Clemson football has had its share of dramatic wins over the last decade, but Saturday's double-overtime win at Wake Forest may have taken the cake. The Tigers and Demon Deacons traded blows back and forth throughout the afternoon, with both offenses dazzling. In the end, Dabo Swinney's Tigers escaped Winston-Salem with a 51-45 win in an instant classic.

Many doubted Clemson after a few shaky performances to start the season, but this win proves the Tigers are worthy of their high ranking. The Tigers still have tough matchups against division rivals NC State and Florida State coming up, but this win firmly cements them as the ACC favorite. In the cutthroat ACC Atlantic, this win could make the difference in winning the division and not.

With that said, here are a few key takeaways from Clemson football's huge victory over Wake Forest.

3. Will Shipley had himself a day

Will Shipley continues to impress early in his sophomore season. He has found the end zone at will this season, with two touchdowns in each of Clemson's first three games. Yardage was a bit harder to come by, but that changed with a 139-yard performance against Louisiana Tech in Week 3.

Shipley shined once again in Clemson's biggest game so far. He racked up 104 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, his highest this season. Over half of those yards came on a huge 53-yard gain, his longest of the season, early in the first quarter.

As a freshman last season, Shipley had 753 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging five yards a carry. He's on pace to shatter those marks this season, with 353 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 6.8 yards per carry through four games. Clemson's offense looks much better this season, and Shipley is a big reason why.

2. The defense has room to grow

Clemson's defense was easily the team's strength last season, finishing only behind Georgia in scoring defense with 15 points allowed per game. However, the Tigers lost longtime defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who became the head coach at Oklahoma this offseason, leaving them with a big question mark on that side of the ball. The defense looked solid through three games, but that was against far inferior competition.

Against a strong Wake Forest offense, Clemson's defense looked a lot more suspect. The Tigers did well against the run, allowing just 2.8 yards per carry, but struggled against the pass. Sam Hartman lit up Clemson's secondary, completing 20-of-29 passes for 337 yards and six touchdowns.

The Tigers; secondary simply has to be better if thy want to make it back to the College Football Playoff. Clemson has consistently had elite defense throughout the last decade, which has contributed to their success in that time. This year's team will have to prove it can do the same sooner rather than later.

1. DJ Uiagalelei proved himself for Clemson football

Last season, DJ Uiagalelei had the impossible task of replacing Trevor Lawrence as Clemson's starting quarterback. He failed to live up to those expectations, completing just 55.6% of his passes for nine touchdowns and 10 picks. Despite the poor season, Swinney stuck with him as the starter for 2022, and that decision paid off on Saturday.

Uiagalelei had by far his best game since becoming the full-time starter last season. The California native completed 26-of-41 passes for 371 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. To put that in perspective, Uiagalelei had never thrown for more than two touchdowns in a game before Saturday.

Many had been calling for Swinney to bench Uiagalelei in favor of freshman phenom Cade Klubnik after a lackluster start to the season. Those critics grew a lot quieter on Saturday, as Uiagalelei put on his best college performance so far. If he can keep that level of play up, Clemson is a major threat for the national championship this season.