Deshaun Watson to start vs. UNC

Clemson will start true freshman quarterback Deshaun Watson against North Carolina this weekend, coach Dabo Swinney said Sunday.

Watson showed tremendous potential in relief of starter Cole Stoudt in a 23-17 overtime loss to Florida State on Saturday night, entering the game in the second quarter and playing the rest of the way. He gave the Tigers an opportunity to pull the upset with pinpoint passes and good decision making, finishing 19-of-28 for 266 yards.

"He just played great, took care of the ball, and made some big plays so really proud of him," Swinney said. "You never know until you see them in that situation. We know we have something special in that young man and to see him go and execute like he did was fun to be a part of."

Stoudt, a fifth-year senior, started the first three games for the Tigers, with Watson coming on in relief. Each time Watson came into the game, it seemed as if he would win the starting job eventually based on his performance.

Though Swinney seemed hesitant last week to bench Stoudt, watching Watson against the top-ranked Seminoles made the decision easier for him. Stoudt was pulled from the game one drive after misfiring on a touch pass that would have given Clemson a touchdown. Instead, the Tigers missed a field goal, one of several blown red-zone opportunities that ended up haunting them.

Swinney said Stoudt will continue to get an opportunity to compete, but right now the majority of reps with the first team in practice belong to Watson.

"It's a tough situation and it's not as much what Cole did as it is what Deshaun did in that situation," Swinney said. "First two games, Cole played very well and Deshaun played well. This game, we have no idea how these things are going to play out. Cole did fine other than he missed that one throw, but we've got to make that play.

"Deshaun comes in and took us down the field and scored, and we go back with him and we continued to play at a high level."