FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — In the six games leading up to the Capital One Orange Bowl, Clemson wide receiver Deon Cain was targeted 26 times, and 21 of those went for completions. Five of them went for touchdowns.

Cain’s 319 yards on 21 receptions both ranked third on the team during that stretch, while the five scores lead the team. The Tigers, who will face No. 4 Oklahoma on Thursday, now have the challenge of replacing a guy who has caught touchdown passes of 55, 40, 40 and 38 yards in the last six games.

Cain, along with kicker Ammon Lakip and tight end Jay Jay McCullough, were suspended for the rest of the postseason by Swinney on Tuesday after they all failed a drug test. All three were sent back to Clemson before the Tigers’ final practice. Since he is a senior, Lakip’s career at Clemson is over, while McCullough used up his final strike with the Tigers and has been dismissed from the team.

As for Cain, he will have an opportunity to come back next year, but for right now the Tigers have to find someone or multiple people to fill Cain’s void in the offense.

Who’s that guy?

“Charone Peake,” Swinney said.

When asked was there someone else besides Peake, Swinney replied, “That’s not possible because they play the same position.”

What has been lost in all of this is the fact Peake, a senior, is the starter for the Tigers. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound wide receiver ranks second on the team with 40 catches for 563 yards and has scored five touchdowns. He is averaging 14.1 yards per reception and has recorded touchdown receptions of plus-50 yards against App State and NC State. He also hauled in a 64-yard pass from Deshaun Watson against Syracuse.

“Charone is the starter and Deon is the back up,” Swinney said. “They play the same spot. We have just rotated those guys. Deon has been the backup and a lot of his opportunities came just because he was in the game when we rotated the guys.

“This just means Charone will play more snaps and he is certainly capable of doing that and Trevion (Thompson) will back him up.”

If there is one position Clemson (13-0) could afford to lose a player it’s at wide receiver. Clemson is one of only four teams in the country to have at least four different players with four or more touchdown receptions.

Artavis Scott leads the team with 84 receptions for 805 yards and five scores, including a 35-yard touchdown reception against North Carolina in the ACC Championship game. Tight end Jordan Leggett (34-442) leads the team with seven touchdowns.

The Tigers have also received big plays this year from Ray Ray McCloud, Hunter Renfrow and Germone Hopper in the passing game.

“Artavis has made plenty of plays down the field. Hopper has made plays down the field. Renfrow has made plays down the field. Leggett has made plays down the field,” Swinney said. “I don’t think we have anybody on our roster that we’ve played that has not made plays. Trevion has made plays.”

The biggest play for Thompson came against South Carolina in the regular season finale. The redshirt freshman made a huge catch along the sideline in the Tigers’ game-clinching touchdown drive.

“He is very capable of making any play that we need,” Swinney said. “That’s why he was in there on third-and-eight. That was probably one of the biggest plays of the season there at the end of the South Carolina game.

“I have all the confidence in the world in him.”

Thompson comes in the Orange Bowl Classic with 10 receptions for 115 yards. He has not scored a touchdown, but he does have a reception of 33 yards on the stat sheet.

“He is a great player. He has every attribute, that’s why we recruited him,” Swinney said. “He is an incredibly talented, gifted receiver. He is just another one of those guys that we have. He is just a freshman and he has had some big moments for us.

“He has been one of those guys who improved each and every week to be honest with you. He has been a steady guy. He redshirted last year and was not quite ready to make the transition, but he has had an excellent fall for us and he is going to have a bright future.”

And that future starts in the Orange Bowl.

“It helps that we have a big roster and that we have a lot of good players,” Swinney said. “The last time we were playing in this stadium, Deon Cain was not with us either. It helps that you recruit well and that we have a lot of good players.”