The No. 10 Clemson Tigers overcame a slow start against Wake Forest to cruise to a 49-14 victory over the Demon Deacons on Saturday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Clemson (5-1, 4-0 in ACC) extended its winning streak to five games and extended its unbeaten streak over the Demon Deacons (2-4 1-2) under coach Dabo Swinney. Wake Forest was hoping to upset an AP top-10 team for the first time in 78 years.

The Tigers return home with a share of the ACC lead as they host Virginia next Saturday.

At the end of the game, the numbers looked good for the Tigers. Quarterback Cade Klubnik threw for 309 and three touchdowns, with no interceptions. His main deep threat, Antonio Williams, caught six passes for 69 yards and a touchdown and also threw a score on a trick play in the third quarter.

Tight end Jake Briningstool caught the touchdown on that trick play as he finished with seven receptions for 104 yards and a score.

Running back Phil Mafah added 108 yards and two scores, with his two touchdowns set up by two Clemson interceptions by Wake Forest quarterback Hank Bachmeier in the second quarter.

But for the first time since their season opener, the Tigers started slowly on offense. In fact, they went without a touchdown in the first quarter for the first time since losing to the Georgia Bulldogs in Atlanta.

Wake Forest took the lead late in the first quarter when Bachmeier threw a 31-yard touchdown strike to a well-covered Horatio Fields.

The lead didn’t last long as the Tigers opened the game with 28 points in the second quarter and the defense flexed its muscles with two interceptions.

Klubnik engineered a 78-yard scoring drive that answered Fields’ touchdown with a 22-yard pass to Williams that tied the game early in the second quarter.

From then on, the big pieces came quickly. Clemson’s Kylon Griffin grabbed Bachmeier by sliding under a route down the middle of the field to intercept him. That led to the first of Mafah’s two consecutive touchdown runs.

On Wake Forest’s next drive, the Tigers’ Khalil Barnes caught a deflected pass for an interception. Mafah scored a short run at the other end to make it 21-7 for the Tigers.

The Demon Deacons cut the lead to 21-14 with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Bachmeier to Michael Frogge with 3:18 left in the second. But even this good mood was only short-lived. Clemson answered on the next drive when Klubnik connected with Troy Stellato on an 8-yard touchdown pass with 1:31 left.

Clemson’s defense shut down Wake Forest in the third quarter when Klubnik added a 9-yard touchdown pass to Adam Randall next to the Williams-Bringstool connection.

The Tigers were notably without their true freshman wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr., who did not make the trip. Before the game, no reason was given as to why he didn’t come.