Virginia Tech DE wants to meet Deshaun Watson.....via a sack

Enaken (4) celebrates a safety earlier this season (Photo by Peter Casey, USAT)

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Nov 28, 2016, 6:23 PM

Ken Ekanem wants to introduce himself to Deshaun Watson, but he doesn’t want to do it before the game. He wants to do it on the field of play, preferably with a sack.

Virginia Tech’s senior defensive end decided to make a statement following the Hokies’ impressive 52-10 win over arch-rival Virginia last Saturday, announcing to the world that the game was meant to show that the Tigers can’t Virginia Tech lightly.

"This game was a statement game to tell Clemson that we're coming," Ekanem said.

The ACC Championship game is set with Clemson and Virginia Tech squaring off next Saturday at 8 pm ET on ABC, and Ekanem told the media Monday that he didn’t realize his statement would garner as much attention as it did.

However, he stands by his statement and can’t wait to play against Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson.

“Yeah. I mean, he's a Heisman candidate, so you know he's bound to make some plays every game he goes into,” Ekanem said. “He's a guy that doesn't really make that many mistakes. Really good, talented player that we're going against. We've got to buckle down, and hopefully we can provide a couple stops here and there. But yeah, he's a pretty good quarterback. Really excited to go play against this guy, and really excited to play in this ACC Championship Game.”

Ekanem, who leads the Hokies with 6 ½ sacks, said that he would like to introduce himself to the Tigers’ signal caller in the most football way possible, but he added that he knows Clemson’s offensive line will have a say in the matter.

“Hopefully on that first drive getting a sack. They've got a good offensive line, so it might be a little tough to get back there, but hopefully I can introduce myself pretty early,” he said. “I haven't watched that much film besides the last game against South Carolina, but I think it's just a solid group. I don't think they make that many mistakes in protection wise and blocking assignment wise. I think they're just solid all the way around. I think they just really work as one. When you get an offensive line that does that, they're pretty much locked down when it comes to pass protection wise and in the run block assignments.”

Hokie quarterback Jerod Evans is another Hokie that would like to meet with Watson, but for different reasons.

“I mean, coming out of junior college I looked at a lot of football games, and obviously I loved the quarterback position, so I looked at a lot of quarterbacks,” Evans said. “With that being said, I saw Deshaun Watson and the way he leads his team, the way he throws the ball, the way he runs the ball, kind of to me like the total package when it comes to being a dual threat, can throw and run, but very accurate down the field, especially against Alabama. So yeah, I definitely watched him and saw how he played and the way he plays the game and his demeanor, and when they're down, he's never down, so I like that about him.”

Evans said he understands that Watson might get more media attention heading into the game, but that doesn’t bother him.

“To be honest, I'm not paying attention to all the hype or all the media attention. I'm just worried about my team and me and what we've got to do in order to win the game,” Evans said. “I really don't pay too much attention to that. It is what it is. I mean, I'll get my chance, and when I do, just got to make the most of it. Again, it is what it is. I'm not focused on that. Once I get my chance, I think people will see, but right now I'm thinking about me and my team and what we can do in order to win this game.”