home jobs contact us
Our Clients:
Browse by Sport
Find us on ASAP sports on Facebook ASAP sports on Twitter
ASAP Sports RSS Subscribe to RSS
Click to go to
Asaptext.com
ASAPtext.com
ASAP Sports e-Brochure View our
e-Brochure

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: CLEMSON VS ALABAMA


January 7, 2017


Deshaun Watson


Tampa, Florida

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: It's going great.

Q. Talk about what it's like to be back in this position.
DESHAUN WATSON: Feels good to be able to be back. It's a blessing. It's an opportunity for us to be one of the top two teams in the country, and it's hard to do. It took a lot of hard work and dedication and team work, and we're back here.

Q. You guys were able to take care of the Ohio State secondary. What do you think about this Alabama secondary?
DESHAUN WATSON: It's a very good team. It's overall defense, overall team and they're going to come prepared and ready to play. It's the national championship so it's a lot of good things that's going to happen, a lot of adversity that's going to hit and we're going to try to find ways to find holes in the defense and try to move the ball down the field and get points.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Just the hurt, just walking off the field and having the confetti rain down on us for the wrong reason, and that reason was because Alabama won and we lost the game. We just try to regroup, refocus and try to get back here and have it happen for the right reason.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Keeping it simple, having fun and I was prepared. That was really the only reason. No difference. Still a football, field is the same length, everything the same, just more people watching.

Q. Have you given thought to for so many guys on this team, this is it?
DESHAUN WATSON: We try not to think about that. We try to focus on the task at hand and just focus on this game. All that stuff has a time and place for it and we will worry about all that once this game is over.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: We believe in each other. We are just going on out there and play football. It's no different than any other game. We just focus on the task at hand and make sure that we execute our game plan and worry about Clemson. We wasn't worry about what Alabama is doing.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Not at all. They're their own defense, it's Alabama, so I focus on what Alabama is doing. I don't try to compare them to anyone else. We know that they're a good team, a good defense, so we will just go out there and do what we do. We feel like we're a good team, too, so it's two good teams going head-to-head.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: You know, I don't really focus on that, because I focus on what we have to do on our side of the ball. They just do a good job of getting the turnovers and creating those into touchdowns and points. I just focus on what I gotta focus on and I don't really focus on what they have going on over there.

Q. How much excitement did you get watching the Ohio State film not knowing you guys were able to dominate them and use this as a spring board into this game, so to speak?
DESHAUN WATSON: We just tried to focus on creating that momentum and carrying it over to this game. We don't focus on what we did against Ohio State because it's a whole different team, it's a whole different week. It's hard to get the same results. It's different than is going to happen through this game. We just try to focus on what we can do this week to get the same results and get the "W!"

Q. Coach said last week practicing for the Ohio State game that was the best week of practice so far. Do you feel like this week has been just as good?
DESHAUN WATSON: Yeah, I feel like this week has been very sharp, very good for all the players. Everyone has been focused in, getting a lot of rest, a lot of -- you know, 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.

Q. What does this team have that maybe that team didn't have?
DESHAUN WATSON: We just have experience. We are just more focused on the task at hand this year. Last year was an eye-opener. We had never been there before, and it was new to all of us. The only person that has really been to a national championship is Coach Swinney and a couple of other coaches but as far as players none of us been to this stage so last year we just kinda -- it was new for us to see the "hype" of the game and how it really was but this year everyone is keeping it calm and simple and just preparing for the game, keeping it calm and focused.

Q. Deshaun what does it mean to be invited to the Senior Bowl?
DESHAUN WATSON: It's special. It's an honor. Great opportunity for just me and my family. Just exciting to have this opportunity and, you know, just thank everyone from the Senior Bowl and the committee, to have the field invite me.

Q. Are you going to play?
DESHAUN WATSON: I'm not sure yet. My focus is on a national championship, and we will figure that out afterwards.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I'm not sure how that works. I was just playing the game and Swinney gave me the invite and told me I was invited so that's all I remember.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Yeah, you know, we just kind of connected my junior year in high school. Every since then we became great friends. He's been my roommate since we got to Clemson and we have this relationship that we just best friends, brothers and whatever I need he got for me and whatever he needs I got for him. So we always try to make sure we are on task and doing the same thing and just making sure we making each other better.

