Brown puts life back into Clemson’s self-proclaimed ‘WRU’

Clemson has needed a playmaker at wide receive the last few seasons, and it appears the Tigers may have one now.

Clemson has needed a true playmaker at wide receiver over the last few seasons, and it appears the team may finally have one.

Starting at slot receiver in the second consecutive game, Tyler Brown caught eight passes for 151 yards in the Tigers’ 31-14 win over Syraucse on Saturday. His eight receptions and 151 yards were career-high marks for the true freshman. From sideline grabs to a 47-yard catch downfield, Brown seemed to always be the player who stepped up when the Tigers needed a play.

Filling in for Antonio Williams, who has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury, Brown was Cade Klubnik’s top target throughout the day. Brown was targeted 11 total times against the Orange, four more than any other Clemson pass-catcher. And through five games, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound receiver now has a team-high 20 receptions for 314 yards.

A Greenville, South Carolina, native, Brown also etched himself in the history books on Saturday, as he is the seventh player in Clemson history to record a 100-yard receiving game within the first five games of a career, according to Clemson football sports information director Ross Taylor.

It took 13 games last year for a Clemson receiver to record a 100-yard game, but through five games this season, the Tigers have two such games, with Brown’s performance and Beaux Collins recording 137 yards against Charleston Southern in Week 2.

While Clemson’s wide receiver room still has work to do to reclaim the title of “WRU,” Brown’s impressive play against the Orange was a sign of life for an offense that needed a boost of confidence.

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