Ole Miss rolls into Week 3 to take on Wake Forest on the road, looking to go 3-0 on the season. Despite being heavy favorites again, the Rebels face a more difficult team in the Demon Deacons.
Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson is in his 11th season with the team and has seen plenty of top teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference. One of those is Clemson, who dominated the ACC from 2015-2019. They also won two national championships under Dabo Swinney in 2016 and 2018.
Dave Clawson compares Ole Miss to elite Clemson teams
When Dave Clawson took to the podium for this week's press conference for the Ole Miss game, he spoke about the challenges of facing the Rebels. Clawson compared Lane Kiffin's current team to the Clemson ones his team faced when the Tigers were national champions.
"“This will probably be one of the toughest challenges we’ve had maybe going back to some of those Clemson teams that won the national championship,”"Dave Clawson at press conference
It's a huge compliment from Clawson, a college football head coach for over 20 years at various teams. Though the praise is lofty, Wake Forest will be even more prepared for the game, looking to cause an upset. We have seen in Week 2 that no matter who you are and how good you look, nobody can be taken lightly in college football.
Clawson was also quick to mention the NFL-caliber defensive players Ole Miss has upfront. He signaled out Walter Nolen, who he said was a first-round NFL Draft selection. The Rebels' loss to Virginia in Week 2 will also emphasize their need to perform at their best. This is a dangerous game for the Rebels, so they must start quickly.