Q. Does that translate to the field?
DESHAUN WATSON: It do. We can relate to each other on game day. We're not afraid to tell each other if we're wrong and it just kinda spreads throughout the team this just this relationship and bond we have, not just me and Artavis, but the whole team, and I think that's very, very special. That's the difference between this year and last year.

Q. The success of this program, what does it mean to get yourselves into the position of playing for a national championship.
DESHAUN WATSON: It's just special. It started a long time ago, you know, before I even thought about coming to Clemson. He's been here for 13, 14 years and he just kind of been building this brand and this whole program. It's been the coaching change and all the great people that came through here and just the way he treats everybody, it's special. Each year it's growing and growing and I'm just blessed enough to be part of it for the past three years and just kind of helping it grow.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I don't look at it that way. It just depends on what the game plan is. Whatever the defense is giving us. We just try to look at what the defense is giving us and whatever they feel like, you know, we should do in the game plan and then I'm up for the challenge. We just try to focus on that.

Q. Deshaun, what has to go right for you guys to walk away with a national championship?
DESHAUN WATSON: Just be Clemson. Don't try to do too much. Everyone do their job and don't make it bigger than what it is.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Not at all, because I don't make the game plan, the offensive coordinators make the game plan. All that stuff y'all took it the wrong way. It was at ACC Media Days, and me and the guy from Bleacher Report -- I think it was Bleacher Report -- we had a conversation, and he asked about that and the question was very different from what the media saw. Then ESPN blew it up.

I can't remember really what the question was but I just said that, you know, just a dual threat gets overlooked for guys that can pass the ball, and that's all I really pretty much said.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I'm a quarterback, that's how I look at it. I guess if you want to say I'm a dual threat and I can run the ball, I can pass the ball, I don't really look at the label so much, I just try to be the best quarterback I can be.

Q. In this day and age of football, seems like there's a lot to -- (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: It's not a bad thing. That's they're opinion. My opinion is like I said before I just try to be the best quarterback I can be and help the team went. If you have to run I run the ball if I have to pass it I pass it. If I don't do neither and just get the ball to my skill guys and let them run the ball that's what I do but my job is to be the quarterback and all that label stuff I leave to the fans and the media.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I've watched it probably this week, maybe five times. I just kind of been going through the game and getting the feel of it and just how they play, but I didn't spend too much time figuring out what they did against us, because it's a whole new year. They have a difference defensive coordinator, a lot of different other skill guys, so I was just watching to get the feel of the speed of the game and, you know, just how they played us differently and try to assume what they are going to do this week.

Q. Does it feel like you're taking a test watching that film?
DESHAUN WATSON: You could say that. It's a whole different year. It's a whole different year. Entirely. Last year was our first time playing against Alabama, so they know what we do and we kinda know what they do.

We just kinda trying to regroup and refocus and try to not go off of last year but try to have the feel of the game and what they kind of did and what they are going to try to do this year.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I mean, it's a good group. I feel like last year they were very good, too. This year they're the same group, very, very talented, very physical, and they do a lot of great things on defense. It's going to be a tough task for us and we just gotta go out there and play.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: A lot better from last year just because we have more depth, nor experience, you know, we've been at this stage before. We've been in a lot of big games and a lot of pressure moments. I feel like this year we have a lot more experience in general.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Focus on trying to get the win. I don't worry about all the stats and things like that. I just try to focus on, you know, getting the final outcome and focus on winning. All that stuff last year I did is good but at the end of the day you want the "W" and to be a national champion and I wasn't so all of that kind of goes out the window.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I didn't say that, y'all said that. I'm not going to put that curse on me. I just go out there and play and hopefully we can get the results that we want.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I don't know. I mean, over the past six, seven years they had the success doing what they do. I mean, it's nothing that they should do to change to try to have success. They're going to be who they are and that's Alabama. They've been successful at doing that. I don't see them changing. I see them doing what they doing and playing football. That's what got them here. But we will find out Monday night and see what they do.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Just the way their defense is playing. People try to take away the run game so we will pass the ball. Then when people try to take away the pass we will run the ball. So it depends on what the defense is doing and the situation of the game and whatever Coach Scott and Coach Elliott and Coach Swinney want to feel like the game plan should be that will be successful for that week.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I mean, I've passed for 4,000 yards last year, almost 4,000 yards this year, so that speaks for itself.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Not at all, because turnovers are going to happen, mistakes are going to happen. You just move on and live from it. The great ones throw interceptions, too, so things like that happen. If you breakdown the film, sometimes it's tipped balls, sometimes the receiver slips, like last week, sometimes the defense makes a good play.

