PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. — Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano expects Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson to be at his best on Saturday when second-ranked Clemson plays No. 3 Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl.

It’s a big game, and Schiano believes Watson performs at his peak in games that matter the most.

“As I watch over the years, you get a feel there’s big-game players,” Schiano said on Wednesday at the Camelback Inn Resort and Spa in Paradise Valley, Ariz. “He’s a big-game player, and this is a big game, so that’s really what jumps out to me.”

As part of his preparation for Watson and Clemson’s offense, Schiano watched film of last season’s national championship game, in which Watson threw for 405 yards and four touchdowns while running for 73 more yards.

“He’s immensely talented, and he’s got really talented people around him,” Schiano said.

Schiano said the front and back ends of his defense must work in unison to contain Watson, who is equally adept at exploiting the opposition with his arm and his legs.

That, he said, is what worries him the most about facing the Heisman Trophy runner-up.

“I think his ability when he moves in the pocket and steps up and out, or out and back, and then can just jet the ball — his arm strength is rare,” Schiano said. “If he has the ability to move in the pocket, and you’re just a little bit off in coverage, he’s going to expose you. So, that’s a huge challenge.”

Last season, Watson ran the ball 207 times for 1,105 yards and 12 touchdowns. Thus, the fact his rushing numbers are down to 129 carries for 529 yards and six touchdowns this season has been the subject of much scrutiny and speculation.

In Schiano’s mind, the reason Watson has run less this season is simple — he opined that Watson has only rushed when the Tigers have felt it was necessary, and they haven’t needed him to do so as often in 2016.

Schiano compared Watson’s situation to that of Russell Wilson’s when he was the quarterback at N.C. State. As the head coach at Rutgers, Schiano got a first-hand look at Wilson in the 2008 Papajohns.com Bowl.

“I don’t know statistically if what I’m going to say is correct, but it just appears that he didn’t do it as much,” Schiano said. “And when I say that, I mean they ran a lot of the same plays, but he would hand the ball sometimes when he could have kept it. I’m sure part of that is coaching, too.”

“When we had to coach against Russell Wilson, he would carry the ball when it was needed,” Schiano added. “Otherwise he didn’t.”

But Schiano, like many others, expects Watson to utilize his full arsenal against the Buckeyes.

“I think as a play-caller, in a big game, you’re willing to run him a little more than you maybe are against a team you know you’re better than and you don’t need to do that to win,” Schiano said. “So, certainly we’re going to have to be prepared for all of not only his throwing ability, but his ability to run the football.”

So, Schiano will make sure his unit is on especially high alert against when Clemson’s offense enters the red zone.

“When they get in the red zone, watch out,” Schiano said. “The same read out in the field, where it’s the same exact defensive scheme and he hands it, down in the red zone he pulls it and keeps it. Why? Because their best player is going to get that ball in the end zone, because now we’re in the payoff zone.”

Asked when he feels Watson is the most dangerous — if it’s when he’s passing or running — Schiano smiled, then replied:

“When he wakes up.”