By Heath Bradley.

By Heath Bradley

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass – Five weeks into the 2012 season Clemson is 4-1 following the 17th-ranked Tigers 45-31 victory over Boston College Saturday, and tight end Brandon Ford is a major reason why. A converted wide receiver, the redshirt senior’s transition to tight end in just over two seasons has turned into one of the best in the ACC.

Stepping into the shoes of Dwayne Allen, a 2011 All-American, Ford has picked up right where Allen left off.

Allen caught touchdown passes in three consecutive games in 2011, those three games were in Weeks 3-5 of the 2011 season. With his touchdown catch Saturday at Boston College, Ford has now caught a touchdown pass in three straight games, also in Weeks 3-5. Ford has continued to bring attention to the Clemson tight end position, something he is happy to continue.

“It feels great, anytime you have a player that is an All-American and draft pick ahead of you, it shows the type of talent we have here,” Ford said. “Last year I was making plays behind him. Now it is here, and I am up to the task.”

For a team that has been without its top returning playmaker in Sammy Watkins for three out of the five weeks, Ford has amassed 18 receptions for 213 yards and four touchdowns. His 18 receptions are second most on the team, only trailing Nuk Hopkins, who has 42 catches through five games.

After struggling with drops in a Week 1 victory over Auburn, Ford has caught fire, seemingly catching everything in site. Each of his four touchdown catches have been of the highlight variety, pulling in balls over his head, off the ground, and against the sidelines.

The ability to make these types of catches comes from hard work and preparation, something Ford feels he has done well in recent weeks.

“One thing I do is harp on the fundamentals, techniques, and keeping my eye on concentrating on the ball,” he said.

Ford’s touchdown catch tonight was no different, a thing of beauty on the Clemson sideline. On third down just before the half he was able to tip toe the sideline and haul in a 4-yard pass from Boyd to give the Tigers a 24-21 halftime lead, a lead they would never relinquish.

“On that play I was getting close to the sidelines, so I started to throttle down,” Ford said. “I got close enough that I knew one foot was going to be out of bounds, so what I did was pick my left foot up and kept my right foot down, and secured the ball on my way out of bounds.”

The idea to run the play on third down was also from Ford, who suggested the play call to Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris during the timeout the Tigers had called. Ford went to Morris with the play, discussing how they used it in this section of the field in practice, and should use it at this point in the game as well. Luckily for Ford, Chad Morris agreed, and to Ford it shows the faith the coaching staff has in his ability.

“It goes to show execution and the trust the coaches have in me,” he said.

As the Tigers take on Georgia Tech next week in Death Valley, not only is Ford excited to be back in front of the Tiger fans, but also to continue this season, one that both he and Dabo Swinney feel can be special for the Tigers.

“Coach Swinney said he knows this team is very special and knows what we can do,” the senior said. “When we are playing our game we are pretty hard to beat.”