Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
College football
Clemson’s DeShaun Watson, left, always believed the Tigers would return to the title game.
Despite a loss to Pittsburgh during the regular season, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson said he never doubted the Tigers could reach the national title game.
Immediately after losing to Alabama in last season’s championship, Watson vowed Clemson would be back in the title game again this season.
He later acknowledged that he hoped the opponent would be the Tide, giving the Tigers a chance to “beat the best to become the best.”
When Watson was asked this week how he could be sure the No. 2 Tigers would play No. 1 Alabama for the championship in Tampa Monday, Watson responded, “Just belief. That's just the type of person I am. Thats it.
“I have high standards for me and my teammates, and this is where we wanted to be. We weren’t going to sit there and say we’re not going to be in Tampa or in the national championship. That was one of the things, we wanted to be in the front again and be one of the best teams. Just having that belief and that’s it, going into the year and putting in the work.”
Watson said the Tigers simply focused on improving after a 43-42 loss to Pittsburgh in November.
“Just regroup, put it in the past and just keep moving forward,” Watson said when asked whether his teammates held any special meetings or shared any advice.
“You can’t dwell on it because a loss is a loss, and this game, we've just got to keep moving forward and learn from it.”
While Watson was quick to credit the entire Clemson lineup for forcing a title game rematch, Tigers defensive end Clelin Ferrell said the quarterback played a critical role in the program’s success.
“No question he’s been probably the biggest piece to us as a program and the amount of success that we’ve had. A lot of people get overwhelmed with what Coach [Dabo] Swinney says about him, the amount of praise he gives him,” Ferrell said.
“When you ask the players here, they’ll tell you the type of guy he is, it’s crazy, because he’s such a great player. We really understand the amount of work he puts into the game, the fact of poise and stature that he has as a person who you want to root for. That’s just a guy we want to play for.
While Watson has thrown interceptions in key games, he has regularly delivered the biggest plays when the Tigers needed them most.
Swinney said Watson has put in the work to mold himself into a clutch performer.
“What makes him special in all of those games, not just these playoff-type games, is his preparation,” Swinney said.
“The guy is an unbelievable winner, and he is incredibly attentive to details and a great, great student of the game. I mean, he just loves to grind to get ready, and then when it comes game time, he just goes and plays. He knows that he’s prepared. He’s put the work in.”