On the brink: Clemson, Watson eye national title after Orange Bowl win

The Clemson Tigers beat the Oklahoma Sooners, 37-17, in one of the College Football Playoff semifinals to advance to the national championship game.

Pete Thamel | Dec 31, 2015

On the brink: Clemson, Watson eye national title after Orange Bowl win /

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — In December of 2012, the high school football team buses reached the town line in Gainesville, Ga., and were greeted by police cruisers with lights flashing. They escorted the buses to Gainesville High, where a crowd of hundreds was preparing to launch a post-midnight celebration of the school’s first state football title.

That magical night was made possible by a precocious quarterback, Deshaun Watson. Watson would go on to attend college at Clemson, which is on the cusp of a similar celebration after its 37–17 win over No. 4 Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Thursday evening. Watson chose Clemson as his collegiate home in part because he saw the rural town of 14,000 as a kindred spirit to Gainesville (35,000), both tight-knit communities where football dominates the daily conversation and dictates the mood each week in the fall.

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Clemson's path to the national championship game

Clemson 49, Wofford 10: The Tigers kicked of the season with a comfortable win over the Terriers in which Clemson scored the first 35 points of the game.

Clemson 41, Appalachian State 10: The Tigers continued to roll through their nonconference schedule with a beatdown of the Mountaineers.

Clemson 20, Louisville 17: The Tigers eked out a win in the ACC opener when Cardinals quarterback Kyle Bolin's last-second heave was intercepted.

Clemson 24, Notre Dame 22: The Tigers prevailed in pouring rain when Carlos Watkins wrapped up Fighting Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer on a potential game-tying two-point try with seven seconds left. A jubilant Dabo Swinney declared after the win, “It was BYOG, bring your own guts.”

Clemson 43, Georgia Tech 24: After two straight tight wins, the Tigers routed the Yellow Jackets, building a 33–10 lead by halftime. All facets of the game clicked as Deshaun Watson and Wayne Gallman each contributed two scores while Clemson's defense held Georgia Tech to 1.7 yards per carry.

Clemson 34, Boston College 17: Deshaun Watson singlehandedly took care of the Eagles with 420 yards passing and four total touchdowns.

Clemson 58, Miami 0: The Tigers pummeled the Hurricanes so badly, Miami opted to fire coach Al Golden after the game. Clemson ran for 416 yards and held Miami to 146 yards of offense.

Clemson 56, NC State 41: Deshaun Watson scored six total touchdowns with 383 yards passing and 54 yards rushing. Wayne Gallman also chipped in 172 yards on the ground to keep the Tigers ahead of the Wolfpack.

Clemson 23, Florida State 13: In their first game ranked No. 1, the Tigers overpowered the Seminoles, wearing them down with over 100 yards rushing from both Deshaun Watson and Wayne Gallman. After a 75-yard touchdown run from Dalvin Cook on the second play from scrimmage, Florida State never reached the end zone again.

Clemson 37, Syracuse 27: Despite three turnovers that helped the Orange hang around, the Tigers pulled away with 473 yards of offense from Deshaun Watson.

Clemson 33, Wake Forest 13: The Tigers' defense shut down the Demon Deacons, holding them to 152 yards of offense and 1.2 yards per carry. Deshaun Watson came through with another big game, passing for 343 yards with four total touchdowns.

Clemson 37, South Carolina 32: With the Tigers needed him most, Deshaun Watson delivered. The quarterback led Clemson on a 75-yard drive, contributing all but three yards himself, to reach the end zone and put the Gamecocks away after they closed within three in the fourth quarter.

Clemson 45, North Carolina 37: The Tigers held off the Tar Heels to win the ACC title and punch their tickets to the playoff. Deshaun Watson put on one last show for Heisman Trophy voters with 289 yards passing, 131 yards rushing and five total touchdowns. Wayne Gallman added another 187 yards and a score on the ground.

ben-boulware-deshaun-watson-clemson-beats-oklahoma-orange-bowl.jpg — Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Clemson 37, Oklahoma 17: The Tigers piled on 312 rushing yards while limiting the Sooners to just 67 in the Orange Bowl. Clemson blanked Oklahoma in the second half to pull away for the win and advance to the national championship game.

They’ve been waiting for a generation around Clemson, where football and the community are intricately intertwined. This time around, however, there may be a few more folks waiting for Watson when the buses pull back into the stadium.

Published Dec 31, 2015

PETE THAMEL

Senior writer Pete Thamel covers college football and basketball. Prior to joining SI in 2012, he was a national college sports writer for The New York Times.