All-In: Brice is the league's bestsecond-string QB

Over the years, Clemson Tigers football players, staff and fans have been treated to a series of unforgettable quotes and words of wisdom from head coach Dabo Swinney. And, Chase Brice seems to personify them all.

"Bring your own guts."

"All in."

"Bloom where you're planted."

"Best is the standard."

Last season, Brice was called on to lead his team into a fierce battle with Syracuse after newly crowned starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence was knocked out of the game.

After a few unproductive snaps right before the end of the second quarter, Brice came back out after the half and spearheaded a nailbiter of a win for the Tigers. The most pivotal play of the win was his gutsy pass to Tee Higgins on a fourth-and-6 with less than 3 minutes left to play in the game.

This play came after a false start penalty called on Gage Cervenka, adding 5 yards to what was already a "now or never" fourth down conversion. Without a doubt, the "bring your own guts" moment for Chase paid off in a big way, earning the first down and opening the door for a rushing touchdown made by Travis Etienne just moments later.

What made this game even more emotional were the events of the week preceding it. The Tigers had lost Kelly Bryant to the transfer portal, former teammate C.J. Fuller had died unexpectedly and then Trevor Lawrence was knocked out in the first half.

To say that emotions were high is an understatement. Ask any Clemson fan about the win over Syracuse, and they will tell you it's a game they will never forget. They will tell you Chase Brice became a legend that day. They will also tell you he saved the 2018 season by allowing the Tigers to go undefeated. The rest is history as Clemson went on to win its third national championship trophy and become the first team in modern day history to 15-0.

Over a year later, Brice is still asked by fans and media alike to share his thoughts on the landmark moment. No doubt, it is still somewhat of a marvel.

"Yeah, fans still bring it up if they see me out and about," Brice said. "Obviously, it was fourth down ... but I think after that game as a whole, we came together as a team. I took a lot of confidence just from that game."

There is no question Brice performed in a way that was better than just enough; it was his best for that day and in that situation. In other words, 80,000-plus fans saw the guy behind "the guy" live out what is preached to him by his coaches every day: best is the standard. And in turn, Brice's confidence in his abilities to lead one of the most dynamic college football programs in the country grew exponentially.

While the moment was enough to seal his place in Clemson football history forever, the moments have continued as Brice has remained committed to Clemson.

In addition to Kelly Bryant's departure last season, Justin Fields, Jaylen Hurts and Tate Martell also left the shadow of a team's starting quarterback to pursue greatness and exposure at other schools.

For all but Martell, the payoff has been big. Swinney has said on more than one occasion that Brice is an NFL calibre quarterback, that Clemson has the best two quarterbacks in the league and that Clemson has two quarterbacks who can win games.

By the evidence we've seen from Brice's time on the field, he's correct. There is no question Brice could start at another power five school. With the temptation to transfer always looming for college athletes dissatisfied by their place on the depth chart or disappointed by the growing inevitability of a team's losing season, Brice seems to be impervious to the siren call to leave.

And, I'm assuming there is a big reason why. Case in point: this past weekend as the Tigers played against the Charlotte 49ers at Memorial Stadium, Trevor Lawrence watched the majority of the game from the sidelines as Brice took over shortly after the start of the second quarter. And the scoring didn't stop.

In fact, Brice's stats were impressive. He completed five of seven passes for 85 yards with one to true freshman wide receiver Joe Ngata resulting in a touchdown.

Swinney, along with his offensive co-coordinators Tony Elliot and Jeff Scott, had nothing but praise for Brice and the leadership he provided. Add to that, Brice has at least one more game in which he has a good chance of taking over very early in the game when Clemson plays Wofford on Nov. 2.

With positive public commentary from his coaches, their confidence in his abilities to lead and future meaningful playing time, Brice is likely to get the exposure and publicity he needs to continue building a college resume NFL scouts will notice.

The series of photos highlighted here provided the inspiration for this story. They show Brice's fearless and successful push to gain the yards necessary for a first down.

This is the "all in," "bloom where you're planted," "best is the standard" and "bring your own guts" kind of moment Chase Brice consistently brings to the table.

In spite of the fact he is not the starting quarterback, Brice is a leader. He has embraced the values he and his teammates are immersed in during their time at Clemson. He has become the embodiment of the "next man up" mentality, and his commitment to the big picture is the thing that will eventually separate him from so many other talented NFL hopefuls.