Week 11: Wake Forest at Clemson

Reigning ACC champion Wake Forest remains alive in the Atlantic Division race, and Clemson controls its own destiny in the Coastal Division.

Those two facts make this game at Death Valley a big one.

“They are the reigning champions and have an opportunity to repeat, so there are some advantages to that from an experience standpoint,” Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said. “They’re very accustomed to close games and winning them. They play with an edge, and I think that is one of the reasons they’re successful.

“The champions usually don’t give the trophy back. You’ve got to take the trophy.”

The Tigers can take a big step in that direction with a victory over the Demon Deacons. Clemson was one of just two ACC teams to defeat Wake Forest a year ago, rallying for a 27-17 victory in Winston-Salem. Last year’s Clemson team folded down the stretch, losing four of its final five games, but the 2007 edition is on a roll late in the season.

The Tigers have averaged 49 points per game during their three-game winning streak since their open date, winning those contests by an average margin of 35.3 points. Quarterback Cullen Harper, the ACC’s top-rated passer, has led the charge with nine touchdown passes and one interception during that span.

But Clemson also has gotten strong performances from tailbacks James Davis and C.J. Spiller, who combined for 174 rushing yards on just 16 carries in a 47-10 win over Duke last week. The duo has averaged 197.7 yards per game and 6.0 yards per carry over the last three weeks.

“It definitely gets our attention,” said Wake Forest junior defensive end Anthony Davis, whose team had won six consecutive games before suffering a 17-16 loss at Virginia last week. “It definitely will be a challenge for us. C.J. Spiller and James Davis are great athletes, and it’s going to be an awesome experience for us on Saturday.”

Riley Skinner will be the judge of that. Wake Forest’s starting quarterback has completed 73.2 percent of his passes, on pace to break Philip Rivers’ ACC single-season record of 72.0 percent, but he faces a tough task this week. The Tigers are No. 5 in the country in total defense (282.2 yards per game), and they rank third nationally in passing yards allowed (157.1 per game).

Skinner has the league’s top target — in terms of receptions, anyway — in senior Kenny Moore, who has caught 65 passes for 715 yards and five touchdowns this season. But Clemson has the ACC’s top receiver in terms of yardage, with Aaron Kelly having made 57 receptions for 748 yards and nine touchdowns.

The Tigers also have a tendency to overcome slow starts. Clemson’s opponent has scored first in each of the last three games, but the lead didn’t last long in any of the three instances. The Tigers outscored Central Michigan, Maryland and Duke by a combined 71-0 in the second quarter, and they own a 120-30 advantage in the second quarter for the season.

But blowing out the Demon Deacons before halftime isn’t a likely scenario for Clemson. Wake Forest has forced an ACC-best 25 turnovers this season and has scored nine non-offensive touchdowns, including a punt return by Moore and a kickoff return by Kevin Marion. Clemson’s special teams have been shaky — the Tigers are last in the ACC in punt coverage, and kicker Mark Buchholz is just 13 of 21 on field goals — so that could be a factor.

But if the Tigers can keep Wake Forest’s defense and special teams off the scoreboard, they’ll be able to play Boston College next week for the Atlantic Division title and a spot in the ACC championship game.

Clemson by 3