By Will Vandervort.
Let’s just say Georgia Tech hasn’t exactly had the best of games this year when facing a dual-threat quarterback.
Last week, NC State quarterback Jacoby Brissett totaled 306 yards of offense and accounted for two touchdowns, including 77 yards on the ground on just nine carries, though the Yellow Jackets hung on to get the win. North Carolina quarterback Marquise Williams accounted for five touchdowns and 463 total yards against Georgia Tech’s defense in a Tar Heels’ win on Oct. 18.
Duke’s Anthony Boone ran for 49 yards and threw for 131 more in a 31-25 upset of the nationally ranked Yellow Jackets on Oct. 11.
“I think we have struggled all year with mobile quarterbacks, and I guess we are the fortunate ones that we get to welcome Deshaun Watson back,” Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson said on Wednesday.
That’s right, they do. Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson will return from a broken right index finger on Saturday when the 17th-ranked Tigers travel to Atlanta to play No. 22 Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:02 p.m. on ESPN.
Clemson’s fabulous freshman has missed the last three games after catching his finger in the facemask of a Louisville player during a nine-yard run in the Oct. 11 game. Before that injury, Watson gained national headlines when he threw for 435 yards and six touchdowns against North Carolina and totaled 329 yards and four more touchdowns in a win over NC State the following week.
“He is probably as good a dual-threat quarterback as there is in the country, especially for a young guy,” Johnson said.
It’s easy to understand why Johnson is a little nervous. It’s not like his defense has exactly slowed people down, dual-threat quarterback or not. Tech (8-2, 5-2 ACC) ranks 74th and 13th overall in the ACC in total defense at 408.1 yards per game, while they are yielding 239.7 yards a game through the air, which ranks 84th nationally and 13th in the ACC.
Really, in the five games he played in before his injury in the first-quarter against Louisville, Watson completed 67.0 percent of his passes for 1,176 yards and 12 touchdowns with just two interceptions. His passing rating of 187.0 would be No. 1 in the nation if he was eligible to be counted in the statistics.
“We had him in our camp for a couple of years. He is a dynamic athlete that has a really strong arm and is pretty accurate,” Johnson said.
What makes Watson so dangerous is his ability to extend plays with his legs, which opens up the Clemson offense. Unlike a lot of mobile quarterbacks, he isn’t looking to run when things breakdown in the pocket. Instead, he keeps his eyes downfield and tries to see if he can find an open receiver.
That’s something a lot of defenses at the college level rarely see, especially from a true freshman quarterback. But Johnson noticed when Watson was in high school that he was not like any other quarterback.
“It was pretty clear he was a gifted athlete,” the Georgia Tech coach said. “He was in high school when he came to our camp. There was no question – you did not have to look long to know that he was going to be a really special player.”
Johnson expects Clemson “do what they do” on Saturday, which is spread the defense out and try to get some big plays down field. With Wayne Gallman coming on at the running back position and Mike Williams and Artavis Scott already established as big-time playmakers at wide receiver, Watson adds another piece to the puzzle as the Clemson offense seems to be coming together at the right time.
“They will run some zone-read and some bubbles and then they will take some shots down field,” Johnson said. “There is a lot of motion and a lot of window dressing so we have to be sound with our eyes and play our keys and play good defense.
“There is no magic way to stop them, I don’t think. Hopefully, we can create some turnovers. That’s what we have been able to do the last two or three games.”
The last time Clemson was in Atlanta, the Yellow Jackets forced the Tigers into five turnovers, handing them their fourth straight loss at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
“We have to win the turnover margin, that’s the bottom line,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “This is a team that controls the clock and if you give them a short field you are in for a long day. It is hard to beat anybody when you lose the turnover margin, but when you play a team like Georgia Tech you have to maximize your opportunities.”
And those opportunities will begin and end with Watson.
“They are the most talented team we have played to date. It’s a huge challenge,” Johnson said. “We have not had Clemson here in a couple of years so we are looking forward to having a great football team come to our place to play and seeing how we stack up against them.”
And another dual-threat quarterback, too.