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USATSI

Wake Forest wide receiver Sage Surratt will miss the rest of the season after suffering an injury against Virginia Tech that will require surgery, Dave Clawson said Tuesday. 

Clawson provided the update to reporters at his regularly scheduled availability after Surratt was injured in the second half of Saturday's 36-17 loss to the Hokies in Blacksburg. Surratt's absence was felt in the game as the Deacs' passing attack experienced one of its worst performances of the season, and now the loss of the team's best offensive player will linger into the following week as Wake Forest prepares to head to Death Valley for an ACC Atlantic Division showdown with Clemson

Heading into Week 12, Surratt is the only Power Five player with 1,000 receiving yards, averaging 15.17 yards per catch and tied for fifth nationally with 11 receiving touchdowns. As a redshirt sophomore, Surratt does have the option to forego the rest of his eligibility and enter the 2020 NFL Draft, but Clawson told reporters that he anticipates the star wide receiver to return -- though he will provide all the information and advice to Surratt and his family to make the decision. 

At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, Surratt has been a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses so far this season. He's been the key to a Wake Forest offense that ranks second only to Clemson among ACC teams in both scoring offense and total offense. Now quarterback Jamie Newman faces the tough task of trying to keep drives alive against a tenacious Clemson defense without his favorite target in the lineup.