Watkins and Boyd showing comfort level |
CLEMSON – Freshman receiver
Sammy Watkins
Fr. Wide Receiver #7 6-2, 200 Fort Myers, FL View Full Profile
said Monday afternoon that he and quarterback
Tajh Boyd RS So. Quarterback #10 6-1, 230 Hampton, VA View Full Profile
, despite the season being only three games old, already know what the other is going to do. Watkins said there are certain plays where he knows before the snap that Boyd is going to come his way, and said that Saturday’s 65-yard catch-and-go against Auburn was a perfect example. Watkins said the play also shows Boyd’s growth as a quarterback in that Boyd had to look off the linebacker, and then make sure the linebacker was following the running back coming out of the backfield and not keying on Watkins. Once he made the proper decision, Watkins was able to take the short toss into the end zone for six points. “He did it perfectly,” Watkins said. “His head was pointing one way, but his eyes were on me and I knew I had a chance to score. We have come a long way. As practice went on last week, he knew my initial move and I knew his.” Being a check-down receiver isn’t necessarily a bad thing, he said. "There's a lot of space out there on the field, and everybody is backed up,” he said. “So if I make just one linebacker miss or a defender miss where I can stiff him and go get 10-plus yards, that’s just great. Because you can make a play out of nothing." Making something out of nothing has been an early trademark for the Florida native, and he credited offensive coordinator Chad Morris and Boyd for his success and said he hasn’t been surprised at how open he has been on certain plays. “I get open in practice,” he said. “The plays are meant for me to be open. Coach is making the right calls and Tajh is making the right reads. Most of the time, if I am in the open field I am like, ‘Oh yeah, I gotta go. This could be a touchdown,’ If not, then I am thinking about getting down and moving onto the next play.” He said that he and roommate
Charone Peake Fr. Wide Receiver #19 6-4, 210 Moore, SC View Full Profile
make a point of studying the offense each night in an effort to make Saturday’s easier. “I study every night,” he said. “Sometimes I come up here [WestZone} just to study and memorize the plays. Once I learned the plays I can just move. Instead of worrying about what the play is, I just have to worry about beating the defender – I can just focus on beating that one guy instead of the play. I can go out there and have fun.” Watkins was named the ACC Receiver of the Week and the ACC Rookie of the Week following his 10-catch performance against Auburn on Saturday, but he said he doesn’t pay attention to awards and accolades and even spent several hours this past weekend erasing Facebook posts that told him how great he is. "I have to keep on grinding," he said. "Don't get the big head. Just stay humble. Just grind. I still have a lot more to do here.” 
Sammy Watkins
Tajh Boyd
Charone Peake
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