CLEMSON, S.C. — Deshaun Watson rarely panics, not as a high school star in Georgia watching his mother fight cancer or as Clemson’s quarterback working to come back from knee surgery.
Calm and confident without being flashy, the sophomore’s style led the Tigers to their first undefeated season since 1981 — and a chance to accomplish much more.
Watson’s mother, Deann, said her son has always been steady and on task, more concerned with solving problems than worrying about them.
“That’s never changed with him,” she said.
Watson was the one, Deann said, who brought home the Habitat for Humanity flier that helped the family leave public housing for a home of their own.
Deshaun Watson did not collapse with his mother’s diagnosis. Instead, he dived into research to make sure it was not “death cancer,” as he called it.
It wasn’t. Deann Watson went through radiation and chemotherapy and is currently free of the disease, her son said.
Deshaun Watson has brought that to the field this season, the best player on the country’s No. 1 team, and a Heisman Trophy finalist.
“That’s just the type of person I am,” the sophomore said. “I never really flinch or panic under pressure. I just know what the situation is and where we need to go.”
Right now, that’s to the top of the college football world.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Watson showed flashes of his talent with 14 touchdown passes and two interceptions in his injury-shortened freshman season. He had surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee last December and entered this season dragging the injury-prone label alongside his Heisman Trophy potential.
Watson brushed both aside. Criticized for not throwing long much the first half of the season, Watson answered with a 34-17 victory over Boston College on Oct. 17. The Eagles entered the contest with the country’s No. 1 overall defense, yet Watson passed for a season-high 420 yards, including touchdown passes of 51 yards to Artavis Scott and 21 yards to Zac Brooks.
His season took flight in rain-soaked Death Valley as he led the Tigers to a 24-22 win over Notre Dame that shot Clemson (13-0) into the playoff conversation.
He has not slowed down since. Watson has led the Tigers to eight consecutive wins with over 500 yards of offense to finish the regular season. He has thrown for 3,223 yards and 27 touchdowns. He has run for 756 yards and has gone past 100 rushing yards in three of Clemson’s final four regular-season games — all the while running for nine touchdowns.
In the regular-season finale, Clemson saw its 18-point lead over South Carolina dwindle to three points in the fourth quarter. It was third-and-7 at the Gamecocks’ 33-yard line. After a time out, Watson completed a 24-yard pass through traffic to set up a first-and-goal. Three plays later, he finished off the drive with his fourth touchdown of the game.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Watson gives the Tigers an edge that no one else in college football has: The best player in the country.
“Look at any championship team and most have a great quarterback and a great leader,” Swinney said. “He’s special.”
Watson always felt that if he played solidly and the team was successful, individual honors would follow. Last week, he won the ACC’s player of the year award, and now makes his first trip to New York, where either he or running backs Derrick Henry of Alabama or Christian McCaffrey of Stanford will be awarded the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night.
Win or lose, count on Watson to bring the same, steady approach when Clemson returns to practice for its national semifinal game against No. 4 Oklahoma on Dec. 31 in Miami.
“It’s a team thing around here,” Watson said. “That’s what we focus on.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.