WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- A week after watching a field goal fly over the crossbar and an undefeated season fly out the window, Clemson arrived at Wake Forest looking to make a statement. And for the first 17 minutes of action on Saturday, that’s exactly what happened.

After that? Same old frustrating Clemson.

Here’s what the Tigers’ 35-13 win over a beleaguered Wake Forest accomplished: They secured the ACC Atlantic Division and will play for the conference title. Their path to the College Football Playoff remains intact. And they found some traction for the running game, erasing some of the demons of their first regular-season loss in two years.

But what No. 4 Clemson failed to accomplish was to provide any real indication of which team will show up in that ACC title game or demonstrate whether this is a legitimate national championship contender or a hollow facsimile of last year’s behemoth.

“It’s just been a play here or there,” co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. “The biggest thing for us is to not have a knee-jerk reaction and panic and just stay committed to our formula for success.”

The Tigers roared to a 28-0 lead, scoring touchdowns on their first four drives. Quarterback Deshaun Watson’s arm looked sharp one week after he tossed three costly interceptions. He ran, too -- not a lot, but enough to get into the end zone twice, doubling his season total for touchdowns on the ground. Mike Williams hauled in a beautiful over-the-shoulder touchdown grab. Wayne Gallman rumbled for a long TD run, crossing the 1,000-yard mark for the season in the process. Clemson finished with 254 yards on the ground, a season high. These are the pieces that should make the Tigers a legitimate threat to Alabama’s throne.

But then, as it has so often this season, the momentum hit a brick wall.

Credit Wake Forest, to be sure. The Demon Deacons had already pushed Florida State and Louisville this season, entering the fourth quarter with a chance to win both of those games. And they have a defense that’s certainly talented enough to frustrate opposing offensive coordinators. But Wake Forest was thoroughly overmatched early, playing with its third-string quarterback, coming off a brutal week of frustration and controversy.

Clemson was coasting but lost control again this season. So many of its struggles were self-inflicted, as has been the case all season. Ray-Ray McCloud fumbled on a punt return. Williams followed his beautiful touchdown with a couple of drops. The playcalling ignored the run on five straight third downs, just one of which was converted (via a penalty), and Gallman failed to move the ball on a third-and-1 late in the third quarter, a play eerily reminiscent of last week’s turning point.

Clemson did recover, finally scoring again midway through the fourth quarter before pulling Watson and calling it a night, perhaps just shy of the rest of us learning something more revealing.

“We needed a little kick in our rear end,” linebacker Ben Boulware said of last week’s loss. “A lot of people don’t understand how much work we put in each week, and not getting tired of the process, it’s hard to go back to work every single day.”

So who is this Clemson team?

Through 11 games a year ago, the Tigers had scored 418 points and allowed 194. This year, they’ve scored 424 and allowed 197. And yet, to watch them Saturday for that stretch of more than half the game when they were outscored, outgained and outplayed by undermanned Wake Forest would suggest these Tigers are nothing like the team that nearly toppled Alabama in last season's national title game.

"Our best game is still ahead of us," lineman Tyrone Crowder said. "We didn’t put a complete game together, but we’ll go in and watch the film and work on the mistakes."

The next test comes against rival South Carolina, and then the ACC title game against Virginia Tech or North Carolina. Perhaps the real Clemson will be unmasked then. Perhaps all the gears and pistons will finally be in tune, just in time for the playoff to begin.

Or maybe this is all there is, a monster capable of immeasurable destruction or listless hibernation at any given moment.