A year after an injury on special teams interrupted his season, Bryant Wesco Jr. found himself racing toward the end zone again.
This time, nobody caught him.
Wesco’s punt-return touchdown provided one of Clemson’s biggest plays in its 24-10 victory at California, but for the junior receiver, the moment carried significance beyond the scoreboard.
“The injury happened on punt return too,” Wesco said. “So, I mean, yeah, it's kind of just a full-circle moment to see that, you know, I feel like I belong back there.”
Wesco said he believed a return like that had been coming. Throughout the early portion of the season, he felt Clemson’s return unit was consistently one block or one missed tackle away from producing a touchdown.
“I feel like every game I was close to breaking one,” Wesco said. “Just one person I had to make miss before I could finally get to the end zone. So this was that week.”
When the opportunity finally arrived, Wesco didn't need much.
He fielded the punt moving forward, accelerated into the open field, and needed only one move before finding daylight before being escorted to the end zone by Ashton Hampton.
“I was able to run up, get under it, catch it in stride, have some speed behind me,” Wesco said. “Then all I needed was one cut, and it was basically off to the races from there.”
The touchdown also represented another milestone in a comeback that required months of rehabilitation. Wesco said the experience taught him something about his ability to handle adversity.
“I learned I was a lot stronger mentally than I thought I was,” he said.
Wesco spent his rehabilitation working toward his return while trying to remain involved with his teammates. Now healthy again, his breakthrough on special teams also reflects what Clemson has been building under special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia.
Bisaccia's arrival brought decades of NFL experience to Clemson, including a reputation built largely around special teams. According to Wesco, that impact was apparent almost immediately.
“He's got a big personality,” Wesco said. “He's a great coach. He's a great guy. A lot of energy to him.”
More importantly, Wesco believes Bisaccia has changed the level of Clemson's special teams.
“From what I've seen, this is the best special teams that we've had,” Wesco said. “That's all to him. He's done a great job.”
Wesco said Bisaccia didn't arrive with an overly complicated philosophy. Instead, the veteran coach has emphasized fundamentals and effort.
“As soon as he got here, got straight to work, imprinted his philosophies on us,” Wesco said. “It's not much, but it's very simple. It's something that you could teach everybody: just play fast, play hard.”
For Wesco, that philosophy produced the kind of moment he had spent months working toward.
An injury suffered on special teams helped define his previous season. Now, a touchdown on special teams has become another marker in his return.
After finally breaking one, Wesco isn't planning on stopping there.
“Hopefully, in more games down the line, I'll be able to have more touchdowns,” he said. “And set a record here.”
