Road to the College Football Playoff: Clemson’s faith in Trevor Lawrence pays off
Behind an NFL-ready defense and a freshman quarterback, Clemson is in the College Football Playoff for the fourth straight year.
Clemson was supposed to be in the College Football Playoff this year, but it’s who is leading them that has been the biggest surprise for the Tigers.
After Christian Wilkins, Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant all announced they would bypass the NFL Draft and return alongside Dexter Lawrence, the Tigers were penciled in as ACC Champions and a playoff team. Clemson was coming off a semifinal loss to Alabama the year before but with Kelly Bryant returning at quarterback and a loaded recruiting class and promising underclassmen ready to make a name for themselves, expectations were high for Dabo Swinney’s team to capture a second national title in the last three years.
While Clemson navigated the ACC waters to get to the playoff, it was Swinney’s decision to sit Bryant in favor of freshman phenom Trevor Lawrence that has Clemson two wins away from a national championship.
Trevor Lawrence unseats Kelly Bryant at quarterback
Bryant started the first four games of the season, including a clutch two-touchdown performance in the 28-26 win Texas A&M. But perhaps it was because of Bryant that it was such a close game because two weeks later, he was benched in favor of Lawrence, the nation’s top recruit, who threw nine touchdowns as Bryant’s backup in the first month.
The 6-foot-6 Lawrence with long blonde hair looks like he came out of central casting but his first start was far from the Hollywood script he envisioned for his first college start. Lawrence was injured and left the game vs. Syracuse that could have presented a big detour to the road to the College Football Playoff.
With Bryant leaving school and deciding to transfer, third-string Chase Brice came in to preserve the game and avoid the upset. With a healthy Lawrence, He posted a 15:2 TD: INT ratio, completed 65 percent of his passes and 239 yards passing per game. He is already a start and should be in the Heisman conversation the next two years before leaving as the potential No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Unsung hero
Clemson’s defense has received a lot of fanfare and headlines, and deservedly so, and Lawrence has been a star from the moment he set foot on campus, but the team’s unsung hero is running back, Travis Etienne. The sophomore back was largely responsible for the win vs. Syracuse when Lawrence had to leave with injury. Etienne ran for a career-high 203 yards and three touchdowns.
Etienne was able to shoulder the load as Lawrence gained confidence by the start, and make sure he didn’t have to develop at a rate quicker than Swinney wanted. Etienne is also getting stronger as the season goes on. He ran for 465 yards and six touchdowns in five November on 60 carries. He’s a home run hitter who can also grind out the tough yards. His 1,463 yards is fifth in the nation and his 21 touchdowns were one off the most in the country.
Playoff prognosis
Clemson is the No. 2 seed after their undefeated season and opened as 11.5 point favorites for their Cotton Bowl game with Notre Dame. In a battle of unbeatens, Clemson matches up really well with the Fighting Irish, or about as well as one team can against a fellow undefeated team. Clemson should be able to run with Etienne against Notre Dame’s No. 33 rush defense that allowed an average of 133.5 yards per game.
Broyles Award finalist, Clemson offensive coordinator Jeff Scott, will run to open the pass to give Lawrence manageable third downs and to open up play action. Notre Dame hasn’t really been challenged by an elite offense all year and that should cost them. Provided Clemson gets past this game, they will meet the winner of the Orange Bowl between Alabama and Oklahoma. It’s not too early to start thinking about Clemson-Alabama III.