You only can control so much. You just go out there and play football. You don't worry about making mistakes. You play free and have fun.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Of course! They're the champs. They're on the top of the peak, and they're the standard, so you just want to beat -- if you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best, and right now they are the best. They earned that right, earned their stripes, and for us to be the champs we gotta go take it.

Q. Are you flattered that Coach Saban compared you to Cam Newton?
DESHAUN WATSON: That's a big compliment. Cam is a whole different animal, but I guess it's a privilege and it's an honor. I really appreciate and respect Nick Saban, so I thank him for that compliment.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Yeah, my journey has been special. It's been the best three years of my life. I've learned so much, I've grown so much not just as a player but as a person, just as a citizen, being in a community and helping others and inspire others across the world. Not just Clemson fans but people from Japan and Australia and people from around the world that come to Clemson, or people that I meet out in the public, just kind of saying that they look up to me and kind of the way I carry myself and treat others inspires them.

So it's been special over the past three years and being able to help this program grow and meet new people and create a family and an atmosphere that is very special for me and not just for my family but for the young ones too that's growing up.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Top everything off. This is something we have been waiting for 35 years and it's something I've always wanted, you know, just a national champion, and being able to call myself a champion on the football field is awesome.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: It brings another weapon to the offense. It's something they have to worry about and really respect. Mike is an animal. He's one of the best in the country to play the receiver position, so it's just great to have him over there, have him as another target, and not just to have him on the field but just to have his experience level and leadership, for all the young guys like Deon Cain and Overton and all those younger guys that's looking up to him.

Q. There are plenty of fans that are just excited to be here. What do you think you guys have meant to the state of South Carolina?
DESHAUN WATSON: I'm not sure. It's just been great. Just to be able to impact their lives and they don't know it but they really impact my life, too. They inspire me to do great things and do it the right way and just be able to carry myself the right way and just inspire others.

It's a win-win situation for both of us, and I'm just blessed to have that support cast that I have around me, and I really feel and believe that Clemson is a special place. Their fans are -- it's hard to really explain. It's just a special family group.

Q. Having been here last year, how does that impact this year?
DESHAUN WATSON: You kind of know what to expect. Last year was a whirlwind, so much going on. It was our first time, so we didn't really know what to expect. We were just going with the flow, and people telling us what to do and we were just doing it. We tried to balance everything out. This year we know what to expect and Swinney has a great plan for us to get a lot of rest and a lot of time, you know, for ourselves and just kind of relax our minds and also prepare at the same time. This year is a lot more balanced and more confident.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: It's special. We're here for a reason. Guy doesn't make mistakes and to have that chance and that second opportunity is great. It's a blessing to be here. We can't mess up and take this opportunity for granted. We have to take full advantage of it and go out there and just try to get the "Dub"!

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Of course. They're the champions. For us to be the champs we have to beat the champs.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Hasn't really hit me yet because I haven't made my decision yet, but it's been a fun ride, it's been special and I have enjoyed every single moment.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: It's going to be crazy, a lot of emotions, but I'm going to be locked into the moment and focus on my game plan and the task at hand.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: It was in the back of our minds, but we didn't focus on it too much, because we know it's a whole different year. We have to go re-earn it and take it one week at a time. But it was something that that pain and feeling walking off the field that you can't really just release. It's always going to be with you for the rest of your life, especially pulling up that close and losing to them in that way and that fashion. We just kind of grind it out, stay focused on the task at hand and hopefully we were going to be in this moment, and now we're here.

Q. This is a chance to get it right.
DESHAUN WATSON: Of course. Yeah, this is a chance, an opportunity for us to flip that pain into some joy and be able to be happy about the results that we get.

