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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL AT THE CAPITAL ONE ORANGE BOWL: CLEMSON VS OKLAHOMA


December 29, 2015


Deshaun Watson


Miami Gardens, Florida

DESHAUN WATSON: I had a pretty good relationship with Coach Richt, but they didn't really show too much interest until my last year, my senior year, and about that time I was already locked in and committed and getting ready to graduate early, so I was just wanting to focus on my senior year. That was pretty much it from there.

Q. Blake was the same way, right?
DESHAUN WATSON: Right.

Q. Did they show a lot of interest in him?
DESHAUN WATSON: I'm not sure, really. I can't really tell you about his recruiting. I just know that he was very big on Alabama and Tennessee, and that's probably the only thing that I really know about that.

Q. Do you think it's because both of you guys have been like a dual-threat guy?
DESHAUN WATSON: I'm not sure. I guess none of us -- I guess we just wanted to get out of the state or something. We fell in love with a different school rather than Georgia. I can't really speak too much on that.

Q. (Inaudible.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I was on the sideline. Yeah, I was on the sideline with the team. I was at bowl practice and rehabbing, so I was there watching it.

Q. What did you think? Were you surprised that it went the way it did?
DESHAUN WATSON: No, I knew that Cole was going to have a great game, and I knew our team was going to play good. Clemson has been successful with or without me, so it's not a one-player or one-man show. It's about the team. You know, even if you take me out of this game, I think we'll still be successful and can win.

You know, it's not all about me, it's about the teammates and coming together as a unit.

Q. (Inaudible.)
DESHAUN WATSON: We have confidence regardless of the situation. We don't really -- of course last year was a big step for us, but I mean, this is a whole different year, and we know that we can play, and we know that we're here for a reason. So we're going to have confidence regardless.

Q. How does it change with the National Championship and the stage of this game?
DESHAUN WATSON: Nothing really changes. It's still a ballgame. It's just a little more hype around it, bigger media days, and different activities going around. Just more distractions, but it's still 100 yards, still got to execute and perform at a high level.

Q. Do you ever get a sense that it is a little bit like (inaudible)?
DESHAUN WATSON: No, I don't try to make it that game, and I just focus on my job and what I've got to do for my team to help us be successful and win. He's going to do his part. Mayfield is a great player. He got them to this point, and I'm going to do my job. We're not going to think about who's going to have the best stats and go back and forth with that, because whoever does that is going to lose focus on the real job.

Q. Are there particular players that you're going to be looking at?
DESHAUN WATSON: No, I'm still going to do our job and we're still going to do our plan and perform at a high level. We've played good defenses before, so at this point of the game, it's four of the best teams in the country, so everyone is good. We've just got to go out there and perform.

Q. Last year when you were playing the Russell Bowl, Coach Swinney said he felt like this team was a College Football Playoff caliber team going into this year. What have you seen this year that has you here?
DESHAUN WATSON: We've just finished plays. The last couple of years, I haven't really been around much, but being recruited and being committed for so long, Clemson has just been a couple plays away from the National Championship. Last year we were a couple of plays away from being in the College Football Playoff.

You know, that was probably the biggest difference, that we finished games, and instead of not capitalizing on those opportunities with those plays, we did this year, and we're at that point, 13-0, and having a chance to play for the whole thing.

Q. Were you back in Gainesville over Christmas?
DESHAUN WATSON: I was.

Q. Were people talking about Clemson at home?
DESHAUN WATSON: All over. I've seen a lot more orange than red, so that was a good thing.

Q. Really?
DESHAUN WATSON: Yeah. Gainesville, it's a great town because they're going to be supportive of anybody, and it really doesn't matter where they play at. If you came from Gainesville, then the whole town is going to be behind you. It was all good.

Q. (Inaudible.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Favorite part was probably the beach party yesterday. That was probably the best, getting on the jet skis. That was my first time getting on a jet ski in the ocean. It was kind of rough, but that was probably the funnest part.

Q. Is there an advantage to having played in this stadium?
DESHAUN WATSON: I wouldn't so much say an advantage. You know, we've played in it so we know how the stadium is, and the different things about the stadium. But I mean, we've still got to go out there and play, and regardless of where we play and that, we've still got to perform and execute, and if we don't do that, it's going to make it hard for us to win. I wouldn't say it's going to give us full advantage.

