Elliot Washington II, Bryant Wesco Jr.'s ACC honors give Clemson the formula to beat Miami

It has been a different guy every week to help Clemson even get to this point. After the LSU disaster, Clemson was lifted by the strong leg of one Nolan Hauser versus Georgia Southern. During the UNC thriller, it was Will Heldt's pass-rushing prowess and Gideon Davidson's emergence as the lead back. Last week over at Cal, Clemson improved to 3-1 because of Elliot Washington II and Bryant Wesco Jr.

Washington and Wesco rightfully earned ACC's Defensive Back and Specialist of the Week honors. After picking off Billy Edwards Jr. in Week 3, Washington collected interceptions No. 2 and No. 3 of the season versus the Golden Bears' middling aerial attack. While Wesco has not been able to get it going as much at wide receiver, his magnificent punt return was the straw that broke the Bears' back.

Even though Washington and Wesco are arguably two of Clemson's 10 best players, this just goes to show that the Tigers need more than one of their stars to go off to beat a worthy adversary. It also tells us that Clemson has enough depth to not have to be dependent on the same players every game. With Heldt being a non-factor and Hauser missing a kick, Washington and Wesco stepped up.

Confident star performers are what Clemson will need to knock off Miami

Clemson may not be able to match the star-studded nature of Miami man for man, but it is not like the Tigers are completely bereft of talent. What we are seeing transpire over the last few weeks is a team that is getting closer by the day and one that continues to play with more confidence. In fact, one can argue the performances put forth by Washington and Wesco versus Cal are a clear indication of that.

Ask yourself this. What does it take to come up with three interceptions in two weeks? Washington has put in the work since coming over from Penn State, and it is paying out for him in a big way. No, he is not jumping routes for the sake of jumping routes. He is playing with tremendous discipline in the back end of Tom Allen's defense. With every rep he gets playing in this system, he gains confidence.

As for Wesco, he definitely needed that punt return for a touchdown to reignite his confidence as a wide receiver. Through the first four games of the season, he only has 16 catches for 163 yards. He has yet to hit pay dirt as a receiver, averaging only 10.2 yards per reception. That mark is a full seven yards below his career average coming in. Quarterback issues are a reason for it, but not all entirely.

In the end, you need your star players to make plays in order to win. Clemson does not improve to 3-1 on the season and 2-0 in ACC play without Washington's interceptions or Wesco's game-sealing punt return for a touchdown. In a way, this is the kind of pure positivity that can snowball upon itself. While Miami is a massive road favorite, do no try to tell that to the Clemson players that they have no shot.

Whenver a star Clemson player is underperforming, there always seems to be another to lift him up.

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