Clemson's 10 Best: Top Quarterback Performances Ever
Over the years, Clemson has seen a variety of talented quarterbacks come through the program. With that, there has been a multitude of fantastic performances from those quarterbacks.
From the last-minute comebacks to the thrilling fourth down conversions, Clemson fans have seen a little bit of everything over the years, and have been fortunate enough to witness some exhilarating performances from the quarterback position.
In a continuation of our 10 Best series here at AllClemson, we take on the difficult task of ranking the ten best all-time performances by a Clemson quarterback:
10. Charlie Whitehurst at South Carolina (2003)
Clemson fans remember this one well, as the the Tigers embarrassed Lou Holtz and South Carolina 63-17 on the road in Williams-Brice. Whitehurst was 18-26 for 302 yards and tied a school record at the time with four touchdown passes. He also added another 43 yards on the ground in the dominating win.
9. Deshaun Watson at North Carolina (2014)
Making his first career start, Watson shredded the Tarheel secondary for 435 passing yards and a school-record six touchdowns. He did so completing 75 percent of his passes, proving to be everything Clemson fans had imagined he'd be as a starting quarterback.
8. Kyle Parker vs Miami (2009)
Sitting at 3-3 and in dire need of a big win early on in Dabo Swinney's tenure, Clemson hit the road to take on a top ten Miami team. Parker hit on 25 of his 37 pass attempts, throwing for 326 yards and three touchdowns as Clemson upset the Hurricanes 40-37 in overtime. Parker connected with Jacoby Ford for a 26-yard touchdown on the game's final play, giving Clemson its first road win over a top-10 team in more than eight years.
"It was a play that we had never run before."- Offensive coordinator Billy Napier regarding the games final play
7. Deshaun Watson vs Alabama (2015 CFP Championship)
Clemson might have lost the battle, but Watson's performance was still good enough to make the list. He lit up the Alabama defense, completing 30-45 passes for 405 yards, with four touchdowns. The ever-elusive quarterback also rushed the ball 20 times for another 73 yards, frustrating Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide defense all night long. If not for some secondary busts and a surprise onside kick, Watson wills his team to victory instead of suffering a 40-35 loss, and this performance is much higher on the list.
6. Trevor Lawrence vs Alabama (2018 CFP Championship)
Lawrence finished up a remarkable freshman season by leading Clemson to its second national title in three seasons. The moment never looked too big for the true freshman as he lit up the Crimson Tide defense for 342 yards through the air and three touchdown passes. The win made Clemson the first 15-0 team in the modern era.
5. Tajh Boyd vs NC State (2012)
Boyd set a school record with eight total touchdowns in a 62-48 win at home over the Wolfpack. He was 30-44 for 426 yards and five touchdowns and ran the ball 18 times for 103 yards and another 3 touchdowns. He was responsible for every Clemson touchdown on the day, throwing for touchdowns of 69, 62, 40, 27 and 7 yards and running for a 4-yard score and two 9-yard scores. The win gave Clemson their first 10-win season since 1981.
"I mean, our guys had the eye of the tiger."- Dabo Swinney following the win
4. Woody Dantzler at Georgia Tech 2001
Dantzler led the No. 25 Tigers into Atlanta to take on the unbeaten and ninth-ranked Yellow Jackets and on this day the Clemson quarterback was magical. Dantzler made one spectacular play after another, going 18-of-32 through the air for 254 yards and two touchdowns, while also running the ball 25 times for another 164 yards and two more touchdowns. The final one being a quarterback draw on which he scored from 11 yards out on the games final play, giving Clemson a thrilling 47-44 overtime win.
3. Woody Dantzler at NC State (2001)
Dantzler put up video game-like numbers in this one, accounting for 517 yards of offense and six touchdowns, both school records at the time. He hit on 23-of-27 passes for 333 yards and ran the ball 23 times for 184 yards as the No. 16 Tigers beat the Wolfpack 45-37. This game put Dantzler over 4,000 yards passing and 2,000 yards rushing for his career, as he became the first ACC player to accomplish the feat.
2. Tajh Boyd vs LSU (2012 Chick Fil A Bowl)
Boyd took a beating the likes of which many quarterbacks rarely take in their careers as he led Clemson to a program changing 25-24 win over LSU, Boyd completed 36-for-50 passes for 346 yards and two touchdowns and ran the ball another 29 times, that included a rushing touchdown in what was his signature win as the Tigers quarterback.
1. Deshaun Watson vs Alabama (2016 CFP Championship)
After taking one violent shot after the other throughout the first half and falling behind 17-7 early in the third quarter, Watson would lead Clemson to a thrilling 35-31 comeback victory in one of the most exhilarating college football games of all-time. Watson completed an astounding 36 passes for 420 yards and added another 43 rushing yards. He absolutely shredded what was labeled as one of the greatest college defenses of all-time as he led the Tigers to their first national title in over 30 years.
