Clemson football's defense bailed out its offense vs. Wake Forest. That won't fly against better teams
CLEMSON — Clemson football's defense has been great. It's put up solid performance after solid performance in the Tigers' first six games, even when the offense has had ups and downs. It's kept games manageable when they could've gotten ugly.
Saturday's 17-12 win over Wake Forest was one such game. Clemson's defense prevented the Demon Deacons from taking advantage of some big opportunities while the offense struggled to find its footing. But Clemson has to face much better teams in its remaining six games. The Tigers' offense can't keep depending on its defense to keep it in games while it struggles.
The offense had been improving, to be fair. After struggling the first two weeks of the season, Clemson seemed to get better offensively each week. Even in its loss to Florida State, the Tigers put up solid numbers and forced overtime. In that game, too, the defense did everything it could to give the offense a chance.
Clemson seemed to find its stride against Syracuse last week, with quarterback Cade Klubnik looking more comfortable on the run and throwing deep.
But in Week 6, Clemson looked inefficient. The Tigers' first three possessions were a three-and-out, a fumble on the second play and another three-and-out. They put together a 16-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to start the second quarter, but they stalled again after that. Clemson finished with four three-and-outs, ended five drives with punts and another with a missed field goal. The Tigers (4-2, 2-2 ACC) didn't find the end zone again until the fourth quarter.
The offense was lucky the defense was played so well, and that Wake Forest's offense isn't particularly good.
The Demon Deacons (3-2, 0-2) entered the game with the worst red zone touchdown percentage in the ACC, finding the end zone on about 39% of their trips inside the 20. Against Clemson, Wake Forest was 3-for-5 in the red zone with two field goals and one late touchdown.
Luckiest of all, Clemson didn't give up any points off of its two turnovers. Klubnik and running back Will Shipley botched a hand-off in the first quarter and gave Wake Forest the ball at the Clemson 9-yard-line. The defense stood up, and the Demon Deacons went for the touchdown on fourth-and-goal and couldn't get it.
Later, freshman Tyler Brown muffed a punt to give Wake Forest possession at the Clemson 31. The Demon Deacons settled for a 39-yard field goal attempt, which they missed.
"No points off the turnovers is the difference in the game," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. "That's the difference between winning and losing right there."
Clemson's schedule is about to get tougher, and the offense can't afford to take another step back. The defense, while very good, is going to have bigger challenges, and it's going to need some support from Klubnik and company. Clemson's next opponent, Miami, is the ACC's leading scoring offense with almost 44 points per game. The Hurricanes defense has allowed just over 12 points per game.
REPORT CARD: Clemson football grades vs. Wake Forest: Making sense of an ugly win
For now, Clemson gets to go into its off week with a win. But when it returns to play at Miami on Oct. 21, it will need to play more of the "complementary football" Swinney has said he's striving for this season. That was lacking against Wake Forest.
"We didn't quite get rolling like we're used to or how we wanted today, but we found a way to win," Klubnik said. "Props to the defense. They played a heck of a game."
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 football's offense can't keep relying on defense with better opponents ahead