Q. How has Dabo helped you guys handle the pressure of being here?
DESHAUN WATSON: Just be who we are and continue to do the little things and execute on the big things. You know, it's really not pressure if you know what you're doing, if you know what position you're in and you know the situation. We really didn't have any pressure on us. We've just been consistent doing the little things and being Clemson and playing Clemson ball. I think that's why we've been so successful with that.

Q. He seems to be a coach, after games dancing and all that stuff. What's that mean to you guys as players, having a more relatable guy?
DESHAUN WATSON: It's fun. It's a guy that you can always just let loose and be around. It's not just about football, it's about life and just having fun and celebrating the wins. That's what it's all about. This game, especially at this level, if you're not having fun, it's going to be hard to be successful, so that's what he wants to bring to this culture and this program is have fun with it, lighten up the mood, and not make it too serious.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so why not have fun and enjoy the moment.

Q. What's he done this week for you guys, dealing with all this, the media, leading up to the game?
DESHAUN WATSON: Same thing he's been doing before: Regular meetings, motivating us, preparing us on the practice field, preparing us in the meeting rooms, and just really continuing to do the little things so we can perform at a high level Thursday.

Q. (Inaudible.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Just confidence and knowing what he's doing, getting the playbook down and just going out there and performing. You know, he has a lot of confidence, and that comes with preparation and just giving that time on the field on Saturdays and just really getting the feel of the game, and that's what he's been doing so far, so he's been doing a great job, and he's going to continue to do a good job.

Q. (Inaudible.) What do you think about media day?
DESHAUN WATSON: Just a chance to show our brand and show who we are and just really give credit where credit is due, and that's the coaching staff, the fans, and all the teammates and players that's on this team and all the hard work we put into it to get to this moment. You know, deep down it's a regular game, but at the same time it's a lot more hype around it, and we're playing for a National Championship. It's not really so much a regular game, but if you treat it that way, then you won't have problems or have any pressure or have any worries about putting too much stress on yourself.

Q. (Inaudible.)
DESHAUN WATSON: No, I mean, I could have did that at the beginning of the year. I just didn't have to. You know, the first three games -- well, the first two games I only played one half, so I couldn't really run that much, and then I started running more at Louisville, Notre Dame, and that's when it kind of continued to go. It just depends on the situation of the game and what the game plan is. That's the time I wanted to -- they wanted me to start running, so it was the coaches' call.

Q. (Inaudible.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Just the feel of the game. I'm not really sure. It just depends on the game plan and the situation. Just really how the coaching staff feels about this play call and what the defense is doing.

Q. What do you do to get yourself ready to play?
DESHAUN WATSON: I do the same thing. You know, I talk to my mom, listen to music, pray, and I just talk to some of the people around me, some of my old friends, and just be calm and just really tell myself, enjoy the moment. I've been doing this and dreaming about this my whole life, so why not enjoy it and celebrate this time.

Q. What does your mom tell you before bigger games, like say against North Carolina in the ACC title game?
DESHAUN WATSON: Honestly, she tells me no matter what the game is, she tells me the same thing: Be calm, be cool, collected, go out there, have fun, trust your reads, trust your eyes, and lead this team, because you're a leader. That's what we've been doing, and once I hear those words, she says, I love you and go get it. That kind of motivates me to go play hard.

Q. Is she one of the reasons that you're able to have that calm approach on the field?
DESHAUN WATSON: Yeah, I think so. That's the way she raised me, through the struggle and the bad times. She's always been calm and cool. Just seeing her do that, that kind of made me to do the same thing and it translated onto the field. She's a big part of that.

Q. Will she be here?
DESHAUN WATSON: She will be.

Q. Is she here yet?
DESHAUN WATSON: She's coming down today.

Q. Driving, flying?
DESHAUN WATSON: They're driving, but they like to stop at different places and see the whole ride, so they're enjoying the moment just like me.

Q. Have you ever seen her out in the stands when you score a touchdown? Do you know where she's sitting on game day?
DESHAUN WATSON: Most of the time I do. I'm not sure where they're going to sit this week, but I'll find out before the game and make sure I know where they're at.

Q. Do you ever give her a special gesture or symbol on the field so she knows --
DESHAUN WATSON: I just really point at her, point at my whole family, but it's not really a certain thing that I do. I just point at them.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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