NCAA Football: Clemson must survive without Sammy Watkins

When news of Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins’ arrest started to spread across the country in early May, the first question on everyone’s mind was “how much time will he miss?” Watkins, who burst on to the college football scene as a true freshman in 2011, was arrested for marijuana possession and possession of a controlled substance.

When it was finally announced last month that Watkins would miss the first two games against Auburn and Ball State, many in Clemson nation started to panic while others were fine with the decision and confident in their abilities to replace their star wide receiver.

Let me make one thing clear, you’re not replacing Sammy Watkins. You may be able to fill in some guys to take some of his snaps– hello Martavius Bryant, Charone Peake and Adam Humphries – but there’s only one #2 in orange and white.

As a true freshman, Watkins led Clemson with 82 receptions, 1219 yards and 12 touchdowns while also carrying the ball 32 times for a total of 231 yards, good enough for 7.2 yards per carry. He also had 826 yards on 33 kickoff returns (an average of 25.03 per return) and 1 touchdown.

Sammy Watkins might have been the most important player in college football last season as he helped lead Clemson to a turnaround season and their first ACC Championship since 1991. When he played well, his team won. When he played below average or sat out, the Tigers lost.

Watkins averaged 117 yards and 1 TD per game in Clemson’s wins while averaging 92 total yards and 0.67 TD’s per game in Clemson’s losses. If it wasn’t for a 160 yard effort in a loss to Georgia Tech, that average in losses would be much lower. Watkins only had 48 and 68 total yards in Clemson’s other losses to  South Carolina and West Virginia while he did not play in Clemson’s loss to N.C. State.

Needless to say, he’s kind of a big deal.

It’s not only what Watkins does for himself, but what he does for others around him. Clemson uses Watkins in a multitude of ways, both as a target and as a decoy, as Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris routinely sends Watkins in motion where quarterback Tajh Boyd can hand the ball off, fake it and open up a play for another teammate or even pass it to Watkins on a flare to the flats or down the sideline on a wheel route.

When running back Andre Ellington takes a hand-off, makes one cut and takes it to the house, he can usually thank Sammy Watkins for drawing defenders away. That’s not taking anything away from Ellington, he’s a great back with explosive play-making ability, but having someone like Watkins freeze the defense for a moment or take the safety away on a double-team is undoubtedly beneficial to Ellington’s career.

Ellington isn’t the only one that benefits from the presence of Sammy Watkins. Fellow wide receiver DeAndre “Nuke” Hopkins saw his receiving numbers increase, from 51 receptions to 72 and from 626 yards to 978, after the addition of Watkins.

Sure, there were other factors besides the super freshman Watkins. There was Hopkins growth from redshirt freshman to third-year sophomore, where Hopkins saw more playing time and a full-time starting gig. There was also more dedication to the sport and the new wide receiver-friendly offensive system. But there’s also the emergence of Watkins.

Usually early season suspensions aren’t too harmful due to college programs’ tendency to schedule early-season creampuffs. Not this season. Clemson opens up against SEC opponent Auburn at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The neutral site game will be the rubber match of the three-year series as both Auburn (2010) and Clemson (2011) won their home contests the past two seasons.

With Watkins out of the lineup, the Auburn defense can stack the box against Andre Ellington and the Clemson rushing attack or double-team Nuke in obvious passing situations.

For Clemson to survive the two-game loss of Sammy Watkins, they have to have increased production from proven commodities (Ellington, Hopkins) while having someone else step up to help ease the pain of losing one of the best playmakers in the nation.

Make no mistake about it, there’s a huge difference in easing the pain and replacing Sammy Watkins. There is no replacing Sammy Watkins; you just have to survive his absence. Hold on and pray, Clemson nation.