Saturday’s dominant performance over Miami showed the Clemson offense is capable of moving the ball in whatever way it takes to win the game, or in this case, deliver the worst loss the Hurricanes have ever seen in the school’s history.
Third-ranked Clemson has now racked up more than 532 yards of total offense in each of its last three games, including 416 rushing yards against Miami. Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson completed 15-of-19 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown while also running for 98 yards and a score.
“We just went out there and just played ball. They couldn’t stop us,” Watson said on Monday. “That’s what we wanted to do, just start off fast, take control and make sure that they don’t get any hope in that game. We started off real fast and we just took control. The defense did their part. Special teams did their part and we came out with a big victory.”
Clemson’s offense scored in five of their first six possessions, as the Tigers left for halftime with a 42-0 lead. Watson was taken out of the game early in the third quarter after doing his part to solidify an extensive lead over the Hurricanes.
Both Nick Schuessler and Kelly Bryant were able to record snaps at quarterback after Watson exited the game, but Bryant was able to push for the backup job after having an impressive fourth quarter in which he scored two touchdowns.
The true freshman scored a touchdown off of a 59-yard run early in the fourth quarter and then followed up with another 10-yard run for the last score of the game. Bryant is now listed as a co-second team quarterback on the depth chart for the North Carolina State game.
“It’s been great to just watch him learn the offense,” Watson said. “He’s always been prepared. He works hard and he’s like a little brother to me.”
Eight different players put points on the board in Sun Life Stadium, and Watson said that is a testament to the selflessness that is so prevalent in the team’s culture.
“We have a whole bunch of guys that have bought into the plan of what Coach (Tony) Elliot and Coach (Jeff) Scott have wanted to do with this offense and we go out there excited,” the Clemson quarterback said. “We don’t have any selfish guys on the team. We all try to get the win and it doesn’t matter who gets in the end zone, we’re all going to celebrate and really enjoy it. Its one big family on both sides of the ball.”
The impressive victory over Miami helped Clemson jump up into the top three in the Associated Press Top 25, but Watson said the team does not worry about rankings. He says he is not surprised by the amount of consistent success his team is having.
“I’m not surprised at what we’re doing and how everyone is staying focused and making sure that we’re staying on task,” Watson said “We earned the position that we’re in now. We worked hard over the spring and summer.”
Aside from all the preparation, part of the reason Watson believes Clemson has been so productive has to do with how much the team cares about each other and the team’s end result.
“It’s just really love and family here. A lot of guys on the team really don’t care about how many catches or touchdowns or yards they have. It just shows that we care about each other and all we care about is that result at the end,” Watson said. “That shows the character and leadership on this team. We want more than just our name in the newspaper.”