Q. What do you remember about your first game as a Tiger?
DESHAUN WATSON: I just remember, you know, getting off the buses, walking into the stadium and just being able to call myself a collegiate football player and just be where I wanted to be and walk into that stadium. Especially going on to the field for the first time it was crazy, you know? I remember the crowd noise and going out there trying not to mess up and I went down and scored on the first drive and that's all I remember because that's all -- I played until the very end but it was just kind of the jump start of my career and just the confidence level of what I can do at this level and be prepared for it.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: It means a lot, having the opportunity. It's very hard to set your chances in life and for us to be able to come back and have another chance at it against a very good team it's a blessing. It's a great opportunity for us, so we don't want to miss out on this opportunity and take it for granted. We want to go full throttle at it.

Q. How different is it this year now that you've been here before?
DESHAUN WATSON: Yeah, we are just kind of more relaxed and like I the one before that last year was an eye-opener, we didn't really know what to expect. It was our first time here, so much attention, lights, cameras and so many people. Our heads were everywhere. This year it's more relaxed and more calm and peaceful because we had the opportunity to know what to expect and know what this game is really about.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I guess just top it off. We've done so much over the past three years and ACC Conference Championships, bowl wins, road wins, home wins, so much we've done over the past three years, but this is pretty much the final thing we haven't done is beat be the national champion. It's a great opportunity for us to put that "W" especially for the seniors to cap it all off and be the champions.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I don't know. Pretty much the whole defense. They're a great group, they're here for a reason. They're the number one defense in the country for a reason. It's a complete group. They're very special. They play hard, know what they're doing, don't have a lot of mistakes and it's going to be a great task for us.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: That's each and every week. No matter who you are playing against, you know, being patient as a quarterback is the key, and trying to find out what they're going to do in the first couple series, just trying to find their hole and weaknesses and get the feel of the game.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: That's very big, just to set the tone and try to get on the board first and try to create that momentum that we really want and try to keep it on our side.

Q. What do you see that you might be able to do?
DESHAUN WATSON: I don't know. I'm not going to say that in the media. (Chuckles.)

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Clemson is special. It's very elite. We are one of the best programs in the country and we can compete with anyone. Even before my time we've just been winning big games, big-time games and trying to carry it over and build and prepare for moments like this.

It won't be no shocker for us to go out there and play at this type of level, because we've done it before and we have a lot of experience.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: No, I don't really worry about all that stuff. Regardless of if I'm the underdog or if I'm not, I just go out there and play football because all that stuff is for the fans and the media, just to kind of bet on and compare teams but at the end of the day both teams gotta go out there and prepare and gotta go out there and play.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: You just gotta be patient. It comes down to doing the little things right. If you do the little things right and execute your game plan then you can have success, but if you mess up on the little things, Alabama is going to expose that.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I'm really not sure. I just go out there and play. I wasn't focused on what people have done in the past, previous years. I'm just going to focus on my task at hand and just go out there and play ball and focus on my team.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I'm not sure. I just kinda -- like I said before, I just go out there and play ball and whatever they want to do we try to find the holes. We have answers on this offense and we have weapons, also, so we gotta go out there and win our match-up and it's going to come down to that.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: That's a big difference because we didn't have them last year. To be able to have two more weapons on this offense and have the leadership of those guys and the talent level and just, you know, we can do a lot more different things than we did last year, so it's going to be great to have those two guys out there preparing and out there playing.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: It's going to be top-notch. Not just now but for five years from now. It's going to be better than what it is now. It's growing each and every year, and I can see, I can feel it, Coach Swinney can see it and feel it and the fans can, too, also.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: A lot, you know, just the respect level of this program, just been growing. When I committed as a 15 year old back in 2012. I knew that this program was going to be special. That was one of the reasons why I committed. I felt the energy, I bought into what Coach Swinney was saying and what he thought the future was going to bring to this program and I wanted to be a part of it.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I've seen the outside, we walked through it a little bit but it wasn't really done. I don't think it will be done until the end of Jan. But whenever I come back and have my time I will probably enjoy it. Cherish all the moments that are going to be a part of it.

