DJ Uiagalelei

The Clemson Tigers scored their biggest victory of the season Saturday, beating the 10th-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons 48-27 at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.

Clemson was a slight favorite despite being unranked, and it essentially led from wire to wire in handing Wake Forest its second loss of the season.

The Tigers dominated Wake Forest on the ground with 333 rushing yards and four touchdowns as a team, while quarterback DJ Uiagalelei went 11-of-19 for 208 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the victory.

Running back Kobe Pace was the primary star for Clemson, rushing for 191 yards and two scores on 24 carries, while Will Shipley contributed 112 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

The Clemson defense also turned in an impressive performance, holding Wake to a season-low 27 points and especially shutting down the Demon Deacons in the first half:

Wake Forest managed only 36 rushing yards on 31 carries in the game, and quarterback Sam Hartman threw for 312 yards with one touchdown and one pick.

The 2021 season has been a disappointing one for Clemson, as it entered the year expected to contend for a spot in the College Football Playoff and a national championship despite losing several key players to the NFL draft, including quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne.

Clemson found itself unranked after losses to Georgia, NC State and Pittsburgh, but thanks to Saturday's win, the Tigers are 8-3 on the season and likely to find themselves back in the Top 25.

Meanwhile, the Demon Deacons are now 9-2 overall and 6-1 in the ACC, although they control their own destiny, as a win over Boston College next week will still land them in the ACC Championship Game.

Clemson now owns 13 consecutive wins over Wake Forest dating back to 2008. The Demon Deacons' last win over the Tigers came in October 2008 by a 12-7 score.

It was after that game that Tommy Bowden was fired as head coach at Clemson and replaced by Dabo Swinney, who is now one of the top coaches in the nation.

Clemson will look to close its regular season in strong fashion next week in a rivalry game against South Carolina, while Wake Forest will attempt to bounce back and clinch an ACC Championship Game berth against Boston College.

Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei was benched in Saturday's loss to Pitt. After the game, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said he needs to reevaluate his team, and he indicated that Uiagalelei's starting job is in jeopardy.

"Everything's under evaluation at this point," Swinney told reporters. "Everybody's got to show up every day and we've got to take it one day at a time. We'll practice and see who has the best practice and that's the guy who'll run out there first at every position."

Prior to being benched, Uiagalelei threw two interceptions. His second pick in particular was ugly, as he tossed an ill-advised shovel pass that led to a Pitt touchdown.

"I thought he made a couple bad plays in a row," Swinney said of Uiagalelei. "I just felt like I needed to give [backup] Taisun [Phommachanh] a chance."

Phommachanh led Clemson on a scoring drive, but Swinney decided to go back to Uiagalelei late. He returned to the game and led a scoring drive, which Swinney praised as a good response to the benching. But it wasn't enough as the Tigers fell to 4-3.

Uiagalelei, a former top recruit at the quarterback position, said after the game that he's prepared to prove that he's deserving of his role as the team's starter.

"You've got to go earn it every week," Uiagalelei said. "That's my mindset since I was little. If it wasn't me next week, I'll be right here and I'll be happy to see my brother Taisun."

Swinney was asked if he plans to make changes on his coaching staff, and he said, "Absolutely not. We have a great staff that I believe in wholeheartedly."

After a run of success over the past six years that included two national championships and four appearances in the title game, Swinney knows the Clemson fanbase is not happy with the team's performance this year. But he has faith that the Tigers will be able to turn things around.

"They have every right to be disappointed. I'm disappointed. Everybody's disappointed. I'm sick to my stomach. But I know what we're made of, and we'll grow through it and get back to winning some ballgames."

Clemson will look to bounce back at home next Saturday against Florida State.