Deacons post win in fourth

28 left to help No. 21 Wake Forest beat Clemson 12-7 on Thursday night.

Skinner was 22-for-34 for 186 yards and led the decisive 15-play, 78-yard drive in the fourth quarter for the Demon Deacons (4-1, 2-0 ACC). Wake Forest outgained Clemson 342-198 to snap a two-game losing streak in the series and remain the only Atlantic Division team with a perfect conference record.

Shane Popham — starting in place of injured kicker Sam Swank — had field goals of 22 and 32 yards for Wake Forest, and a dominant defense held the Tigers’ vaunted ground game to 21 yards rushing on 23 carries.

Cullen Harper was 15-for-35 for 177 yards with an interception for Clemson (3-3, 1-2) in the Tigers’ second straight loss. His 10-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Ford with seven seconds left in the third quarter put Clemson up 7-3.

Alphonso Smith’s school-record-tying 17th career interception gave Wake Forest the ball inside the Clemson 20 and set up Popham’s second field goal, which pulled Wake Forest to 7-6 with just under 13 minutes to play.

Then, after forcing a punt, it was Skinner’s turn to rally the Demon Deacons.

Taking over with about 10 1/2 minutes left, he systematically marched Wake Forest downfield by completing seven of nine passes for 69 yards and converting three third downs — including a 28-yard pass to Boldin on third-and-24.

He then found Boldin in the right flat, and the receiver cut back through two defenders and into the end zone for his first career touchdown. Skinner’s two-point conversion pass for Ben Wooster was batted away.

Clemson got no farther than its own 39 on its last possession.