Q. What's the toughest part about preparing for this Alabama defense?
DESHAUN WATSON: They do so much good things on defense, so you try to find the weaknesses. When you look at a defense like this, there are really no weaknesses. You just gotta go out there and win your match-ups. So we've got to focus on what we've got to do to go out there and be successful.

Q. How important is ball security in a game like this?
DESHAUN WATSON: Ball security regardless of who you're playing is going to be the key to the game. When you don't have ball security, that's when the game is closer and tougher for you to pull out the win, so ball security in this game is going to be tough.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: So much, just his maturity level. I think last year he was coming in, and he was highly recruited. The whole world was in his hands, because he was so successful as a young guy, as a freshman. He just got caught up at the wrong place at the wrong time, and it was a good learning lesson.

We all proud of him. We helped him out throughout the off-season and even throughout the season, and just to see him grow, not just as a football player but as a young man, it brings me joy.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Just told him to keep his head up and remember who you is. Your mom raised you the right way, and he knew that. Just to have his brothers and boys around him, just to kind of bring him up and not just throw him to the side has really helped him out.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: We watched it a little bit early on this week, but we refreshed and focused on this year. Whole different group. It's a new defensive coordinator, it's a whole different year. We tried to focus on this year and what we have planned and what we can do to take advantage of this year's team.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I just try not to focus on that. At the end of the day, I want to get the "W". So whatever I can do to get the "W" and get the win, that's all I'm focused on. I can top the numbers, I did last year, and still lose, still be a loser. So at the end of the day I just try to get the win. If I throw for 100 yards and for one touchdown and we win, I'm happy.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Could be. I feel like last year's defense they had was pretty good, too. My freshmen year here at Clemson our defense was real solid, last year's defense was real solid, even this year's defense is really solid. I don't know, Ohio State's defense is real good. I played a lot of good defenses. It's one of the best.

Q. Have you found any hot wings? Are you envisioning your team winning?
DESHAUN WATSON: No, I haven't found any hot wings yet, just because we got in last night, but I probably will tonight, and, of course, I envision us walking off the field with a "W" and the confetti coming down on us for the right reasons and just having success. That's what you gotta do. You gotta picture it and envision it out before you walk on the field to have success.

Q. Talk about the comments and the conversations you've had with this team about getting back to this game.
DESHAUN WATSON: Just the conversation has been let's focus on the task at hand and take care of the little things. If we do that everything else is going to take care of itself and we will end up back in Tampa. That's what we did before, especially after the Pittsburgh game and hey, we're here back in Tampa and we've got to continue to do that to follow up.

Q. You've seen a lot of great defenses in your career, you played these guys last year in the National Championship game. Is there a more complex defensive group than you've seen from this team? Is this the most difficult challenge for you personally?
DESHAUN WATSON: I'm not sure because I haven't played against them yet. We will figure that out Monday night. Like I told the media before, my defense my freshman year here at Clemson was very complex, and what Coach V do each and every day is very confusing, too, so it won't be any kind of shocker to us when we get out there Monday, we just gotta get out there and play ball.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Pretty much every night, just because this is the standard of college football. Everyone wants to be in the national championship. Everybody can see it, everybody can feel it. Walking off that field and not having the confetti raining down on you for the right reasons is tough, and it's a lot of pain. Especially to get back here for the second time and to have that opportunity, you want to finish that way.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I think so. Like you said, we accomplished so much, so many bowl games, conference championships, road wins, home wins. This is the only thing we don't have. We've been waiting 35 years for it so it's another opportunity for us to bring it home.

Q. The goal is to limit turnovers. What Alabama does being able to score off of interceptions, does that raise the emphasis?
DESHAUN WATSON: No, because that goes into each and every game. You've been around us. Whenever we have turnovers, the game is a lot tougher, but whenever we control the ball and protect the ball, the game is a lot easier for us. It's going to start up there. We don't really go into a game focusing on what they doin' on defense. We going to focus on protecting the ball and having points of pressure whenever we touch it.

Q. Would you say they're more aggressive than other defenses in terms of trying to create turnovers?
DESHAUN WATSON: I'm guessing, but we've played a lot of teams, especially the last two games, Virginia Tech was great at creating turnovers, Ohio State was, and we just go out there and play ball and they do a great job of creating those turn overs, though.

