ATLANTA — Although the offense had its struggles in its loss to Georgia Tech, some players did shine for No. 12 Clemson.

The Tigers (1-2, 0-1 ACC) faced off against Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, narrowly being taken down 24-21 with a walk-off field goal from Yellow Jackets’ kicker Aidan Birr. It was a hard-fought game, and the offense was not able to operate efficiently as they had hoped.

Despite the challenges, some players stepped up.

Wide receiver Bryant Wesco, Jr., was one of those players, as he impacted the offense and helped lead the Tigers to a close game with seven receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown.

“It’s great to be able to help out the team in the best way that you can,” Wesco said after the loss. “Take those short balls and get the yards after the catch and start taking off and running down the field.”

His biggest impact came in the third quarter, when he caught a short pass while running a boot. Quarterback Cade Klubnik reset in the pocket and found Wesco, and he was off to the races, blazing past defenders for the score. Wesco admits, however, that there was one thing that allowed that score to happen.

“I had a simple over route, caught the ball, and took off upfield,” Wesco said. “I also saw a great block from T.J. Moore. He is the main reason that I scored.”

Alongside his touchdown, he made multiple catches throughout the game that helped the Tigers move up the field. One mistake came on the Tigers’ final offensive drive, where a pass from Klubnik slipped through Wesco’s hands and out of bounds on third down, forcing Clemson to punt and giving Georgia Tech the ball to win it on its final possession.

“Those two games that we lost, they both came down to one score. So at the end of the game, it all comes down to one play,” Wesco said. “I feel like I didn’t make those plays that needed to be made in order to help us finish, but that’s something that I need to work on. Just being that guy when it comes down to those close games.”

Wesco has quickly become the favorite target for Klubnik, and he will look to continue and make an impact on the offense when they face the Syracuse Orange in Clemson’s Memorial Stadium at noon on Saturday, September 20.

Photo by Bart Boatwright