With the Win: Clemson 48, Wake Forest 27

Clemson improved to 69-17-1 all-time against Wake Forest. Clemson’s 69 all-time wins against Wake Forest are its second-most against any opponent in school history, trailing the Tigers’ 71 wins against South Carolina. 

Clemson won its 13th consecutive game against Wake Forest, dating back to 2009. It marks Clemson’s second 13-game winning streak in series history, trailing a 15-game streak from 1977-91. Clemson’s 13-game winning streak against Wake Forest is the Tigers’ longest active winning streak against an ACC foe.

Clemson earned its 11th straight home victory against Wake Forest, dating back to 2000. Clemson’s last home loss to Wake Forest came in 1998. Clemson’s 11-game winning streak against Wake Forest at Death Valley is one of seven double-digit home winning streaks against a single opponent in school history.

Clemson evened its all-time record in games against Wake Forest in which the Tigers rank lower than the Demon Deacons in the AP Poll at 2-2. No. 17 Wake Forest beat unranked Clemson, 13-7, in 1944; unranked Clemson upset No. 14 Wake Forest, 31-0, in 1979; and No. 21 Wake Forest beat Clemson, 12-7, in 2008. Both losses were in Winston-Salem, and both Clemson wins have been in Clemson.

Clemson defeated an ACC Atlantic Division opponent for the 42nd time in its last 44 opportunities. Those figures include games against traditional Atlantic opponents in a divisionless season in 2020.

Clemson has now won at least six regular season conference games in 11 straight years to pull within three of the longest streak of six-plus-win conference seasons in ACC history (Florida State, 14 from 1992-2005). Clemson's longest streak in school history prior to the current 11-year streak was three (1981-83).

Clemson won its 34th consecutive home game to extend its school record for both the longest home winning streak and longest home unbeaten streak in school history (as well as extend the nation’s longest active home winning streak). Of the 131 players on Clemson’s 2021 roster, 126 have never experienced a home loss in their Clemson careers. Five sixth-year “super seniors” on Clemson’s 2021 roster were on the 2016 team that recovered from a home loss to Pitt by winning the national championship that season.

Clemson (34) moved past 1900-03 Harvard, 1901-06 Nebraska and 1995-2000 Marshall (33 each) for sole possession of the 15th-longest home winning streak in FBS history.

The 2021 Clemson seniors improved to 26-0 at home from 2018-21 and became the second Clemson senior class in the modern era (and in Death Valley history) to go undefeated at home in a four-year span, joining the 2020 seniors.

The 2021 seniors are now Clemson’s second straight senior class to go undefeated at home in a four-year span. The 2020 and 2021 seniors are the first groups with back-to-back undefeated home records over four years since the 1940 and 1941 seniors who played Clemson's final seasons at Riggs Field before the opening of Memorial Stadium in 1942.

The 2021 Clemson seniors won all six home games in 2021 to tie for fifth in school history in home wins over a four-year span. Clemson’s last four senior classes are all tied for the school record with 27 career home wins each. The 26 home wins for the current group match the three classes preceding the record holders, as Clemson’s 2014, 2015 and 2016 seniors all won 26 home games in four years.

Clemson has now won all of its home games in five consecutive seasons for the first time under Head Coach Dabo Swinney.

Clemson has now won at least six home games at Memorial Stadium for a national-best 11th-straight season. Entering 2021, the next longest streak of six-plus home wins in the country was four years (Memphis and Notre Dame).

Head Coach Dabo Swinney improved to 13-0 as a head coach against Wake Forest. Wake Forest remains one of five ACC schools against whom Swinney is undefeated as head coach, a list that also includes Duke (3-0), Louisville (7-0), Virginia (5-0) and Virginia Tech (6-0). 

The game was played on Swinney’s 52nd birthday. Clemson now 2-0 on his birthday under his watch including a 30-10 win in 2010 in a game that was also played against Wake Forest. (Note: Swinney also served as wide receivers coach for Clemson’s 29-7 win against South Carolina on his birthday in 2004.)

Swinney earned his 148th career win in his 14th season (including an interim stint in 2008) to pass Tom Osborne (147) for sole possession of the fourth-most wins through the first 15 seasons of a coaching career in FBS history.

Clemson earned its 33rd victory against an AP-ranked opponent in a game in which Clemson is unranked in the AP Poll. It was Clemson's fourth such victory under Dabo Swinney, joining wins against No. 8 Miami (Fla.) in 2009, No. 23 NC State in 2010 and No. 21 Auburn in 2011.

Clemson improved to 75-6 in regular season play since the start of the 2015 season. All six of Clemson's regular season losses in that span have been decided by a final margin of 10 or fewer points.

Clemson improved to 55-2 when having a 100-yard rusher since 2011.

Clemson has now won 25 of its last 32 games against top-25 teams since the start of the 2015 season. That includes a 24-7 mark against AP Top 25 teams.

Clemson is now 64-4 when scoring first since 2015.

Clemson is now 71-1 when rushing for 200+ yards under Dabo Swinney and has won each of its last 67 games when hitting that mark.

Clemson is now 56-0 when both passing and rushing for 200+ yards under Dabo Swinney.

Clemson led at halftime, 17-10, and has now won 94 of its last 96 games (including each of its last 57) when leading at halftime. Clemson became the first team this season to hold Wake Forest to 10 points in the first half.

Clemson is now 116-2 since 2011 when leading after three quarters.