By Will Vandervort.

By Will Vandervort

He may not have been flashy like Sammy Watkins and he may not have put up the gaudy statistics of a DeAndre Hopkins, but what Jaron Brown did do for Clemson’s offense the last four years was provide consistent leadership and make some spectacular catches.

Brown was so clutch in certain situations, most always on third down, his teammates developed the moniker “Third-Down Brown.”

“He kind of gets irritated about it, but he is probably the most overlooked guy in this offense, and he was probably the most crucial part of this offense,” quarterback Tajh Boyd said.

Brown finished his career at Clemson with 86 catches for 1,174 yards and eight touchdowns. But he did more than just catch the football. He was also one of the Tigers’ best blockers. He proved that in the Chick-fil-A Bowl win over LSU when he sprung running back Andre Ellington for a 35-yard gain during a hook-and-latter play in the fourth quarter.

Last year, his block during a kickoff return allowed Watkins to go 89 yards for the winning touchdown in Clemson’s come-from-behind win at Maryland.

“He is an unselfish player,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “Jaron is going to do whatever he can to help the team win, whether that’s catching a pass on third down or staying on his man and finishing blocks down field for Andre, Sammy or Nuk.”

Brown made the most of his opportunities when his number was called. Though his numbers of catches and yards dropped this year compared to the previous two seasons, the Cheraw, SC native averaged 16.4 yards per reception in 2012.

The only disappointment he had, he failed to reach the end zone. He came close at Boston College on Sept. 29 as he hauled in a 30-yard pass from Boyd that moved the ball to the one-yard line. He stretched for the end zone and it was initially called a touchdown, but replay overturned the score. Ellington went over the top for the touchdown from a yard out on the next play from scrimmage.

Brown finished the Boston College game with three catches for 61 yards. He also had 76 yards against Furman and 68 yards against South Carolina.

“I just want to make plays,” Brown said. “Tajh does a great job of delivering me the ball. Whenever it is in my direction, I want to come down with it.”

Brown’s best catch this season also came at Boston College, though he made several clutch catches on third down several times this year. But in this particular instance Boyd, who was scrambling to avoid pressure, launched a pass down the right side of the field. Brown, who was running across the field, exploded into the air, while reaching the ball at its highest point and coming down with the crucial catch.

That set up another Clemson score in a 45-31 victory.

“I saw him a little bit, but those guys were kind of tall so I kind of threw it right when I was getting hit. Then I heard the crowd yell, and I was like, ‘Cool,’” Boyd said. “I looked at it, and his jumping ability, I don’t know where it is coming from.

“He did a great job. I can’t be more proud of that guy.”

For Brown, the ability to make big plays comes from his mentality to try and finish everyone of them.

“It’s a mentality going up there and getting the ball at its highest point,” he said.

It’s a mentality Boyd trusted, especially on third down.

“If it is one of those where I have to depend on my guy, I’m going to throw it up to Jaron,” Boyd said. “I have all kinds of weapons at my disposal around here, but Jaron is never selfish. He does not worry about stats or things of that nature. He does not really care about it. He is all about helping the team win.”

And Brown helped Clemson win a lot of games the last two years.