I heard this a couple of times on various national radio shows since Clemson beat Alabama last Monday to win its first national championship since 1981.
“Clemson probably would not have won the game had Mike Williams failed the concussion protocol test.”
I understand Williams played a vital role in the Tigers’ victory over Alabama, but Williams was not Clemson’s entire offense. Granted Williams made two fantastic catches in the fourth quarter that where key in the Tigers’ last two touchdowns. But who is to say Deon Cain or Artavis Scott would not have made those plays?
It was Cain’s 43-yard catch-and-run while Williams was still out of the game that got the Tigers’ offense in gear. Cain had five catches for 94 yards, while Williams had eight receptions for 94 yards as well.
The point is that is what makes Clemson’s offense so difficult to stop – it’s not just about one guy. Mike Williams needs Deshaun Watson every bit as much as Deshaun Watson needs Mike Williams. Watson needs Jay Guillermo and the offensive line and running back Wayne Gallman every bit as they need him. The same goes for tight end Jordan Leggett, wide receiver Hunter Renfrow and Scott.
It works that way on the defensive side of the ball, too. And without the defense, the Clemson offense probably isn’t as good and vice versa. That’s why Clemson is standing on top of the mountain right now, they all work together. No one part is bigger than the other.
Dabo Swinney said after the national championship game that he told his team, despite being down 14-7, they were going to win the game because of love. They had too much love and respect for each other to lose the game. He said he did not know how it was going to happen, but he knew they were going to win it.
Clemson won the game thanks to a defense that was stingy just enough to keep Alabama from extending its lead any bigger, especially after it recovered a Gallman fumble and had the ball at the Clemson 16-yard line early in the third quarter. However, the defense stayed strong and forced a three-and-out and a short field goal to keep ‘Bama within striking distance.
The offense responded with a 24-yard Watson to Renfrow touchdown. They later got a 4-yard touchdowns pass from Watson to Williams and then Gallman went into the end zone from a yard out to give the Tigers their first lead of the night with 4:38 to play.
However, that’s not where it ended. Alabama’s Jalen Hurts ran 30 yards for a touchdown to put the Crimson Tide up three points with 2:07 to play in the game.
Unfazed by the moment and knowing he had guys like Williams, Cain, Leggett and Renfrow to throw too, Watson got up off the bench walked over to the huddle on the sideline and told his teammates, “Let’s go be legendary.”
And that’s what they did. They drove 68-yards in nine plays and used all but one second of the clock. Watson concluded the drive to a championship with a two-yard pass to Renfrow, which as Swinney likes to say, epitomized the 2016 Clemson Tigers.
It was a five-star quarterback throwing the winning touchdown to a walk-on wide receiver. No one person is bigger than the team. That’s why Clemson beat Alabama, and that’s probably why this will not be the only national championship Clemson will win under Swinney.
Swinney likes to say “the best is yet to come.” It’s hard to argue that, especially if his future teams win games similar to the way this year’s team did – by playing together.
—Photo Credit: Bart Boatwright/The Greenville News via USA TODAY Sports
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