Freshman standout says he left some plays on the table despite another star performance

Wesco became the first Tiger receiver to have multiple receptions of at least 70 yards in a single season since Watkins accomplished this three times in 2013.

by Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Sep 30, 2024, 3:00 PM

CLEMSON - True freshman receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. keeps proving why he was such a highly touted talent coming out of high school.

He was targeted seven times by junior quarterback Cade Klubnik in Clemson’s 40-14 win against Stanford, catching two of those passes for 104 yards and a touchdown; it marked his second touchdown of the season.

“We started out kind of rough, started out on both sides of the ball,” Wesco Jr. said. “So, I think (a) big thing that we took into account for this game (was to) be able to finish (by focusing) on the details.”

Although the defense allowed Stanford to make some big plays, it did not allow them to score on their first two red zone trips, as both of them ended in interceptions—one from sophomore cornerback Avieon Terrell and the other from junior cornerback Jeadyn Lukus. These interceptions were critical for the Tigers to generate momentum, especially when the offense was not as fast starting as it had been in the two previous games.

“As an offense and defense, we weren’t playing up to (the) standard (even though) we were in the lead … So, (head coach) Coach Swinney harped on playing up to (the) Clemson (standard) and (making) sure that we focus on the details and won our matchups,” Wesco Jr. said. “Defense was going crazy, I’m not going to lie. They had three picks, two in the first quarter. That was awesome. They had amazing red zone defense. So, being able to stop in the red zone, I think they were one for four in the red zone. That was amazing, (to be able to) get back on the field as an offense (and) be able to go down and score … So, that was great.”

Wesco Jr. had some rookie moments as he had a few dropped passes. Even with that, he set some impressive records with his performance tonight. With his second 100-yard receiving game of his career, he became the second Clemson player in history to record multiple 100-yard receiving games in the first four games of his collegiate career; the other player to accomplish this was Sammy Watkins.

In addition, with his 70-yard reception in the first quarter, Wesco became the first Tiger receiver to have multiple receptions of at least 70 yards in a single season since Watkins accomplished this three times in 2013. Despite all of the good that came out of this game, Wesco Jr. is focused more on improving for next week.

“I left some out on the table today,” Wesco Jr. said. “But knowing that (Klubnik) still looks at me even when I dropped some because he knows I have the playmaking ability to make those plays, it’s just me working on being consistent and staying, catching those (balls) that come my way even through traffic.”