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The undefeated and top-ranked Clemson Tigers (14-0) take on No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (13-1) Monday in the College Football Playoff national championship game at Glendale, Ariz. The 8:30 p.m. kickoff will be televised nationally by ESPN.
Clemson brings size, speed and talent to the table. Here are five of those players Alabama fans should know:
QB Deshaun Watson: The sophomore consensus All-America is the heart and soul of the Tigers team. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney calls him the best player in America, and with good reason. Watson led the Atlantic Coast Conference in nine different categories. He can beat you with his arm and his legs. Watson threw for 3,704 yards and 31 touchdowns. He completed 68.2 percent of his passes (303-for-444) with 12 interceptions. Including his rushing stats, Watson totaled 4,736 yards this season with 43 touchdowns. He also the ACC Player of the Year and Davey O’Brien Award winner.
RB Wayne Gallman: Largely overlooked and playing in the shadows of Watson, Clemson’s leading rusher is certainly not a player to sleep on. Gallman led the ACC with 268 rushing attempts and was second in the conference with 1,469 rushing yards. When Watson runs the read-option correctly and defenses focus on him, Gallman takes the football and usually has running room to work with. It’s a very difficult duo to stop and will be the No. 1 priority of the Alabama defense. Gallman rushed for 12 touchdowns and also caught 19 passes out of the backfield this year for 273 yards and two touchdowns.
DE Shaq Lawson: A consensus All-America, Lawson is the leader on the Tigers defense. However, Clemson rose to the occasion when Lawson went down early in the Orange Bowl game and the Tigers held Oklahoma’s high-powered offense in check. That’s how good their defense is without Lawson. With him, they are as good as any and he is expected to play on Monday. Lawson led the nation with 22 tackles for loss this season. The junior has piled up 44 tackles for loss in his career, which ranks ninth all-time in the ACC. He was second in the conference with 10.5 sacks. All tolled, Lawson recorded 55 tackles this season, including 32 solo. He says he’s good to go for Monday’s final game.
LB B.J. Goodson: Clemson’s leading tackler this season, the senior was sixth in the ACC with 49 assisted tackles. Always around the football, Goodson compiled a team-high 98 tackles (49 solo). As aggressive a linebacker as there is, Goodson piled up 14 tackles for loss, including 5.5 sacks this season. In addition, the agile Goodson intercepted two passes, recovered two fumbles and forced one. Over the past two seasons, Goodson has five fumble recoveries. He is a disrupter of offenses and someone Alabama must be aware of at all times.
WR Artavis Scott: Another young talent on the Clemson team, this sophomore was Watson’s favorite target this season. He burst onto the scene last year with 76 catches in his freshman campaign. Watson’s go-to receiver caught a team-high 89 passes this season, ranking second in the ACC. Although his yardage and touchdowns numbers are down from his freshman season, Scott is by far Clemson’s most prolific receiver. Scott piled up 868 receiving yards, ranking fourth in the ACC, and caught five touchdown passes. He was second in the conference last season with eight touchdown receptions and totaled 965 yards.
Glenn Sattell is an award-winning freelance writer for Saturday Down South.
