Kelly Bryant rifles a 61-yard touchdown pass to Deon Cain (Video)

The Clemson Tigers have a new starting quarterback in Kelly Bryant. That doesn’t matter as he connects on a beautiful 61-yard bomb to Deon Cain for six.

The Clemson Tigers kicked off their 2017 college football season at home on Saturday against the Kent State Golden Flashes of the MAC. Clemson is coming off its second national championship, but has a new quarterback under center in Kelly Bryant.

Bryant has huge shoes to fill. He has to take the places of the greatest player in school history in Deshaun Watson, now with the Houston Texans. Already up 7-0, Bryant airs it out to wide receiver Deon Cain for a beautiful 61-yard touchdown reception.

Watson, who was in attendance at his alma mater’s season opener, was very impressed with that pass from Bryant to Cain. Clemson should be able to hang tough in a competitive ACC, maybe even getting back to the College Football Playoff for the third year in a row?

Admittedly, Kent State is the losingest program in Division I college football. The Golden Flashes rarely go bowling, so this should be a cake walk of a game for the Tigers. However, this is a game where Bryant will certainly gain confidence for the tough season ahead.

Clemson has some huge games on their schedule. The division rivals of Florida State, Louisville and North Carolina State will be very tough. In-state rival South Carolina won’t be a slouch either, as Will Muschamp has that program heading in the right direction in Columbia. Plus, the Tigers have another non-conference date with Auburn on the slate.

Replacing Watson almost isn’t fair for a guy like Bryant, but he did have the best summer of any of the Clemson quarterbacks. It may only be Kent State, but it looks like the Clemson offense hasn’t skipped a beat.