CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney always felt connected to the late, great Tigers coach Frank Howard.
Both are Alabama natives and Swinney met Howard as a young boy when the longtime coach came to a birthday party for Swinney’s mom.
Now, Swinney’s joined Howard as Clemson’s leader in career victories with 165 after a 17-12 win over Wake Forest on Saturday.
So far, the 53-year-old Swinney’s made a strong run to overtake that legacy.
Cade Klubnik and Will Shipley ran for touchdowns and Clemson’s defense held Wake Forest in check throughout .
It was far from a pretty performance on a picture-perfect day. Still, Clemson (4-2, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) won its 15th straight over Wake Forest (3-2, 0-2) and posted a second-straight league win after its 0-2 ACC start knocked the defending conference champs out of contention to repeat.
Swinney, in his 15th full season and turning 54 next month, matched the mark of Howard, who won 165 games in 30 seasons from 1940-69. Clemson’s current coach gets his first chance to move in front when the Tigers head to No. 17 Miami on Oct. 21.
“We celebrate wins, but when it’s something like (Swinney’s milestone), that just makes it sweeter,” said Shipley, who finished with 97 yards on 19 carries. “So many great things I could say about coach Swinney. He’s a huge reason why I’m where I’m at today.”
Clemson’s defense showed out strong with a goal line stand in the first half after Wake Forest recovered a fumble at the Tigers’ 9. The Demon Deacons had just 239 yards.
“Defensively, it was awesome, freakin’ awesome,” Swinney gushed.
Shipley’s 1-yard touchdown run with 5:49 to play made things more comfortable. But the Tigers will have to show much more on offense if they hope to escape South Florida with a win in a couple of weeks.
Clemson lost two fumbles, missed a field goal and finished with 338 yards, its fewest of the season. The 17 points were the least in a win since beating Syracuse 17-14 in 2021.
The offense’s most effective drive came in the second quarter, a 75-yard scoring sequence where Klubnik completed eight of nine throws for 73 yards. He ended it with a nifty fake in the back field that sprung him for a 7-yard touchdown run and a 7-3 lead.
Jonathan Weitz, called back from his online grad studies in Charleston last month to shore up the kicking game, added a 26-yard field goal before Shipley’s clinching score.
Wake Forest rallied on Demond Claiborne’s 3-yard scoring run with 1:34 to go. But the Demon Deacons failed on the two-point conversion. Clemson recovered an onsides kick and ran out the clock.
Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said his defense played well enough to win. The offense needed to be more effective in order to come out on top.