Orange Bowl notebook: Watkins adds to Clemson records

Friday

Jan 3, 2014 at 11:53 PM

Receiver has huge game as NFL draft beckons

By ERIC BOYNTON and MATT CONNOLLYStaff writers

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — It's highly plausible that Clemson junior receiver Sammy Watkins played his final collegiate game, with the widely held view that he'll be at least a top-20 NFL draft pick in April should he forgo his final season of eligibility.The 6-foot-1, 205-pound junior added another couple of prestigious school records on his way out the door by passing Aaron Kelly's career receptions mark of 232 and tying DeAndre Hopkins' career touchdown receptions record of 27. Watkins recorded his eighth 100-yard receiving game this season and 15th of his career. He entered as the all-time receiving yardage leader with 3,164.Watkins had16 catches for 227 yards and two touchdowns to establish a new Orange Bowl receiving yardage mark, passing Stanford tight end Coby Fleener’s 173 in 2011.LOB CITY: With 11:05 left in the second quarter, Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd made the type of decision unsuited for a fifth-year senior when he stopped advancing toward the end zone to instead shot-put a lob toward Sammy Watkins. OSU freshman Vonn Bell leapt high to pull the toss down with one hand. It was third-and-3 from the 6 and Boyd easily would've made the first down, costing Clemson at least a short field goal try.JOIN THE CLUB: Sumter product Rod McDowell had to wait his turn behind the likes of NFL draft picks C.J. Spiller, Andre Ellington and Jamie Harper, but the