Looking back on it now, Deshaun Watson insists he barely remembers last year’s game against Louisville, a game he left three plays into Clemson's fourth offensive series. He simply wasn’t on the field long enough for it to make much of an impression.

“For me, it was a blur,” Watson said. “I played three series, and I got hurt.”

That pretty much sums up the action for Watson in a game the Tigers held on to win with a goal-line stand in the final seconds of play. It turned out he injured his hand on a fluke play, and he’d go on to miss the next three games while he recovered.

But if the injury-abridged game wasn’t particularly memorable for Watson, it does stand out as an obvious outlier.

From the 30-yard laser he threw to Charone Peake on the first offensive series of his career to the 59-yard bomb he threw to Peake in last week’s blowout win over Appalachian State, the only hiccups in Watson’s rapid ascent have come via injury. But there remain those three series against Louisville that offer the only legitimate chink in his armor.

Watson was 2-of-6 passing for minus-5 yards in the game. He threw one of the three interceptions he’s unleashed in his career. In all, he led Clemson’s offense for 11 plays, and the Tigers netted just 8 total yards. The lone play that approached any visage of success was meant to be a pass. Watson broke contain, scampered 9 yards down the sideline and broke his finger.

Clemson QB Deshaun Watson is looking forward to a second chance against Louisville's defense. AP Photo/Anderson Independent-Mail, Mark Crammer

It was, by any measure, an ugly performance. And perhaps had the injury not occurred, Watson would’ve figured out Louisville’s 3-4 scheme and finished out the game with another impressive stat line. As it was, the Tigers failed to score an offensive touchdown.

Now, however, Watson gets a chance to prove his impressive numbers haven’t been the result of playing weak defenses, and he has a chance to get a little revenge on the team that inflicted the worst three-plus drives of his career. It’s just that Watson isn’t thinking of it that way.

“I wouldn’t say it matters more,” Watson said of tonight’s showdown with Louisville. “Each game for me, having that experience [of getting hurt], I appreciate it even more. But each game is the biggest game for me, just to get through it. I’m going to go in ready to play.”

Perhaps the bigger question at the moment is whether Louisville’s defense will be ready, too.

When Watson struggled against the Cardinals last year, it was a defense that was riding high under first-year coach Todd Grantham. But in the eight games since, Louisville has surrendered at least 30 points five times and has allowed all but one opponent to average better than 5 yards per play. After an 0-2 start to this season in which the Cardinals have struggled at times on both sides of the ball, Bobby Petrino is keenly aware of the threat posed by Clemson’s quarterback.

“He throws the deep ball extremely well,” Petrino said. “And then he has the ability to run. They haven’t asked him to run very much yet this season, but we know he has the ability.”

Indeed, Watson showed off his arm in last week’s win over Appalachian State with three long touchdown passes. Since the start of last season, the only quarterback to post a higher passer efficiency on throws of 20 yards or more is former Heisman winner Marcus Mariota. And even with star receiver Mike Williams out for this game, Peake appears more than ready to fill the void.

“They’re getting better and better every day,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “As we go through the course of the season, that chemistry is just going to continue to improve.”

As for the running, Watson shrugged off concerns that his injury history is inhibiting his desire to escape the pocket. Through two games, he has 11 carries and just three were designed runs. That, Watson said, was by design, not necessity.

“It just comes natural for this offense. It’s not really designed for me to run,” Watson said. “We have six running backs who can run the ball and playmakers outside who can make big plays. If I have to run, I run, but it’s not my first option.”

Watson’s last game against Louisville proved that he’ll need to think beyond his first option. The tests through two weeks haven’t been difficult, but a wounded Louisville defense with a chip on its shoulder is another animal.

And if that’s a challenge for Watson, he’s not concerned. In fact, he sounded eager to get a taste.

“Coach Grantham does a great job of disguising things,” Watson said, “and making it fun.”

So despite Watson’s protests that this will be just like any other game, it’s impossible for him to hide his enthusiasm.

This will be fun. It’s the one team that’s come close to stifling Clemson’s superstar, and now he has a chance to prove it was little more than a fluke created by a small sample size.

“This is what I came to Clemson for, to play on national television and have people look at us and watch us play,” Watson said.

The stage is set for something far bigger than a forgettable three possessions.