Is Wake Forest soccer prepared for Clemson? ‘They’re nonetheless the measuring stick’

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 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 regarded as pleased 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 will be when a standard have-not defies gravity.

“We do not get this one and also you’re looking at Clemson and Florida State subsequent,” Clawson informed ESPN after the sport. “After which, oh yeah, you are concerned about not turning into nationally related once more.”

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Liberty scores to get inside one level, however Wake Forest’s protection holds robust 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 robust program Wake Forest has develop 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 gap Wake Forest has to go to say 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 School 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 big distance between the applications.

The Deacons have misplaced by a median of 38.5 factors the previous 4 years on this sequence 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 occasions up to now this season.

There’s additionally some unknown with the Tigers, as they’ve two new coordinators, and questions linger about quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, at the same time as he has distinctly improved his completion proportion (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 ultimate steps remaining to push this system ahead. For those who exclude the COVID-19 12 months in 2020, Wake Forest has the second-best total document of any ACC staff (44-25) since 2016, trailing solely Clemson (68-7).

“They’re nonetheless the measuring stick,” Clawson mentioned of Clemson. “They have been the category of the ACC, and our purpose is to be the perfect program within the ACC. And so they’re a tricky out. I am positive they’re going to have a really proficient, superb staff 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 School 3-0 the following 12 months. Wake Forest has developed 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 couple of subpar efficiency by the offense.

Has Wake Forest come far sufficient? Liberty supplied a blueprint to sluggish Wake’s slow-mesh offense, the unconventional scheme of coordinator Warren Ruggiero that has develop 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 perimeters 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 feel we simply performed slightly extra sloppy [Saturday] than regular,” Hartman mentioned. “And I feel it begins with me and maintaining us out of the second-, third-and-long. We grew to become one-dimensional.”

A lot of how Wake can additional overhaul the notion of its place close to the highest of the ACC might 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 finest tandems.

They’re going to additionally want a dynamic efficiency from Hartman, who missed almost a month of soccer with a blood clot issue. He required quick surgical procedure on Aug. 9 that pressured 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 mentioned going by means of that well being scare has taught him “how treasured the whole lot is,” however he is aware of that perspective will not alter any realities on Saturday. “I feel you form of overlook about it,” he mentioned. “You gotta play. No one actually cares when it’s important to get on the sector and carry out.”

The fear for the Deacons might be that the Tigers have what many contemplate the nation’s finest defensive entrance, which may grind down the Wake Forest offense the identical method Liberty did. Wake moved the ball moderately properly in opposition to Clemson final season in a 48-27 loss — 406 yards — however turned it over thrice and yielded 543 yards.

There’s one other sellout anticipated Saturday at Truist Subject, as the faculty 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 occupation the place he is obligated to maintain pushing ahead.

“This occupation is so unforgiving, you’ve such tunnel imaginative and prescient in the course of the season,” Clawson mentioned. “Are you aware anyone on this job that actually ever takes time to replicate 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. Successful is at all times laborious. And the nearer you get to the highest, the more durable the largest wins are to seize.