By Will Vandervort
CLEMSON — Josh Watson has had enough. He is tired of hearing and having to answer questions about how physical No. 7 LSU is, and how 13th-ranked Clemson has very little chance of beating the SEC’s Tigers in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
Currently LSU is listed as a four-point favorite in Vegas.
“I like to prove some people wrong,” Clemson’s defensive tackle said following Wednesday night’s practice behind the Jervey Athletic Center. “People like to think we are not as physical. Maybe it’s because they have an SEC logo on their jersey that they all of sudden are supposed to be tougher than us or whatever.
“We want to get out there and show them that we can put on the pads the same way they do and we can compete at their level as well.”
Maybe the reason so many are saying Clemson cannot compete with the likes of the LSUs of the SEC is because the Tigers have lost four straight to archrival South Carolina, who in the last three seasons has become one of the more physical teams in the SEC.
The Gamecocks have physically dominated Clemson in the last four seasons, winning by an average score of 31-14. Though the Tigers have struggled against South Carolina, they are 3-1 under head coach Dabo Swinney in other SEC matchups.
Don’t get him wrong, Watson has the up most respect for LSU and the SEC, but all the talk that Clemson cannot compete with SEC teams has grown thin with him, and he is ready to prove to the talking heads on the radio, the fans and the rest of the media that Clemson can play at the same level as an LSU or any other team from the ACC’s rival conference.
“I’m a man just like they are,” he said. “You know what I’m saying. They put their pads on the same way we do. They are not no bigger or stronger than I am, honestly. Whatever they throw at us, I’m ready to take it, plug up my gaps, get off blocks and make some plays. Keep them off my linebackers as well so they can scrap over the top and make some plays, too.
“That’s going to be the key to the game. It is going to be the trenches on both sides. We have to stop their D-line and the defense has to stop their O-line and get back there and tackle the ball carrier.”