For No. 1 Alabama to top No. 2 Clemson during Monday night’s championship game in Tampa, the Crimson Tide must again survive the most tenacious of Tigers.
Clemson has racked up 16 Atlantic Coast Conference championships through the years, more than any other league school, and reached college football’s pinnacle in 1981. There also have been two Heisman Trophy finalists in Tigers history – sophomore quarterback Deshaun Watson last season and junior quarterback Deshaun Watson this season.
“There is no question he’s been the biggest piece to us as a program and to the amount of success that we’ve had,” Clemson redshirt freshman defensive end Clelin Ferrell said Wednesday. “I feel like a lot of people get overwhelmed with the amount of praise Coach (Dabo) Swinney gives him, but when you ask the players, we’ll tell you the type of guy he is. The amount of work he puts into a game and the type of poise he has makes him a guy you want to play for.
“Without him, we wouldn’t be where we are right now. We’re blessed to have him, because we know what kind of program-changer he is.”
Watson, the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the 2014 signing class, has been a five-star performer and beyond for the Tigers, guiding them to a 27-2 record the past two years entering Monday’s anticipated rematch of last season’s title thriller. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder from Gainesville, Ga., was on the short end of the 45-40 loss to the Crimson Tide last January, but it wasn’t for a lack of production.