PHOENIX, Ariz. — As the final seconds ticked off the clock in last year’s loss to Alabama in the College Football Playoff Championship Game, Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams just stared at the scoreboard and wondered, “Maybe what if I was out there, we probably would have won.”

But Williams could not be out there. A few weeks earlier, he had just taken the brace off his neck from an injury that went back to the season-opener against Wofford.  Williams fractured part of his vertebra after running into a goal post just a few plays into the 2015 season.

Just like that, his season was over.

However, his Clemson teammates kept marching on as they went on to beat Wofford that afternoon as well as the 13 other opponents that followed, eventually landing in the national championship game and playing in the same stadium—the University of Phoenix Stadium—they will play No. 3 Ohio State in tonight’s Fiesta Bowl (7 p.m.) as part of the College Football Playoff.

“It’s hard for a guy like that, who works so hard to have to sit out and watch an entire season, especially one that leads to the playoffs, where he knows he could have helped the team,” co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Jeff Scott said. “It’s one thing when you are out a week and have to wait to come back, but it is another thing when you are out a year.”

Having that feeling of helplessness motivated Williams to not only get back to the shape he was before he was injured, but to come back even better, bigger and stronger than before. When he checked in for fall camp back in August, the 6-foot-4 wide receiver was 223 pounds.

“He’s a better player this year than he would have been last year, and he would have been amazing,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “But I think his mindset, his mentality, his appreciation for his opportunity, the fact that he was able to sit and learn last year, and I think that fire was burning hard and intense for him coming into the season.”

Williams’ passion allowed him to have one of the best seasons a Clemson wide receiver has ever had. He led the Tigers with 84 receptions for 1,171 yards, while scoring 10 touchdowns – just the fourth Clemson wideout in history to catch at least 10 touchdowns in a season.

“I wanted to be out there to help my teammates last year, but unfortunately I couldn’t,” Williams said. “So I just told the coaches that we have an opportunity, if I have an opportunity to come out and play at Clemson, again, I want to get back to the National Championship and win it.”

The Tigers (12-1) have that opportunity, as a win tonight will advance them back to the national championship game for a second straight year.

“It’s a special moment or me. I am just soaking it all in right now,” Williams said. “Just being out there watching my teammates last year, I wanted to be a part of that; and just to be a part of it this year, it is a very special moment.”

Williams comes into his first playoff game with 28 starts under his belt and with 163 career receptions for 2,537 yards and 20 touchdowns. He is tied for third in Clemson history in receiving touchdowns, fifth in yards and seventh in receptions.

“Mike Williams is a monster. I mean, he’s a game-changer, every snap, whether he gets the ball or not,” Swinney said. “If he lines up on the field, he impacts the game because I promise you the D coordinator is hoping that it doesn’t go number 7’s way. He’s just that type of guy.”

Williams is considered to be a top 10 pick in next April’s NFL Draft, which makes his position coach so proud because he knows where Williams has come from and what he went through to get in the position he is in today.

“I still remember him in high school,” Scott said. “He was a basketball guy that came out to play football. He was very raw, but you could tell that he was going to be a talented guy. He has worked extremely hard to get to where he is today.

“He has had a great year for us and he has a great future ahead of him. I’m very proud of him and very happy for everything that he has been able to accomplish because he has earned it. Nobody has given him anything. He had to go earn everything that he’s got.”