Next season cannot get here fast enough for Deshaun Watson. He is anxious to see just what he and the Clemson football team can do.
It’s been four days since the Tigers lost to Alabama in the National Championship Game, but Watson says the Tigers have all the confidence in the world they can get back there again next year, and this time close it out with a victory.
“We have lot of confidence because we have so much more to improve on, especially on the offensive side,” the Clemson quarterback said on Thursday after receiving the Manning Award as the nation’s best quarterback. “I think we are losing just three starters so I think that is like eight starters coming back, not including Mike Williams who is coming back and the freshmen recruits that are coming in.
“That gives us a lot of confidence. There is a lot of experience and a lot of motivation we can put in the off-season and in the summer so we can improve upon what we did this year and be better.”
What Watson and the Tigers did this year was incredible. The Tigers averaged 38.5 points and 514.5 yards per game. They finished the season with a school record 11 straight games of 500 or more yards. During that time they averaged 554.2 yards per game with the high mark of 623 yards at NC State on Halloween and a low of 512 against Florida State the following week.
Clemson finished 11th nationally in total offense.
“We have a chance to be one of the best offenses ever in the history of college football so that is our motivation – to be the best ever – and we will take it one day at a time and try to get one percent better every day,” Watson said. “If we do that, and everyone is on the same page, the sky is the limit.”
Besides Watson, the Tigers will return running back Wayne Gallman and is school-record 1,527 yards and 13 touchdowns. He hit the century mark a school-record nine times in 2015 and averaged 110 yards per game.
Also back is All-ACC wide receiver Artavis Scott, who, despite the absence of Williams, caught 93 passes for 901 yards and scored six touchdowns. Tight end Jordan Leggett is also back after he tied a single-season record for touchdown receptions by a tight end with eight. He also hauled in 40 receptions for 525 yards.
Freshman Deon Cain, as long as he does what he is supposed to do, should return to the team in the fall. He averaged 17.1 yards on his 34 catches and scored five touchdowns. Hunter Renfrow is also back after he had 492 yards and five touchdowns in his freshman campaign. Ray Ray McCloud (29-251,TD), Germone Hopper (21-317, TD) and Trevion Thompson (10-115) are also back after productive seasons.
Despite the loss to Alabama in the National Championship Game, Clemson’s offense gained a lot of confidence from its performance. The Tigers racked up 550 total yards against an Alabama defense some were calling the best in history. Watson himself threw for 405 yards and four touchdowns. He had 478 yards all together, a new National Championship Game record.
“We are very confident we can play with the best,” Watson said. “Everyone thought Alabama was going to roll over us, but we went toe-to-toe with them until that last play. It came down to an onside kick.
“We have a lot of confidence inside this program and Coach (Dabo) Swinney has done a great job over the past seven years to get us ready for moments like that. We are going to come back next year and try to do it all over again and finish the deal out.”
If you haven’t already order your copy today of Guts & Glory – Tales of Clemson’s Historic 2015 Football Season to help you celebrate and remember this special season.