Mike Williams could be the difference-maker for Clemson this title game

TAMPA — You might have missed the moment, which is OK. It was late in the second quarter in the Fiesta Bowl, a 5-yard pass on a drive that led to nothing. Deshaun Watson’s throw was short and low. Almost casually, Mike Williams reached down on a dead run, grabbed it with his left hand, stepped out of bounds and into the Clemson bench — where there was almost no reaction.

“It was just normal,” Tigers receiver Hunter Renfrow said. “He does it every single day, goes up and just makes a ridiculous one-handed catch. We expect it now.”

As the College Football Playoff national championship nears kickoff, it’s hard to know what to expect. Far too much has been made over how Alabama edged Clemson 45-40 a year ago. The game is worth reviewing for entertainment purposes, sure — anytime, all the time, it’s an all-time classic. But it’s a new year. There are similarities and obvious parallels, but these are different teams that took different routes to the rematch.

But if you’re looking for an edge, something new? Try the fourth-year junior who watched a year ago from the sidelines while recovering from a broken neck, a big, physical receiver with great hands and a knack for making the spectacular routine.

“Mike Williams is a difference-maker,” said Jeff Scott, the Tigers’ co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach.

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At 6-3 and 225 pounds, he’s a matchup nightmare for cornerbacks. The statistics — 90 catches for 1,267 yards and 10 touchdowns — somehow didn’t equate to status as a Biletnikoff finalist. For a better gauge, perhaps, try the NFL draft boards, which have the fourth-year junior as the first receiver taken, probably early in the first round.

“He’s gonna kill it (in the NFL),” Watson said. “He’s gonna take it to another level.”

Which, in a way, is what Williams did this season. It’s what many projected in 2015. Instead, on the first possession of Clemson’s first game, he caught a short pass in the end zone, then slammed headfirst into the goalpost, suffering a fractured vertebra.

While the injury didn’t require surgery, his season was finished. It’s a testament to Clemson’s depth and versatility that the Tigers rolled unbeaten, anyway, into that championship game with Alabama. And then that they matched up so well with the Crimson Tide, even without their best receiver.

Williams watched, excited for his teammates but frustrated at his inability to help. Of course, you could look at it another way, too. The Tigers put up 40 points without Williams and Deon Cain (who was suspended before the championship game for failing a drug test). Both are back, and the Tigers are, too, for another shot at a championship — this time, with Williams, who could take their offense to another level.

Against Ohio State, he had six catches for 96 yards, including a 37-yarder on a slant that jump-started the Tigers’ offense in what became a 31-0 rout.

“He makes us complete,” Scott said. “We have everything we need. Mike’s physical presence, his ability to win one-on-one matchups, it keeps defenses honest.”

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Clemson coach Dabo Swinney says in retrospect, maybe that unplanned pause was meant to be.

“I always tell people that God never says, ‘Oops,’ ” Swinney says. “It was disappointing for him to sit and watch, but he’s a better player right now because … he would have been a first-rounder last year, but it wasn’t God’s timing for him. I think he’s a lot better player than he would have been this time last year.”

Told what Swinney said, Williams nods. After the injury, he buckled down in classes, graduating with a sociology degree last month. He worked to build strength and added 15 pounds of muscle. And healthy again, he returned to football last spring, got knocked around just enough to get over any lingering fear about his neck — and then started making the spectacular routine.

“He’s stronger, he’s bigger, more mature physically and mentally than if he would have left last year,” Scott said.

Despite the initial pain and a very brief wave of numbness, Williams says he wasn’t too concerned. He initially figured he had sustained a bruise, or at worst a sprain. Even when the medical personnel braced his neck, carefully placed him on a stretcher and carted him off the field, he wasn’t worried. When the doctors told him he’d fractured the C-6 vertebra in the base of his neck, he believed he would return to football. And the prognosis — no surgery required, in time it would fully heal — was helpful. But press him, and he acknowledges:

“It was scary,” he said. “But I’m good now.”

Scary good, even. Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt likens Williams to a power forward in basketball, which is apropos — Williams says it’s actually his favorite sport, and watch him go after jump balls (usually against smaller defensive backs), and you’ll see the parallels. But for a large receiver, he has a rare combination of skillls.

He’s not a burner, but he’s fast with some quickness, too — which isn’t always a given with bigger receivers. With the added muscle, he’s become a much more physical presence. And since watching the near-miss last season from the sidelines, Williams said he has been more focused.

“I want to take advantage of every opportunity,” Williams said. “I appreciate the game more. I wanted to be a part of it last year. Unfortunately, I was hurt. To be a part of it again is a special moment.”

He’s already created a few of those this season. If he does it Monday — making the spectacular routine — the moment for Clemson could be really special.

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