Watson poses next test for U of L defense
While the University of Louisville football team isn't quite sure which of its quarterbacks will start in Saturday's game at Clemson, the Cardinals know exactly who they'll face on the other side of the ball.
Freshman Deshaun Watson took over Clemson's quarterback position in the second quarter of the Tigers' thrilling overtime loss at Florida State on Sept. 20 and hasn't looked back.
In that three-week stretch, Watson has proven to be one of the best players in the Atlantic Coast Conference, winning the league's offensive back of the week award after Saturday's 41-0 win over NC State.
"It'll be our biggest challenge that our defense has faced to date," U of L coach Bobby Petrino said.
In his two starts and three quarters against FSU, Watson's completed 67.7 percent of his passes, throwing for 968 yards and eight touchdowns against one interception.
But what made Watson, a Georgia native, one of the top 50 football prospects in the 2014 recruiting class was his dual-threat ability. He has run for 137 yards and three touchdowns this season.
Watson currently holds the No. 1 spot in ESPN's "total QBR" rankings, a metric that seeks to combine statistics with strength of opponents to rate college football's quarterbacks.
"He does a great job in executing their offense," Petrino said.
"The ability to run the ball with the quarterback and run the ball when he gets out of the pocket is a great challenge to our discipline and our guys. And then (there's) his ability to make the throws. He throws the ball deep really well, and he's real impressive on video."
Watson is the best quarterback Louisville (5-1) has prepared for this season, and it's not really close.
His fast start to his career has him close to the same category of college quarterbacks that includes Notre Dame's Everett Golson and Florida State's Jameis Winston, last season's Heisman Trophy winner.
And with Watson starting for Clemson on Saturday, he also perpetuates a rare trend on Louisville's schedule.
Watson will be the fourth freshman quarterback that Louisville's faced in its first seven games. Only one signal caller – Syracuse's Terrel Hunt – was a starter last year.
Petrino and Louisville defensive coordinator Todd Grantham have said in the past six weeks that parsing high school film is a big part of scouting a first-year quarterback. The film from the past two-plus games should help, too.
This scouting task feels different, though. A lot different.
What comes across in Watson's two starts and lengthy relief at FSU is that the former four-star high school prospect possesses poise and maturity similar to that of Louisville freshman QB Reggie Bonnafon.
He did not appear rattled in the FSU game, throwing for 266 yards and running for a touchdown. In his two starts against North Carolina and NC State, Watson looked unflappable in nearly flawless performances.
He's produced despite a struggling offensive line.
"He is a special guy," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. "It is fun to watch him. We talk about what he was doing three and four years ago, and to see him now and see where he is and (see him) blossom in front of our eyes is very fun to watch."
On Saturday, Louisville doesn't want it to be fun. And mid-season statistics show that, while Watson's the best quarterback Louisville's faced, Louisville is the best defense that Watson's seen.
The Cardinals rank in the top 13 in the country in total, scoring, passing and rushing defense and takeaways. They are No. 1 nationally in third-down defense.
Clemson is No. 20 in third-down conversions.
"There's a lot of things we need to do (to stop Watson)," Petrino said. "You have to be successful on first down, stopping the run and try to get him in third-and-long."
Reach U of L beat writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).
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Louisville at Clemson
3:30 p.m. Saturday, ESPNU