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WINSTON-SALEM — How loud is Clemson Memorial Stadium?

Wake Forest's handful of veteran players know. And the Demon Deacons' young guys are about to find out.

"I wish they didn't call that place 'Death Valley.' That has a bad ring to it," Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said Tuesday. "We haven't ever had success in Death Valley since I've been here (nine years). We've lost every time down there. We've had a couple close games &ellipses; but it's just a tough place to play."

Wake (4-2, 2-1 ACC) goes back to Clemson (2-3, 1-2) for a noon game Saturday. Wake is alone in first place in the ACC's Atlantic Division, while Clemson — the preseason favorite — faces a must-win game after a bye week.

"Our division, especially, has always been very balanced," Wake tailback Josh Adams said. "You never know each week what team is going to fall and what team is going to rise to the top. &ellipses; Clemson's looking for a win. Before the season, a lot of people were saying they were the best team in the conference. I'm sure they're still jonesing on that, so we've got to be ready for what they've got in store for us."

What's in store are decibels. Lots and lots of decibels.

Dominique Midgett, a senior middle linebacker, has vivid memories of his only visit to Death Valley. Clemson scored on its first four possessions and went on to a 44-10 victory.

"Yes sir, I was on the field," Midgett said. "I was down there for the 98-yard kick return for a touchdown when C.J. Spiller jumped in the end zone. I was also there for a little flat-route catch by (wide receiver) Aaron Kelly. I messed up on that for a touchdown. &ellipses; I remember that game like yesterday."

Midgett said he's tried to explain to his younger teammates what it will be like.

"You can sit in your car, roll the windows up and play the music as loud as it will go, try to talk to the person next to you and drive at the same time," Midgett said. "Or you can sit in your room, close the door, put the speakers up loud and try to talk on the phone."

Even those experiments, Midgett said, don't approach the volume of the crowd noise.

"You just can't hear," Midgett said. "You can be standing right next to the D-coordinator, he's trying to tell you something and you can't hear him. He's yelling at the top of his lungs, and you can't hear him. I'm trying to relay the message to the young guys: You won't be able to hear. Just don't take it as a shock, and be ready to play."

Midgett said the best thing Wake Forest could do is play well early.

"Your main goal is to make 85,000 people be quiet," he said. "If you can make 85,000 people be quiet, you have arrived."

TOUGH GUY: Midgett has emerged as a leader by example on Wake's defense. He had six tackles in the Deacons victory over Maryland — seven days after leaving a game against N.C. State with a dislocated right shoulder.

"Worst pain I ever felt in my whole life," Midgett said. "They put it back in when I got back to the locker room. &ellipses; It kind of just slid back in, and after that there wasn't much pain."

Midgett was hurt chasing down N.C. State running back Jamelle Eugene. The linebacker went for a one-handed tackle, took a foot to the shoulder and landed awkwardly.

"I've seen the play a thousand times (on film)," Midgett said. "I left my feet, grabbed a guy and tried to pull him down. When I hit the ground, my shoulder was out. I've looked at the play, and I still don't know how I did it. All I remember is the pain."

Midgett was lucky. He didn't even miss a practice with the sprained labrum, although he wore a wrap and a shoulder harness to brace the injury.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Last time out, Clemson senior running back C.J. Spiller broke the ACC record for all-purpose yards. Along the way, the elusive speedster has returned six kickoffs for touchdowns.

And he's not alone on special teams. Wide receiver Jacoby Ford also returns kicks and punts. Spiller leads the nation in punt returns, and Ford ranks seventh. The two have scored nine of Clemson's 11 touchdowns.

"Jacoby Ford is every bit as dangerous as C.J. Spiller," Grobe said. "With the talent they've got on their football team, they've got great supporting casts on their special teams. So they're the kind of guys who keep you up late at night worrying about what might happen."

Wake Forest tuned up for Clemson's two-headed return monster last week when the Deacons kicked and punted to Maryland star Torrey Smith, who leads the nation in all-purpose yards this season.

"Part of you knows that Spiller and Ford both are great return guys," Grobe said, "but when you've got a good kicker and a good punter, you sometimes hate to not use those guys."

Contact Jeff Mills at 373-7024 or jeff.mills@news-record.com