Clemson football vs Wake Forest: Score prediction for Week 6 ACC matchup
Clemson football's 2023 season continues with its Week 6 game vs. Wake Forest. The Tigers (3-2, 1-2 ACC) host the Demon Deacons (3-1, 0-1) at Memorial Stadium on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ACCN).
Last year's edition of the matchup was a 51-45 two-overtime thriller that coach Dabo Swinney said he was "more than lucky" to win.
The Demon Deacons got a little extra time to prepare for Clemson with Week 5 being their open week. They opened ACC play the week before with a loss to Georgia Tech. Meanwhile, the Tigers are coming off a win at Syracuse last week.
Here's what to know about Wake Forest and our score prediction.
Wake Forest's offense without Sam Hartman
Last season's Wake Forest was different from this season's at a key position: quarterback. Sam Hartman led the Demon Deacons in their close game against Clemson last season. He's now at Notre Dame, and the Tigers will face him again in November.
Mitch Griffis is in charge of the Wake Forest offense now, and the redshirt sophomore has been inconsistent. He has 999 passing yards and nine touchdowns, but he's thrown six interceptions and has a completion rate under 60%. Wake Forest is also tied for most sacks allowed in the ACC, so watch for Clemson's defense to get into the backfield.
Wake Forest's defense
The Demon Deacons defense has done well in pressuring quarterbacks. Wake Forest is tied for ACC lead in sacks with 16, including a whopping 10 in its win over Old Dominion.
Wake Forest's ability to bring pressure has led opposing quarterbacks to make costly errors: The Demon Deacons are also tied for the ACC lead in interceptions with six. For a Clemson team that has struggled with turnovers at times, that could be a problem.
It's worth noting on the turnover front that while the Wake Forest defense has gained eight turnovers, the offense has lost 10.
Player to watch: Jacob Roberts
Senior linebacker Jacob Roberts joined Wake Forest this season after transferring from North Carolina A&T. He's tied for the ACC lead in sacks with five in four games for 40 yards, and he's third in the conference in tackles for loss with 6.5 for 43 yards.
Roberts and junior defensive lineman Jasheen Davis make up a dangerous duo that leads Wake Forest's pass rush. Davis has six tackles for loss (fourth-most in ACC) and 4.5 sacks (third-most in ACC).
MORE CLEMSON FOOTBALL: Why Clemson football sack leader TJ Parker is a rare freshman for Dabo Swinney
Clemson score prediction vs Wake Forest
Clemson 35, Wake Forest 17: Wake Forest's pass rush presents a challenge for quarterback Cade Klubnik and the Clemson offensive line, but given Klubnik's improvement of late, the Tigers should be able to move the ball well and score at home. Clemson's defense shouldn't have major problems against an average Wake Forest offense, and the Tigers should improve to 2-2 in ACC play.
Christina Long covers the Clemson Tigers for the Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@greenvillenews.com.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson score prediction vs Wake Forest: College football Week 6
