TAMPA, Fla. — On Saturday morning, the excitement of the National Championship heightened with the National Championship Media Day event. Players and coaches from both No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Clemson participated in interview sessions with the rematch just around the corner.
Here is what we heard:
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said that Clemson would not be in the position it’s in right now if it did not first meet the team goals outlined at the beginning of the season.
“Our goal is to win the opener. Our goal is to win the division, win the state championship, win the ACC and win the closer. That’s our goals,” Swinney said. “If we can hit those, we’ve always said, if we hit all five, we’ve got a chance to win it all. Here we are. We’re not driven by that. We’re driven by being the very best we can be. The guys were very driven toward that commitment of being the best that we could be, and I think they knew if we took care of business we’d have an opportunity, but you don’t get here unless you have a great spring, have a great summer, do the right things, be committed, get off to a good start.”
Swinney knows first-hand the challenge that Alabama presents, but competing against that level of competition is an honor for Clemson.
“They’re the best, and I mean, there’s just, nobody can argue that. What they’ve done is unbelievable. I mean, just unbelievable, the run that they’ve had,” Swinney said. “You know, this is an opportunity. I mean, you want to be the best, and we’re getting a chance to play the best. We find a way to win this game, we’ll be just that, because you knocked off the champ. That’s just the way it is. They’ve got the swag, they’ve got the belt, and if we want that, we’ve got to beat them. Simple as that.”
Quarterback Deshaun Watson said that although Clemson is facing the same opponent, this year is entirely different. He feels confident in what he has seen so far from his team in preparation for the title game.
“I feel like this week has been very sharp, very good for all the players,” Watson said. “Everyone has been focused in, getting a lot of rest, everyone is healthy, no one is really banged up so this week has been good and we still have three more days to carry over this past week and finish up the final touches of the game plan and get everyone prepared and ready for Monday night.”
One of the biggest aspects of the game will be the battle of the two dominant defenses, and veteran defensive tackle Carlos Watkins knows how important winning in the trenches will be come Monday.
“It starts with us up front. They present a great challenge,” Watkins said. “Always been a physical team, always had a great O Line and been able to run the ball. So our job as the D line, if we stop the run, it makes things harder on offense.”
Linebacker Ben Boulware said this year is different because the Tigers have now had the experience of playing in a National Championship before, and they have less distractions since they know what to expect.
“I think guys are just that much more acclimated to this situation, this environment, this experience,” Boulware said. “Kind of going through the same type of season last year, a lot of those same guys are on this team this year. Guys are just ready for it. They’re not overwhelmed by anything that comes along with playing in the National Championship. At the end of the day, it’s another game for us on Monday.