Q. Coming back to this back-to-back years, what does it mean, and talk about Coach Swinney and playing for him.
DESHAUN WATSON: It's special. The people he brings to the program, to this university, the supporting cast that he has around him and the way he thinks. He always thinking positive and thinking the right way. It just draws attention and love and support to this program. Just the culture he created here has been special.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Of course! Even before I got here I knew that the program was growing, and I just wanted to be a part of it. I'm just one of those little pieces to the puzzle that's creating this program and it's a lot of other people doing the same thing. Maybe five, ten years from now this program is going to be better than it is now.

Q. What would a national championship mean for this program?
DESHAUN WATSON: Spark it up? Something we have been waiting for for 35 years and to have all the alumni, former players and fans just be excited about it. Once we get one national championship we can get another one and kind of continue to trend so someone is going to do it and hopefully we can do it this year.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Media is doing good, a lot of good questions, so it's going good. It's all good.

Q. Do you have anything special you do before the game?
DESHAUN WATSON: Same old. Sour gummy worms, Gatorade, talk to my mom and music. That's pretty much it.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I don't know. Last year they were very good, this year they're very good, and only difference I see is it's a whole -- I think they have seven or eight different starters on defense, but they have the same results. It's going to be a tough challenge for us and we're prepared for it.

Q. (Question about being in the red zone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I just cut it loose. I don't play scared, I don't play with fear. I just go out there, have fun, cut it loose. Whenever you play conservative, that's when you kind of play slow, so I go out there and play fast and just play football.

Q. Do you think about last year's result very much?
DESHAUN WATSON: Of course, that's something we think about all the time. Like I said before, we came so close to having a national championship, but we came up short, and they won. We want to flip the strip and try to be the winners this year.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Of course! They are the champions, so for us to be the champs, we gotta go beat the champs.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Yeah, you could say that. The Pittsburgh game was kind of a reality check for us. For us to be able to turn the strip and make sure that we are focusing on the little things and not getting complacent and every since then we had a different mind-set of each and every week is a championship game, and we have to approach it each and every week that way.

Q. If you win Monday night no one is going to accuse you of being -- you're going to be No. 1. What will that mean?
DESHAUN WATSON: It will be great. We understand that as a program but I guess the outside don't understand that and until we do that and beat the champs, then it's going to be the same result, same story. It will be nice to finish out the deal this week and just say we done it.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I don't know, that's a good question. We understand what we're about and what we do and all the results that we've gotten over the past four or five years, and we just kind of focus on what we do and we let the outside people talk what they want to talk about.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: As far as last year's game?

Q. Yeah.
DESHAUN WATSON: I watched it, I think it was Sunday last week when we got back from Arizona. I just kind of got the flow of the game and how they played against us and that was pretty much it. Nothing too much.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Yeah, whenever we got back from Arizona.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: No. I wasn't -- why would you focus on or dwelling on a loss? You try to move on from it.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Yeah, it's a whole different team, whole different year. A lot more experience, a lot more young guys contributing to the team and a lot more new people having to play a different role.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I mean, you have to pick your poison. I mean, if you want to double cover Mike, then you have to worry about Jordan Leggett, you have to worry about Hunter Renfrow, Artavis Scott, Wayne Gallman in the backfield. We can bring in Ray-Ray, Deon, so it's just a lot more than just Mike Reynolds.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: He did that on purpose. He came out the route slow on purpose so he can do that. He do it in practice, too. Mike he just -- like I said before, he's a different animal and he's a timely player and he kinda came out the route a little slow so he can just -- I don't know, Mike is -- if you really know Mike you will just laugh at it.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: He's going to kill it. He's going to take it to another level, he's going to learn from a lot of veterans and coaches that have been there, done that, and another game. Mike is going to be a superstar in the NFL.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: About the game? I mean, you just feel the emotions that you lost. That's all you feel, really, pretty much.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: No, we just cutout clips that kinda -- different plays throughout the game that could have affected or impacted the game and we felt like plays that we made all year that in that game we definite really make. It was the little things, taking care of that. So you focused on that and that's what he wanted to preach on is taking care of the little things and if we do that everything else will take care of itself.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I guess so, if you want to say.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: No, I don't expect it. I feel like my offensive line is going to do their task and I don't want it to happen so I'm not going to expect it.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I mean, I guess. I'm not sure. That defense last year was very good, too. They had maybe six, seven guys off that defense that got drafted so I think that was a pretty good defense, too.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Right, so that defense is very, very good. Like I said before, six or seven of those guys are in the NFL right now so that was a really, really good defense.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Of course. Because he had to earn his stripes. He had to earn his way up. It wasn't given to him. Everything that he accomplished in life and in his career, he's earned it. He never really had that -- people having that respect for him, so he had to earn that respect and he's done a good job of focusing on his tasks and what he has to do and not what people are saying about him.

