WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Given another chance at quarterback, Cory Randolph made the most of it.

The Wake Forest senior threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Marion with 33 seconds left and the Demon Deacons rallied to hand Clemson another heartbreaking loss, 31-27 on Saturday night.

"We were going to take a shot at it," Randolph said. "I just put it in a spot where only Kevin could get it."

The comeback wasn't sealed until the final play, when Tigers wide receiver Curt Baham was stopped at the 3-yard line after a 27-yard gain just as time expired. The referees huddled briefly before agreeing that it was over, setting off a raucous celebration by the Demon Deacons (2-3, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).

They drove 66 yards in slightly less than two minutes for the winning score after Clemson coach Tommy Bowden called for a fake field goal instead of letting Jad Dean attempt a 44-yarder that would have put the Tigers up by six. The poorly executed play was stopped easily, and Wake Forest took over on its 34.

"We probably should have called it off," Bowden said. "But I was trying to make something happen to win the game."

Randolph went 5-for-6 on the final drive and finished 20 of 25 for 222 yards, and he threw for a total of three touchdowns in his first action at quarterback this season. He started 20 consecutive games there earlier in his career, but he was moved to wide receiver in the preseason when Ben Mauk won the starting job.

After a 1-3 start, coach Jim Grobe decided to make some changes, and Randolph played every snap against the Tigers.

"It was a great game by 10 other guys on the field," Randolph said. "Those guys really came together and got a good victory when we needed a victory."

The loss was the third in a row for Clemson (2-3, 1-3), but at least this one didn't go into overtime. After winning their opening two games by a total of five points, the Tigers lost in triple overtime to Miami and in one extra period to Boston College.

Charlie Whitehurst bounced back from a rough start to go 28-for-42 for 304 yards for the Tigers, and James Davis ran for his first two touchdowns of the season. They rallied from a 21-7 deficit to take a 27-21 lead on Dean's 47-yard field goal late in the third quarter.

Those were their final points.

"Our goal is to score touchdowns, not get field goals," Whitehurst said. "We just didn't score enough touchdowns."

When asked what he thought of Randolph's performance, Bowden simply grinned and shook his head.

"You need to go ask the other guy. I like ol' Jim, I'll let him answer that one," Bowden said.

And what was Grobe's view?

"This is the Cory Randolph we always expected, and expected last year," Grobe said.