Key Takeaways from the Clemson Tigers' ACC Championship Win

The nation's No. 1 Clemson Tigers remain unbeaten with a perfect 13-0 record after defeating the University of North Carolina Tar Heels in the ACC Championship Game this past Saturday. It proved to be a tough test for the Tigers, who grinded out a 45-37 victory to solidify their place in the College Football Playoff, but they were able to handle adversity—something the nation needed to see from its highest ranked team.

Give the Tar Heels credit for their effort, but behind sophomore quarterback Deshaun Watson, Clemson always looked like the top that would come out on top.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Tigers' victory over UNC:

Watson Is Heisman Worthy

We'll start with the quarterback here because there is no other position more valuable in college football than the quarterback (except maybe a good kicker). Watson has proved all season long that he is one of the nation's best and most dynamic football players and Saturday was no different.

Completing 26-of-42 pass attempts for 289 yards with three touchdowns against one interception in addition to 131 rushing yards and two more scores on the ground, Watson showed the country why the Tigers offense is so difficult to contain.

"I wanted to prove that we were one of the best teams in the country and that we deserved to be in the top four," Watson said in a postgame interview with Associated Press. 

Watson has accumulated 4,399 total yards (3,512 passing, 887 rushing) and scored 41 total touchdowns (30 pass, 11 rush) in 2015, according to ESPN.

To put Watson's numbers into perspective, when Cam Newton won the Heisman in 2010, he had 3,998 yards of total offense with 49 total touchdowns.

It's going to be a very close race this year for the Heisman Trophy but Watson, at the very least, deserves a trip to New York for a final vote.

"If you sit down and watch our 13 games, he's the best player in the country — and there is no doubt about it," Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. "This guy beats you not just with his legs, but his arm, his mind, his heart, his guts and his toughness. He's a great champion."

Clemson Can Hold Oklahoma's Offense

When Clemson takes on the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners in the Orange Bowl, the key to victory for the Tigers will be stopping the Sooners offense. OU ranks third in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 45.8 points per game while Clemson ranks 18th in scoring defense, allowing just 20.2 points per game to its opponents, according to ESPN.

The Tigers allowed 382 total yards to UNC's offense on Saturday and allowed them to rack up 37 points. While those numbers may seem big, they're not as bad as one might think.

Coming into Saturday's game against the Tar Heels, the objective for Clemson was to contain running back Elijah Hood and quarterback Marquise Williams from having big games. Hood finished the game with 65 yards on 14 carries and although Williams put up 305 yards of total offense (224 pass, 81 rush), he finished the game 11-of-33 passing and turned the ball over twice on a fumble and interception.

Oklahoma is, however, a different animal altogether with Baker Mayfield under center and Samaje Perine, but if Clemson can hold the Sooners from making splash plays down the field and make life difficult in the pocket for Mayfield, the Tigers could find themselves playing for a national championship. 

Wayne Gallman, Not Watson, Is Clemson's Key Player Moving Forward

I'm aware that I built up Watson as a Heisman finalist and don't get me wrong, he is essential to Clemson's success on offense. But for all the attention that the Tigers are getting, no one seems to be talking about Gallman's 187-yard rushing performance against the Tar Heels.

On 28 carries, Gallman averaged 6.7 yards each time he carried the rock against UNC and scored a touchdown on the ground. He hasn't been one of the nation's leading receivers out of the backfield by any means this season, but Gallman still put up 68 yards on four catches and a touchdown in addition to his outstanding performance on the ground.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

On the season Gallman has 1,332 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, but beyond the statistics, he has been the workhorse for the Tigers out of the backfield. Besides Watson's carries, Gallman has 201 more carries this season than his backup C.J. Fuller, who currently has 42 carries on the season, according to ESPN.

With Watson and Gallman coming out of the backfield, Clemson has been unbeatable this season and owns the nation's longest win streak of 16 games dating back to last season. Beating Oklahoma won't be easy, but Clemson seem more than capable of stepping up to the challenge.