Tigers stand in Wake's way

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - It's a strange season in the Atlantic Coast Conference when traditional power Clemson feels it has something to prove to Wake Forest.

The 15th-ranked Tigers vow to make up for two embarrassing losses in their past two trips to Groves Stadium today when the ACC's highest-ranked team visits its only unbeaten - the surprising Demon Deacons.

"You come back and your classmates say, 'Man, you lost to Wake,' " Tigers right guard Nathan Bennett said.

The stinging shame of those defeats has Clemson (4-1, 2-1) promising not to overlook Wake Forest (5-0, 1-0).

"This is our year to go up there and prove something," Bennett said.

Last year wasn't the Tigers' year, and neither was 2003.

In both of those seasons, the Tigers left Winston-Salem with stinging defeats. The Demon Deacons routed Clemson 45-17 in 2003 and won 31-27 last season by scoring the game-winning touchdown with 33 seconds left.

Yet despite those recent results, Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe still can't explain why his team has been so successful against the Tigers.

"Everybody says that, but we played them five times and won twice, so I don't know that that's considered doing really well," Grobe said. "All five games have been interesting. We've had a chance in every one, and won a couple. I don't know if it's one of those deals where we've done really well against them, but we've had five great games."

The Demon Deacons have started with five wins for the first time since 1987 and are looking for their first 6-0 start since 1944. They've done it largely without starting quarterback Ben Mauk and running back Micah Andrews, who were lost to season-ending injuries in the opening weeks.

Wake Forest is one of only three teams with multiple wins over Clemson since 2003.

"I have always had a tremendous respect for them because of the problems they have caused us," Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said.

One of the reasons they're nearly 17-point underdogs to Clemson is because the Demon Deacons have won five games against some of the worst teams in the Big East (Syracuse and Connecticut), ACC (Duke), Southeastern Conference (Mississippi) and Division I-AA Liberty.