SEC Media Days continued at the Hyatt Regency in Hoover, Alabama today as head coaches and players from Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky and Missouri spoke with the media.
Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn and the Tiger football team have been preparing for the 2015 national runner up Clemson Tigers in the past months. On Wednesday, Auburn got a few tips from their biggest rival Alabama on how to contain the Clemson Tiger offense lead by quarterback Deshaun Watson.
"Deshaun Watson is a great player. He is one of the best athletes that we faced all year,” Alabama safety Eddie Jackson said.
“He’s a big guy, and you try to contain him. He’s athletic ability did some things that we couldn’t stop," said Jackson. "He’s a good player and we tried to contain him to the best of our ability. He had some great plays.”
Alabama and Clemson faced off in last year's National Title game in Glendale, Arizona, a game that the Crimson Tide won 45-40. Watson, a 2015 Heisman Trophy finalist, passed for 407 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 73 more yards in that game. Watson will come into Jordan-Hare Stadium on opening weekend and is considered by many to be the top quarterback in the nation.
“He can make plays when things break down. He’s a true dual-threat guy who can throw it effectively and can run it like a running back,” Malzahn said of Watson on Monday. “He’s got that big-game experience. Put all that together, and that makes him one of the better players, if not the best player, in the country."
Clemson will visit the Plains to start the 2016 season on Saturday, Sept. 3. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. CST.
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