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Rex Brown

Clemson’s C.J. Spiller leaves the field following the Tigers’ 12-7 loss to No. 21 Wake Forest on Thursday night in Winston-Salem, N.C. Spiller left the game in the first half with a sprained ankle and did not return.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Clemson was battered and bruised by the Wake Forest defense all night long, losing three offensive starters in the first 21 minutes and two more in the second half in the Tigers’ 12-7 loss to the No. 21 Demon Deacons.

In all, Clemson (3-3, 1-2 ACC) finished the game with five players injured. The Tigers lost running back C.J. Spiller, left guard Cory Lambert and right guard Mason Cloy all to injury in the first half, and then wide receivers Tyler Grisham and Jacoby Ford in the second half. None of the players returned.

The Cory Lambert project at left guard lasted just one series for the Tigers. The 6-foot-6, 310-pound junior, who was moved inside from tackle during the open date, sprained his ankle on the first offensive series. Senior Bobby Hutchinson replaced him in the lineup.

Cloy, the starting right guard, then went down in the second quarter on a running play to the left. He injured his left knee and did not return in the second quarter. His injury forced Hutchinson to move to right guard, while Jamarcus Grant came in and took over on the left side.

Spiller was the third casualty of the half. After rushing for the Tigers’ longest run of the half with a 10-yard sweep off the right side, he came up limping. He walked off the field in pain, while favoring his left knee.

He was seen on the sideline in pain and with a bag of ice wrapped around his knee. He did not return. He was officially listed with a sprained ankle.

Cloy returned in the third quarter, but played one play and did not return.

Grisham was knocked out of the game with a foot injury in the third quarter, while Ford was taken out of the game in the fourth quarter.

Maners starts. Clemson senior Jimmy Maners started the game for Clemson at punter. Clemson coach Tommy Bowden announced earlier in the week that his decision at punter was a game-time decision. Bowden also considered freshman Dawson Zimmerman.

The freshman, however, did punt in the second quarter by blasting a 54-yard punt, which nailed Wake at its own 1-yard line. Zimmerman punted the rest of the game and finished with a 38.4-yard average on five punts. Maners had two punts for a 46-yard average.

Wake ‘Swanks’ it. Wake Forest kicker Sam Swank suffered a quad strain in practice on Monday and was replaced by redshirt freshman Shane Popham.

Popham’s first field goal attempt on Wake’s opening drive went awry when holder Ryan McManus dropped the snap, messing up Popham’s stride as he missed from 25 yards out.

Popham made a 22-yard field goal on the Deacons’ second drive to give Wake a 3-0 lead. It was the first made field goal by another kicker other than Swank since 2004.

Popham had a second field goal in the fourth quarter from 32 yards out that pulled Wake within one point at the time, 7-6, with 12:57 to go.

Wake ranked. Thursday’s game marked just the fifth time – and the first time since 1979 – the Demon Deacons carried a national ranking into their game with Clemson. Wake Forest, which entered the game ranked No. 21 in both the Associated Press and The USA Today/Coaches Top 25 polls, were 1-3 against the Tigers in the previous three meetings.

Clemson beat No. 14 Wake 31-0 in 1979, won 13-12 over No. 17 Wake in 1950 and 21-14 in 1948 over a No. 19 Deacon team. The last time Wake beat Clemson when ranked in a game before Thursday was its 13-7 home win in 1944.

What happened? Wake Forest entered the Clemson game ranked 114th in the country in rushing yards per game with a 84.8 average, but ran for 156 yards on 46 carries.

Clemson, on the other hand, was averaging 165 yards a game coming in, but the Tigers managed just 21 yards on 23 carries in the loss.