Wake Forest’s defensive game plan against top-ranked Clemson on Saturday was to take away the inside runs and the screens. Mission accomplished. However, it could not take away Deshaun Watson and his ability to throw the ball down field.
Watson lit up the nation’s 12th ranked passing defense for 343 yards on 24 of 35 passing, completing touchdown passes or 44 and 47 yards to Charone Peake and Germone Hopper as well as another 63-yard pass to Hopper. In all, he had three touchdown passes in leading the top-ranked Tigers to a 33-13 victory at Death Valley.
Saturday was the second straight game in which a defense loaded up the box and tried to take away the running game. Watson threw for 360 yards and two touchdowns in a win at Syracuse last week, while setting records for total offense, completions and attempts.
“The biggest challenge for us is figuring out what they are trying to take away,” Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. “I thought tonight Wake Forest did an excellent job of taking away the run, by having an extra hat. Some of the line movements they were doing had them prepared to handle all of our screens.
“If you watched their defensive line, they were doing an unbelievable job of redirecting on our screen games. They were determined to stop the screens and stop the runs but then they have to give up something.”
That something was in coverage. At first the Demon Deacons played a soft coverage which Watson took advantage of with quick throws to Artavis Scott, Hunter Renfrow and Peake. When they could not stop that, they came after Watson with pressure.
“When they decided to come up and challenge us, Deshaun was on the money with delivering the deep balls,” Elliott said.
Clemson finished the game with 552 yards – the seventh straight game in which the Tigers went over the 500-yard mark in total offense. The Tigers lead the ACC and rank 14th nationally at 501.4 yards per game.
The Tigers are getting 500 yards so regularly these days, they make it almost look easy.
“It is not easy because we have to work,” Elliott said. “But as everyone has said around here, and hopefully people will recognize it is not something we are throwing out there, we feel like (Watson) is the best quarterback in the country. He can manage the system. He knows where to go with the ball. He is just a sophomore, but he does not make many mistakes. He makes the right read.
“Probably the throw was a little low on (one) interception, but he is getting the ball in the right spot. He knows how to handle our protections. He is a complete quarterback. He manages the system. He takes pride in performance. He takes pride in his preparation.”
And the rest of the offense follows Watson’s lead as they build off his confidence, his pride and his leadership.
“He has been making a lot of those throws this year, it wasn’t just tonight,” Elliott said. “He studies. He just doesn’t study the plays that we are running. He studies the defense. He knows the personal. He knows which guys he has the better match up on. He knows where his matchup opportunities are on every play. He dissects it. He is playing at a high level. He is building up guys around him.
“The offensive line is building off of his confidence. They are taking pride in protecting him in the pocket because they know he can deliver the strike.”