That's why I love him. He can relate to all the players on the team, and he does a great job of that. That's what he tells everyone he's recruiting: I want to be a coach that relates to you off the field not just on the field. Being able to have that is powerful.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Well, I don't want to say it was on purpose but he could have come out of his break a little faster. Because if you watch it and see Coach Swinney, he's like, "Mike, get out your break," he's kinda yelling at Mike, because he kinda knew it, too. But Mike, he -- you just throw it his way, he's going to come down and catch it.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Right, right.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: We don't focus on that, we don't go into a game intimidated by no one. We're a good team, too, so I'm not sure where you're getting that with the Alabama defense because you're asking a lot of questions on them. We're not intimidated about what they're doing on defense and what they have.

We understand that they're a very good team, very good defense and they're very prepared, but that's not going to phase us. We go into a game thinking we're going to be successful against anyone.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: They're a good defense, number one in the country for a reason.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: No, it's the same mentality. Try to be the best and create turnovers and stop the offense.

Q. Talking to Coach Scott about his little one. He said his little one likes to play with you and you guys have fun. Can you talk about that?
DESHAUN WATSON: She is a pretty little girl and she is always kind of with the receivers and the skill guys, she is always around us so she is always playing and smiling and just having fun. It's just good to see that joy that she has, to be around her and her dad and her mom and being around the whole team.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Yeah.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Just a lot of different ones after practice, just running around having fun and every time I walk on the bus, his son, A.J. always give me a sour gummy worms so that's the biggest memory I have.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Yeah, 4. 4 is one of the numbers they know.

Q. Some of them traveled all the way to come here. What does that mean to you?
DESHAUN WATSON: That's great to have that fan support and supporting cast around us is just bringing the joy and the energy for us. It's very, very powerful. It's a blessing to be able to have that around you especially in a program like this.

Q. Did you want to say anything to them?
DESHAUN WATSON: I love the Clemson family. I thank them for all the support and all the great memories and we got one more to finish.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: He's very special, he's grown as a player, as a man, he's mature. Route running, blocking, overall the game, he took it to another level. Whatever he told me after the game that he was coming back, it kind of brought a smile to my face because -- not just because I can have another weapon but because of the friendship we can create and the brotherhood and how we can learn from one another. He's going to be -- he's going to finish strong here and then he's going to go to the NFL and impact that team.

Q. Talk about the feeling last year of walking off the field at the end of the game and coming up a little bit short.
DESHAUN WATSON: It's tough. Walking off the field for the wrong reasons, not getting out and finishing the deal. We worked so hard for it and, you know, you just kinda get to the end and not finish it, it's tough.

Of course it's in the back of our minds but we gotta focus on this year and it's a whole new year, whole new ball game.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I don't know. I guess they just have the players that's out there, just ball hawks, trying to find ways to get the ball. I can't speak on that too much, because I haven't watched too much of them over the course of the season. I just watched them this week. It's a good team. They create turnovers and find ways to get points.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I guess so. Guys that have the knack for the ball and have that "it" factor. I figure that they have a lot of guys that have that "it" and have the knack for the ball.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Just be Deshaun Watson, be the quarterback and the leader of the team and get the ball to the skill guys. Don't do anything too much or out of hand, just focus on that.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Not at all. Only thing that really affected us earlier this year was we wasn't really catching the balls or having the production that we wanted. A lot of dropped balls and a lot of missed throws by me, a lot of miscommunication. So the expectations had a factor on what we was doing earlier this year. Once we started catching balls and I started making the throws I needed to make, that's when everything started taking care of itself.

