Clemson QB Deshaun Watson hopes to write different script this time

TAMPA, Fla. — Deshaun Watson left the field in Glendale, Arizona, last January with confetti falling on him as the team across the field celebrated the national championship.

As Clemson’s quarterback, he did all he could do, and Watson almost did enough to upset Alabama, throwing for 405 yards and four touchdowns and rushing for 73 yards in a 45-40 loss.

Now, almost a year later, he and his Clemson teammates get another shot at the College Football Playoff National Championship when the No. 2 Tigers play the top-ranked Crimson Tide on Monday at Raymond James Stadium.

“We are more focused on the task at hand this year,” Watson said Saturday at media day. “Last year was an eye-opener. We had never been there before, and it was new to all of us.”

Just like last year, if the Tigers are going to have a chance to beat Alabama, Watson will be the main reason.

He was second in the Heisman Trophy voting this season, losing to Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson. But Watson won the Davey O’Brien and Johnny Unitas awards that go to the nation’s top quarterback.

Watson has completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 4,173 yards and 38 touchdowns, with 17 interceptions. He also has rushed for 583 yards and eight touchdowns.

“Deshaun Watson is as complete a quarterback as I’ve ever been around and probably ever will be, and probably ever that’s going to play at the next level,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “This kid is a brilliant quarterback, brilliant. I mean, he is unbelievable. Football IQ, his preparation, the way he goes to work every day, his skill set. He can make any throw and every throw. What makes him so special other than his poise and his skill set is he can beat you from the pocket. He’s done it many times.

“And when he scrambles, he can beat you with his legs by running for first downs, but he can beat you with his legs because he can extend plays and then make the throws.”

Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt agreed with that assessment, but when is Watson most dangerous?

“I’d say he’s dangerous as soon as he gets on the field,” Pruitt said.

Watson doesn’t get it done just on the field.

He is a third-year junior athletically, but already has a communications degree by aggressively scheduling classes so he could graduate in 2½ years. The Senior Bowl has issued an invitation for Watson, the first time the game has taken that step.

Though Watson hasn’t announced whether he would accept the invitation, the fact he is in position to shows his commitment to academics as well as football.

“It’s not just talk about Deshaun Watson,” Tigers co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. “He’s a competitive guy in everything that he does. He wants to be the best student, be the best person, be the best player, be the best dressed, the best dancer.

“When you have a guy like that, it kind of reminds you of Michael Jordan. It elevates the play of everybody else around him. When he talks, they listen. They also know when they step on the practice field, they better be ready to go to work. He’s not necessarily going to say anything, but he’s going to shame them by the way he’s working in practice.”

Watson will make the decision on the Senior Bowl soon enough.

First, he has one of the top all-time defenses in Alabama to try to beat. But that defense also must figure out how to contend with Watson, whose Tigers are trying to win their first national championship since the 1981 season.

“I don’t worry about all the stats and things like that,” Watson said. “I just try to focus on getting the final outcome and focus on winning. All that stuff last year I did is good, but at the end of the day, you want the ‘W’ and to be a national champion and I wasn’t, so all of that kind of goes out the window.”

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.