CLEMSON- Clemson seems to have found something in its passing game and his name is Bryant Wesco Jr. The true freshman got the start over Adam Randall and provided the explosiveness that has been missing from the Tigers offense.

Sparked by the offense’s newfound big-play ability, No. 25 Clemson has raced out to a 56-13 halftime lead over App State inside Memorial Stadium.

-Clemson rolled up 450 yards of offense in the first half, with 378 of those coming through the air. This is the offense that we heard so much about in fall camp and the leadup to Georgia.

– The insertion of Wesco into the starting lineup has paid off and in a big way. His impact was immediate as the freshman got behind the defense and reeled in a 76-yard TD pass on Clemson’s third offensive play of the game. On the ensuing drive, he caught another bomb, this one going for 52-yards and setting up a short Phil Mafah TD run. This offense lacked the ability to stretch the field in last week’s loss to Georgia, but so far in the first half here tonight, that has not been the case, with the Tigers racking up more than 230 yards through the air in the first quarter alone.

– The other freshman wideout, TJ Moore also got in on the action, catching three passes for 44-yards, including the first TD of his career, a 33-yarder in the second quarter.

– Speaking of Klubnik, he has been money. Outside of one or two throws, the junior quarterback has been hitting pass-catchers with laser-like precision. He is 24-of-26 and has thrown five TD passes. His 93% completion rate is third-highest all-time for a Clemson QB in a game. Not only that, he has a couple of rushing touchdowns, and has made good decisions on when to tuck it and run. Overall he is responsible for seven of the eight first quarter TDs.

– Klubnik also ran the 2-minute offense to perfection just before the half. The Tigers went 75 yards in 9-plays, with Klubnik hitting Jake Briningstool for 17-yard TD with less than a minute remaining before halftime.

– Clemson was also able to get its running game going against the App State defense. Phil Mafah led a rushing attack that gained XX yards, with Mafah’s 83-yard TD run in the first quarter being the Tigers longest play from scrimmage since the 2020 season.

The Tigers 35-points in the first quarter were the most ever scored by the program in the opening stanza and it is the most scored in any quarter since the 73-7 win over Georgia Tech in 2020.

– Wes Goodwin’s defense turned in another strong first half. Mountaineers quarterback Joey Aguilar has not been allowed to get comfortable in the pocket, as Clemson’s defensive front has mostly dominated the point of attack. Clemson held App State to -1 rushing yards in the first quarter. The Mountaineers were finally able to put a touchdown drive together in the second quarter after it was already 42-0 and Clemson had started rolling in a lot of reserves. When the starters were in it was pretty much domination.

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