On Jan. 9, in Tampa Bay, Fla., Deshaun Watson cemented himself into Clemson football history.
Down three to the undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide with six seconds left in the National Championship, Watson and coach Dabo Swinney tried their luck at winning the thing outright.
Watson, now the starter for the Houston Texans, rolled out of the pocket and searched until he found his guy: Hunter Renfrow. Renfrow, now a rookie for the Oakland Raiders, caught it. Clemson won it all for the first time since 1981.
The moment is iconic. One doesn’t remember Watson and Renfrow’s historically great college careers without it. To top it off, it was Watson’s last throw donning orange and purple.
On Sunday, Watson and Renfrow will get to share the same field once again, when the Texans face the Oakland Raiders. One can bet Watson is excited, considering how he raved about him in a de facto scouting report on Wednesday.
“[Renfrow is] a guy that’s smart, tough, football I.Q, great person, great individual,” said Watson. “Just a person that you would just love to be around, love to have in your locker room, love to be a friend with. Just overall, just a great person.”
Watson and Renfrow share their own Clemson holiday: 4/13 day, which is the quarterback and wide receiver’s number, respectively.
“I mean, 4/13 is a day that — especially for us two, but for the whole Clemson nation that we’ll never forget,” said Watson. “They kind of just threw it together, and then this past year on April 13, that’s the day he got married too. Everything just ties together as one big family, as one big day, really. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Sunday’s tilt will be a pseudo-Clemson homecoming. There are seven players between both teams that call themselves Tiger alumni; with the Texans having Watson, DeAndre Hopkins, D.J. Reader and Carlos Watkins; the Raiders: Renfrow, Trayvon Mullen and Clelin Ferrell. All but two (Hopkins, Reader) were on the same National Championship-winning team.
Expect to see a lot of orange, purple and white on Sunday.
