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College Football Playoff: Five Players to Watch in the National Championship

By Jerran Anderson

Dec 31, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman Jonathan Allen (93) walks on the field during the first quarter in the 2016 CFP Semifinal against the Washington Huskies at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman Jonathan Allen (93) walks on the field during the first quarter in the 2016 CFP Semifinal against the Washington Huskies at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 31, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

5. DT Carlos Watkins, Clemson

The Clemson Tigers defense is going to challenge the Alabama offense early and often and vice versa. One of the key factors to Clemson’s success is how well senior defensive tackle Carlos Watkins can stifle the Crimson Tide’s run game.

In last season’s National Championship, 2015 Heisman winning running back Derrick Henry ran 34 times for 158 rushing yards and three touchdowns for Alabama. This season, the Crimson Tide have three running backs with at least 500 rushing yards. Running backs Bo Scarbrough and Damien Harris have been workhorses on an offense

Look for Watkins to step up his play even more in the National Championship. He’s recorded at least one sack in four of the Tiger’s last five games and nine games total in 2016. This season, Watkins has a career-high 44 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. In the Tigers’ last two games, the senior defensive tackle has eight total tackles, three sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss.

Watkins is rated in the top-100 in the upcoming 2017 NFL Draft class. A good performance against Alabama will serve him well. He’ll need to set the tone and disrupt the running game in the middle.

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