Ken Ekanem Planning a Hard-Hitting Introduction for Deshaun Watson in ACC Title Game

Between some quirks of the ACC schedule and the Hokies' struggles over the last few years to make any noise in the Coastal Division, DE Ken Ekanem hasn't had a chance to test his mettle against the Clemson Tigers and their star quarterback just yet.

That's all about to change Saturday, and Ekanem has clearly given some thought to what sort of introduction he'd like to offer Heisman contender Deshaun Watson.

"Hopefully on that first drive, getting a sack," Ekanem said on a call with reporters Monday. "They've got a good offensive line, so it might be a little tough to get back there, but hopefully I can introduce myself pretty early."

Ekanem certainly hasn't been shy about offering up a little trash talk ahead of the title game, where the Hokies will open as substantial underdogs — he noted that his postgame pledge that the UVA win "was a statement to tell Clemson that we're coming" took off on Twitter a bit more than he anticipated — but his aspirations to get after Watson are more practical than hyperbolic.

Indeed, the Tigers have been excellent at keeping Watson upright all year, even as it's taken the rest of Clemson's vaunted offense a few weeks to round into form. The Tigers have only allowed 14 sacks this season, tied for 16th in the country, and Ekanem is acutely aware of the importance of reversing that trend and making Watson uncomfortable from his first snap.

"I think we try to get after him early," Ekanem said. "He is a really great quarterback, one of the best in the nation, so we've got to bring it early to him and hopefully get to him."

Complicating matters is the strength of Clemson's offensive line. Ekanem admits that he wasn't watched much film on the Tigers just yet beyond their recent stomping of South Carolina, but he's come away impressed with the group, even though it includes a true freshman at right tackle and a sophomore protecting Watson's blind side.

"I think it's just a solid group," Ekanem said. "They don't make many mistakes protection-wise and blocking assignment-wise, they're just solid all the way around and really work as one. When you get an offensive line that does that, they're pretty much lockdown when it comes to pass protection wise and run-block assignments."

With a bevy of talented position players to get the ball to, Watson could also make it difficult for Ekanem and company to find him in the backfield. WRs Mike Williams and Artavis Scott and TE Jordan Leggett will certainly give Watson some options to get rid of the rock quickly if he finds Ekanem attempting to make an enthusiastic introduction.

"He's got a lot of good skill players around him, so it might be tough, but I think we're up to the task," Ekanem said. "He's a Heisman candidate, so you know he's bound to make plays every game he goes into, he doesn't make that many mistakes. So a really good, talented player we're going against, so we need to buckle down and provide a couple stops here and there."

Luckily for the Hokies, they should have CB Greg Stroman available to help lock down that potent receiver group. Stroman was available for the UVA game, but Justin Fuente chose to hold him out to give him another week of rest, and he remains on track to play this weekend.

"We would prefer to have him out there as opposed to not have him out there," Fuente said on a call Sunday. "I felt good about him this past week, and we'll see how he looks this week."

But with the Tigers putting up 40 points per game (the 17th-best mark in the nation), there's little doubt that the Hokies will need to do some scoring of their own, no matter how well Bud Foster's defense hems in Watson.

In that department, Tech will need to put a premium on pass protection to keep the offense moving. Clemson is tied for third in the country with 42 sacks this season, thanks to a powerful defensive line anchored by players like Carlos Watkins and Dexter Lawrence, and the Hokies will have their hands full in building a clean pocket for Jerod Evans.

"You've always got to protect the quarterback no matter what game it is, but especially this game," said FB Sam Rogers. "Got to protect the quarterback, protect the ball, that will be huge."

But Evans isn't overly worried about the pass rush, considering that the Hokies have faced similarly athletic teams before.

"We've played great talents before, Tennessee and Notre Dame have great athletes just like Clemson, and I believe Coach (Brad) Cornelsen and Coach Fuente will have a plan, we just need to execute it," Evans said.

Evans himself could cause quite a few matchup problems for Clemson. He may not be quite on the level of Watson or Heisman frontrunner Lamar Jackson in his ability to make plays with his legs, but it would seem that the Tigers aren't taking his skills lightly.

"I think he's very similar to Deshaun in their approach to the game," said LB Ben Boulware. "I think he might be a little bit heavier than Deshaun. He's definitely a bigger body, packing a little more pounds than Deshaun, but I think they're very similar in their game, how they're able to throw the ball and also incorporate it into the run game. Definitely a great athlete, bigger body, has a great pocket presence, avoids a lot of tackles just for him being as big and athletic as he is."