10 at the break, the Tigers had their lone blunder in the red zone to start the second half. Clemson reached Wake’s 15 with five straight runs on its first possession of the third quarter, most of those gashing the Demon Deacons between the tackles. But offensive coordinator Tony Elliott dialed up a speed option on the next play, and Wake’s Rondell Bothroyd sped in off the edge to get a hand on Uiagaleiei’s pitch to Kobe Pace before recovering the fumble.

“That one was on me,” Elliott said. “The option there, we were just trying to change it up a little bit. Probably should’ve just handed it off and went straight downhill, but we had had some success getting the ball on the perimeter, so that was on me more than D.J.

“I just picked the guys up and said, ‘Hey look, the defense is playing good. We’ll get an opportunity, and when we get an opportunity, let’s go capitalize.’”

Which is exactly what the Tigers did once they got the ball back in the red zone on Wake’s next offensive snap.

Running back Christian Turner returned the favor with a fumble of his own, and Baylon Spector pounced on the loose ball for Clemson to set the offense up at the Demon Deacons’ 20. Three plays later, Pace sprinted 8 yards through the middle of Wake’s defense to again extend Clemson’s lead to two touchdowns at 24-10. When Uiagalelei found Beaux Collins for a 58-yard touchdown on the Tigers’ next possession to make it a 31-13 advantage, Clemson had a new season-high in points against an FBS opponent, surpassing the 30 it scored at Louisville earlier this month.

“You see what happens when you can get in rhythm a little bit,” Swinney said. “You’ve got to play well up front, first of all. But we had a few spark plays. … You need some of that along the way, and we haven’t had enough of that.”

And by the time the Tigers took advantage of another turnover deep in its own territory, they had a lead that buried the Demon Deacons. Wake quarterback Sam Hartman dropped the ball after faking a handoff on the first play of the Demon Deacons’ next possession, and Tyler Davis was on the recovery for the Tigers at Wake’s 20.

Clemson used four straight runs to move to the 2 before Pace again powered his way into the end zone to give the Tigers their largest lead at 38-13 with 3:38 left in the third quarter. Shipley’s 3-yard touchdown run late in the fourth capped a nearly flawless day for the offense in the red zone, where Clemson came away with points on all but one of its trips.

“That’s kind of a sign of growth where we’ve been stopped twice on fourth-and-1 on the goal line this year,” Swinney said. “We didn’t get it in there, so it was good to see us get in there and good to see us make some of those short yards and those dirty yards. It’s not always going to be clean, but a great effort by our backs to finish it out.”