Q. Why do you think that was happening early on?
DESHAUN WATSON: It just happened that way. Better to happen at the beginning of the year. If you look across the country a lot of teams started off fast and ended slow. That's just the type of football that kind of happened this year and it's very hard to have success throughout the whole year. For us it started off bad early on, and we picked it up at the end.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Yeah, the chemistry with Artavis has been special. We have been best buds since juniors in high school, going through the recruit process together and since day one became great friends, so when we came to Clemson we wanted to be roommates, and that's what we did. We have just been like this since then, so it's been great.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I still have the same mentality, go out there and produce for my team.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Yeah, I mean, I don't see anything changing. It's a good team. They're there for a reason.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: He wanted to change and he wanted to help not just his teammates and his friends but he wanted to help himself and he wanted to grow as a person and as a player and that's what he did.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I have a little bit. So much has been going on so quickly but I'm going to have some downtime to think about that.

Q. What are your thoughts on this year?
DESHAUN WATSON: It's been special, it's just been great overall, and I'm blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of something special.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: The national championship.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: They're the champions and for us to be the champions, we gotta beat the champions, and we just wanted to -- we walked off the field last year feeling like we lost the game ourselves. We beat Clemson, we didn't lose to Alabama. We beat Clemson. So we just gotta go out there and play our ball.

Q. What did you do last year that you want to do differently this year?
DESHAUN WATSON: Finish the deal, get the "W" and take care of the little things.

Q. I asked your offensive lineman after you make a mistake, how does your demeanor change, and he said it doesn't. What do you do in your mind when you do make a mistake to go out there and correct things?
DESHAUN WATSON: I just snap and clear. Think about the next play and the next task I have at hand. I can't focus on the mistakes that I made, because that's going to drag throughout the course of the game and impact not just me but my teammates, too.

Q. How would you describe yourself as a leader?
DESHAUN WATSON: I'm a laid back, quiet guy, but when I need to speak, I speak, and the guys listen up. Just to have that demeanor and to have that respect throughout my teammates is great and special. We all have a great relationship.

Q. Dabo Swinney's energy is known throughout college football. Why is he such a special coach? (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I don't know, I couldn't speak on that part, but having a coach like Coach Swinney and his personality and the way he carries himself is just fun. He brings so much joy to practice and to the meeting rooms and everything we do. This program is special to have a coach like him.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: It's going to be won in the trenches. Our O line versus their D line, and our D line versus their O line, and it's going to start up there. And whoever wins in the trenches is going to win the game. Everyone is going to have to take care of their match-up and it's going to start up there.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Probably the Florida State game, being able to go down there and win. We haven't done it in years and especially on a prime time stage. Going there, it's tough to win so that was probably the biggest one.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: No, we feel the energy, we feel comfortable down here. We have a lot of Florida guys, especially a lot of Tampa guys on the team so it's good for those guys to be able to come home and play in a game.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Yes, sir, I appreciate it. Thank you.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Thank you. Yes, sir. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: Right.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I do not. Ask Swinney. He brought it up in a meeting and that's what we've been saying all year.

Q. He got it from the Cubs. It was the Cubs manager, Joe Maddon who used it this season. They won the World Series. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I knew he mentioned something about going up to the Cubs but I didn't know it came from the Cubs but, hey, that's a pretty good slogan to be able to take over and hopefully we get the same results the Cubs did and be champions.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I was interested in the World Series and especially when it came down -- especially when they were down 3-1 and to be able to come back, it was impactful and powerful.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: I think so. He especially can be as good as he wants to be. Being able to have the talent and support cast he has around him, I think he's going to be very special.

Q. (No microphone.)
DESHAUN WATSON: It's been special, it's been fun and we have just been enjoying it and hopefully we can get the one goal that we haven't achieved yet and that's a national championship.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP sports

tech 129
About ASAP SportsFastScripts ArchiveRecent InterviewsCaptioningUpcoming EventsContact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297