Bowden on Watson, "Deshaun got an extra dose of the 'it factor' from God."
Former Clemson Tiger had Coach Tommy Bowden joined the show to talk about Clemson and NC State, plus we got into a great conversation about Deshaun Watson, his injury, and the 'it' factor. Coach Bowden also talks about the potential of being a member of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.
On Deshaun Watson's injury:
"Dabo tried to tell them how good he was. I've had a lot of non-contact injuries, it's very unusual that happens, but you feel sorry for him. He was having a great year. He's surely made a name for himself people are going to remember him for a while because he's going to have a great career."
On what's made Deshaun Watson successful:
"He's a really smart player. When he runs, he runs smart. He knows when to get out of bounds; when to go to the ground. His body mechanics, his demeanor, the way he handles himself on and off the field. You notice something, for someone who's been around it a long time, you notice something. There's something different about him. He has some of the intangibles; some coaches call it 'it.' He's got 'it'."
On who he's coached that had 'it':
"Shawn King had that when I was at Tulane, he had a couple of NCAA records. Charlie Whitehurst had some of that when he came in and played for us as a freshman. You could tell he had some of those
characteristics. Woody Dantzler, he had some, just his presence in the huddle and the respect commanded from his teammates. Most of those guys usually have some of that, Deshaun got an extra dose from God."
On Clemson vs. NC State:
"Clemson's the better team, they've got more depth, and they've got more quality depth than NC State. The only thing that would concern me is that it's hard to stay at the top of the mountain. NC State wants a piece of what Clemson's had the past few years. Clemson will not be intimidated by the environment; I can promise you that. They've been in a lot more hostile environments. I think NC State's desire will be a little deeper simply because they've never had what Clemson's had."
On the playoff rankings:
They've really done a good job. My major criteria, the strength of schedule and how bad did you beat people? It looks like the strength of schedule is a big factor, and it should be. I'd say they got it right.