Outsiders worried about a Clemson dropoff. Kelly Bryant, WRs waited for their moment

The majority of the country was pointing to 2017 as the year Clemson would take a step back.

The Tigers would lose Deshaun Watson at quarterback, and his favorite two targets Mike Williams and Artavis Scott.

Perhaps the only people associated with Clemson that were excited for a new-look offense were quarterback Kelly Bryant and receivers Ray-Ray McCloud and Deon Cain. The trio arrived at Clemson in 2015 and since then had been waiting for this season when they would finally get an opportunity to showcase their talents.

“We always talked about this year particularly where we were all going to be stepping into a new role,” Bryant said. “Those guys, they believe in me to get the job done.”

The Tigers enter the College Football Playoff against Alabama second in the ACC in scoring offense, averaging 35.4 points per game, just off the pace from last year.

Bryant has been dynamic in the running game and passing game as he is second on the team in rushing with 639 yards and 10 touchdowns and has passed for 2,426 yards and 12 scores.

Bryant won’t finish with the 4,593 passing yards or 41 passing touchdowns that Watson did in 2016, but he has done a better job protecting the ball and running the ball.

Watson threw 17 interceptions, while Bryant has only thrown six. And Watson finished with 626 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Bryant has already eclipsed both of those numbers.

“We talked about the storylines going into the season regarding Clemson, regarding the ACC. All of the questions were about 78 percent of our production had left, how in the world are you going to replace a guy like Deshaun Watson? And those guys really never listened to that,” co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott said. “Our message to them was just be the best version of yourself. And Kelly be the best version of you. That’s going to be more than enough. So I give those guys a lot of credit. They just go to work.”

Cain, McCloud and Hunter Renfrow have far and away been Bryant’s favorite targets as all three have at least 40 receptions and more than 400 receiving yards.

While Williams was the go-to guy for Clemson in 2016, Bryant has spread the ball around to different targets.

It is no coincidence that McCloud and Cain have been two of Bryant’s favorite options as they have been working out with Bryant since they stepped on campus in 2015.

“Going back to freshman year summer when we had nothing to do on campus, everyone was gone, we were here at 10:30-11 (p.m.). That’s where it all started for us,” McCloud said.

McCloud also feels like he has a closer connection off the field with Bryant than he did with Watson, who arrived at Clemson with Scott and who started playing with Williams in 2014.

“We all were a little closer with Kelly because we came in together,” McCloud said. “We didn’t come in with Deshaun. And Deshaun had ‘Ta and Mike that he was real close to, and they were both great friends to me, and I still talk to them to this day so it’s nothing like that. We just have more chemistry, me and Kelly, because me and him and Deon worked out.”

Clemson is hoping that the chemistry and play of Bryant will lead the Tigers to back-to-back national titles.

The junior has passed every test put in front of him so far, going 12-0 in games he has started and finished and earning four wins over top 25 teams on the road.

Along the way Bryant has continued to be himself, both on and off the field, and has Clemson in position to make more history in the year he had been waiting to come.

“When he was going into his starting job it was, ‘Deshaun this, Deshaun that,’ and like, ‘Kelly, you’re not even close to what Deshaun was personally wise, just everything,’” McCloud said. “Kelly embraced that, just being himself… We always just said, ‘Our time’s gonna come, our time’s gonna come,’ and this year we’re just embracing it and going out there in front of the lights.”

This story was originally published December 9, 2017 at 1:17 PM with the headline "Outsiders worried about a Clemson dropoff. Kelly Bryant, WRs waited for their moment."