Why Clemson's Deshaun Watson should win the Heisman Trophy

Why Clemson QB Deshaun Watson should win this season's Heisman Trophy.

The most outstanding player in college football is a comeback story, a first-tier NFL prospect and the centerpiece of the nation’s top-ranked team. He is a beautifully lofted ball over the outstretched arm of a defensive back, a quick body feint to leave a pass rusher grasping at air. He is a 238.9 passer rating in a treacherous road game at NC State and 420 yards of total offense with five touchdowns to vanquish North Carolina in the ACC title game. He is Deshaun Watson.

About a year after undergoing surgery to repair the torn ACL in his left knee, Watson, a sophomore, has Clemson on the cusp of its first national championship since 1981. All he needs to do now is lead the Tigers past Oklahoma—which ranks No. 12 in the country in Football Outsiders’ S&P+ metric—and then the winner of Alabama and Michigan State. Simple, right? For Watson, the answer lies somewhere between “yes” and “maybe,” which is more than what you could say for any other quarterback set to start a College Football Playoff game.

• THAMEL: Deshaun Watson has come a long way and carried Clemson

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Still, to become the 81st Heisman winner, he must have persuaded many of the 929 voters that he’s more deserving than every other player on every other team of a prestigious award with vague criteria. There is no doubt Watson did this, that his candidacy towers over those of the other two finalists, Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey and Alabama’s Derrick Henry. At a basic level, he is the best player lining up at the most important position on the best team in the country. That’s a pretty good place to start, but if you’re not convinced, consider:

• Among quarterbacks with at least 80 attempts against Power Five opponents, Watson ranked second in completion percentage and fifth in passer rating.

• He led the ACC with 30 touchdown passes, averaged 8.5 yards per attempt and helped the Tigers rank third in the nation in Passing S&P+.

• He ranked seventh in the ACC with 887 rushing yards, bested all Tigers' running backs by averaging 6.3 yards per carry (minus sacks) and is the only player in the FBS since 2012 to record over 3,500 passing yards and 800 rushing yards.

And to think: The Tigers’ top returning wide receiver, junior Mike Williams, suffered a season-ending injury against Wofford in Week 1.

Clemson's path to the national championship game

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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.

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

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Heisman cases are built on a combination of individual feats and team success. The former occupies a larger space on Watson’s pie chart, though the latter cannot be overlooked. A program long derided as an underachiever with a penchant for losing games to inferior opponents now sits two wins away from college football’s ultimate prize. Watson elevated the Tigers from tantalizing to title contender, from a double-digit winner with some nice skill-position talent and a rebuilt defense to a juggernaut that beat back the best the ACC had to offer with remarkable ease.

We’ll find out how good Clemson really is when it takes on the Sooners in Miami Gardens, Fla., on New Year’s Eve. We already know how good Watson is.