Texas football (11-2, 7-1 SEC) and head coach Steve Sarkisian are set to host the first-ever first-round matchup in Austin, TX, at DKR for the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff this weekend against the ACC Champion Clemson Tigers (10-3, 7-1 ACC).
Clemson has playmakers on both sides of the ball Texas football can't sleep on this weekend
Five-seed Texas is the only team in college football that is in the College Football Playoff for the second year in a row, hosting 12-seed Clemson this weekend on the Forty Acres.
Texas is readying up for what the Longhorns faithful are hoping will be one of four games the Burnt Orange are victorious in for the 12-team College Football Playoff. While Clemson and head coach have plenty of experience playing in the College Football Playoff in the past decade, this isn't a team that's faced many difficult opponents on the road this fall.
This is a solid Clemson squad that the Longhorns can't take lightly, entering the first-round Playoff matchup where Texas is favored by double digits.
Here are three problematic Clemson players that the Longhorns must be prepared to face in the first round of the 12-team College Football Playoff in Austin on Dec. 21.
Bryant Wesco Jr., WR
Clemson's offense boasts a receiver duo of true freshman Bryant Wesco Jr. and experienced senior Antonio Williams that is very potent and explosive. Williams is the speedy go-to playmaker for quarterback Cade Klubnik and the Clemson offense who leads the team with over 800 receiving yards, 70 catches, and 10 touchdowns.
Wesco is the bigger long-strider on the outside of the Tiger offense who can win those tough contested 50/50 balls while stretching the field. He's got the coordination, body control, and hand strength to win battles for contested balls against most defensive backs he faces for 50/50 throws on the outside.
In the ACC Championship Game against SMU a couple of weekends ago, Wesco showed his hands and playmaking ability, reeling in eight catches for over 140 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Texas has been great at defending explosive passing plays from the defensive secondary, ranking first in the nation in the FBS in long passing plays allowed (per CFB Stats). A Texas secondary that boasts multiple future NFL Draft picks in senior corner Jahdae Barron, senior safety Andrew Mukuba, and junior nickel Jaylon Guilbeau should be up to the task on Saturday in this important matchup against Clemson's top receivers on offense.