SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Carolina Panthers rookie linebacker Ben Boulware spent the past 3½ years at Clemson wanting to hit quarterback Deshaun Watson.
It never was an option.
"If you breathed on him in practice, coach [Dabo] Swinney would pull your scholarship," Boulware said.
Though they are now on different teams, and Watson will be without a red jersey when the Panthers face the Houston Texans in Wednesday night's preseason opener at Bank of America Stadium, Boulware still might not get a chance at the 12th pick of the NFL draft.
"He'll probably be in first and second quarter," said Boulware, who went undrafted. "I'm near the bottom of the totem pole, so I'll likely get in later in the game. If the opportunity presents itself, I'll be super pumped about it and hopefully I can get a hit on him."
That doesn't keep Boulware from dreaming. And in that dream, he doesn't pull up against the player who led Clemson to a last-second victory against Alabama this year in the national championship game.
He won't in reality, either.
"Not at all," Boulware said. "I'll give him a hug and kiss after, but I would put everything into that hit. That's 3½ years of waiting to hit somebody, so I'll put all three years into that one hit.
"He'll probably juke me out, honestly. He's a pretty good athlete. No, I would not lay off at all."
Watson is guaranteed a spot on the Texans' roster. He's pushing Tom Savage for a starting spot, although Savage appears to have the upper hand two weeks into camp based on experience.
Boulware isn't guaranteed a spot, although he is "confident" in his chances. That makes this game about more than hitting Watson. It's about proving he deserves to be here.
And maybe about proving he should have been drafted, something that still irks the defensive MVP of the national title game.
"I'm ready for the opportunity," Boulware said. "It's an opportunity I've been waiting for my entire life. I feel like I've proven to coaches day in and day out that I know what I'm doing. I know ball.
"They can trust me out there. I can line guys up and manage a defense while I'm out there. I'm looking forward to proving that in these preseason games."
Boulware's football IQ gives him an edge over most undrafted rookies. Everyone from coach Ron Rivera to Pro Bowl middle linebacker Luke Kuechly has said how smart he is.
"Obviously I’m not the biggest guy out there or the fastest, but I know football," said Boulware, who is 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds.
Boulware also knows Watson. He has watched the dual-threat quarterback do things with his arm and legs that are as remarkable as some of the things Carolina quarterback Cam Newton has done the past six seasons.
"Deshaun is a different animal, a different breed," Boulware said. "I'm sure Savage knows that."
Boulware is a different kind of animal, as well. What he lacks in size and speed he makes up for with instincts --
much the same as Kuechly.
Just don’t ask him to run down a scrambling Watson should they both be in the game at the same time.
"I like to think I've got good game speed, but his game speed is probably a little bit faster than mine," Boulware said. "I'd like to think if I took a good angle, but if we're running a straight line, 100 percent he beats me."
Watson and Boulware aren't the only former Tigers playing in this game. The Texans are full of Clemson players -- safety Marcus Gilchrist, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, nose tackle D.J. Reader and offensive tackle Carlos Watkins.
"Clemson family just wearing different colors," Boulware said.
Thanks to Clemson's athletic fundraising organization, Boulware didn't have to worry that the Panthers provided him with only two tickets. IPTAY purchased a suite for the family members of all former Tigers in this game.
Boulware texted them all last week to see how they were doing.
But once he gets on the field, it's all business, even if he's not on the field at the same time as Watson.
"It would be cool," Boulware said of getting a shot at Watson. "But I'm trying to keep it real. We probably won't be in there [at] the same time."