Another big time weekend of some big time football is on deck for us, so it’s only fitting that we take a look back at a classic game between the Clemson Tigers and Louisville Cardinals from 2016 to get us into the mood for another weekend of being lazy pieces of shit in front of the television for 48 hours straight.
“Why?” – You might ask. This 2016 showdown featured two top five teams out of the ACC – that season saw Lamar Jackson electrify the college football world en route to the Heisman Trophy. Meanwhile, Deshaun Watson was leading his team to the National Championship. Two absolute studs. Two dudes who would go on to be first round draft picks in the NFL. Jackson is the reigning NFL MVP. I mean, two of the top young bucks in all of football establishing themselves. This kinda game is the very essence of college football – that’s what it’s all about, people.
And, man oh man – we’re gonna get to see this entertaining quarterback duel once again on Sunday. The 0-1 Houston Texans (with Watson at the helm) play host to the 1-0 Baltimore Ravens (with Jackson at the helm). The Ravens are currently seven-point favorites after demolishing the Cleveland Browns in Week 1. The Texans are coming off of a bad loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. On paper, it looks like a bit of a mismatch, and the spread reflects that. But, if Sunday’s contest is anything like that quarterback duel we got when these two quarterbacks were in college, we’re in for quite the fireworks show.
So, here we are – let’s take a trip down Memory Lane, shall we?
2016: Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson battled in an epic Top-5 Clemson-Louisville game.
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 17, 2020
Sunday, they’ll face off again
( @espn)
pic.twitter.com/RBRmvPiY6F
To this day, all due respect to Jackson, I still think Watson should have won that Heisman Trophy. And, really – if they voted AFTER the bowl games, I think he would’ve been the clear choice. But, what a fun game this one – I swear, I completely forgot that the Cardinals climbed to as high as #3 in the polls that season. If they had actually maintained that, how fun would it’ve been to have seen Jackson in the CFP?
That season was already pretty special from a numbers perspective for Jackson, but just watching the highlight, you’ll notice right away that teams had no answer for how elusive he was. People questioned whether or not that would translate to the NFL, but man – it doesn’t appear to be an issue at all so far. The man’s the reigning MVP for a reason – he truly is one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the league.
Then you had Watson SLINGING that ball, and that Tigers offense putting those big chunk plays on the board. It was an instant classic at the time, and this one holds up to this day as a prime example of how fun college football can be. Hot DAMN I’m ready to run through a brick wall for football!
Hard to believe this happened four years ago – times flies. Just feels good to have football back this year, and to be looking back on games like this one. Enjoy the games this weekend, y’all!
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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