Deshaun Watson caps college career with another sterling title game performance

TAMPA, Fla. – The final play of Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson’s career will officially be a kneeldown. But the final memory every Clemson fan will have of Watson is his game-winning touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow.

It’s an incredibly fitting memory, too. The touchdown pass with one second left to give Clemson a 35-31 win over Alabama in the College Football Playoff national championship game cemented Watson’s legacy as one of the greatest players in Clemson history. And it also means Watson will be mentioned alongside one of his childhood idols in the annals of college football lore.

Shortly after the win, Watson said he looked up to former Texas quarterback Vince Young as he was growing up and remembered Young’s game-winning dash vs. USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl. The fourth-down scamper with 19 seconds left to give Texas the national title has been the most iconic championship game play since the beginning of the BCS in 1998.

And thanks to Watson, Young’s moment has a challenger for the most dramatic moment in college football title game history. Heck, it was a moment Watson even foreshadowed as a junior in high school.

The game-winning pass was a play Watson knew would work once he saw Alabama lined up in man coverage. Renfrow, lined up in the slot, was to run a quick out. Artavis Scott, lined up on the outside, was to turn inside. He did so while holding up his defender. That allowed Renfrow to slip underneath, ahead of Alabama defensive back Tony Brown, who was helpless to do anything.

“Just kind of slowed down the moment, just kind of smiled to myself and just knew because I knew that we were inside the five and they were going to play straight cover zero man,” Watson said. “And I knew if [Scott] was going to make his block and get the little pick, Renfrow was going to get in the end zone. I kind of smiled and I knew before I even snapped the ball it was going to be a touchdown.”

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The toss was Watson’s third passing touchdown of the night and came on his 56th pass. Clemson ran 99 plays Monday night, and Watson accounted for 77 of them when you count his 21 official rush attempts. In last year’s 45-40 loss to Alabama in the title game, Watson accounted for 67 of Clemson’s 85 plays and racked up 478 total yards.

A year later, Watson had 463 total yards. And, most importantly, a fourth total touchdown, one more than he had in 2016. The fourth score was made possible because there was 127 seconds left on the clock when Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts scampered into the end zone to give Alabama a 31-28 lead.

“I just flashed back from last year when they scored and when we scored and we were down five but we ran out of time,” Watson said. “But I just smiled right when they scored. I seen the two minutes and one second on the clock and I just smiled and I just knew. … Last year [Alabama] ran out the time, but this time they left us a little bit too much.”

The TD was also aided significantly by the aggressiveness Clemson showed at the end of the game. The Tigers could have easily opted for a game-tying field goal attempt and a chance in overtime. But coach Dabo Swinney didn’t want to be conservative because he had Watson.

“We were putting it in No. 4’s hands, and we would have kicked the field goal if we’d have had to right there on that last play [if the pass was incomplete],” Swinney said. “If we’d have just had a couple seconds, we’d have kicked it and gone to overtime, but we were playing to win and making sure that we had the right call.”

It was a minor miracle – and a testament to Watson’s toughness – that he was able to be at his best for Clemson’s final drive. The Alabama defense, knowing Watson was the key to the Tigers’ hopes, hit Watson hard early and often.

The game began with a hit on Watson that could have been flagged for a hit to the head.

And at one point, the Clemson quarterback went helicoptering through the air in a way that may even surpass John Elway’s Super Bowl flutter for airtime. And it made everyone watching cringe.

So you can understand why the Clemson quarterback would think about heading to the NFL after those types of hits. But Watson made his mind up a long time ago about going pro following the 2016 season after graduating from Clemson in three years. He’s going to be a first-round pick in May’s draft.

“I’ve enjoyed the three years and I just wanted to sign my name and end it with an exclamation point and I think I did that,” Watson said.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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