Recapping the big highlights, game-changing performers and all the mayhem that led to LSU beating Clemson for the National Championship.
First Quarter
Clemson would receive the opening kickoff and would march down the field on its opening drive near the red zone. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence completed a nice pair of passes to wide receiver Justyn Ross on a free play and then another one to his running back Travis Etienne.
On a third-and-8 from the LSU 25-yard line, LSU safety Grant Delpit would execute a safety blitz to sack Lawrence for a 10-yard loss. Instead of attempting a long field-goal attempt, Clemson opted to take a delay of game penalty in favor of pinning LSU deep on the ensuing punt. Clemson was successful in that attempt to force LSUās opening drive to begin at its own six-yard line.
LSU nearly got out of its own end zone on a great improvisation play by Burrow, completing it 38 yards to his tight end Thaddeus Moss. Unfortunately for LSU, there was an eligible receiver downfield and that gain was negated. LSU would not convert the first down and had to punt. Though Clemson had great field position, they too went three-and-out and punted.
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The LSU offense again sputtered on its second drive, going three-and-out with Burrow only completing one ball to his star wide receiver JaāMarr Chase. LSU did punt the ball well to have Clemsonās third offensive drive begin at the Clemson 33-yard line.
Right away, Lawrence through a perfect ball to his rarely used tight end Braden Galloway. The Tigers would get to the LSU 25-yard line on that huge gain by Galloway. However, the gain was lessened thanks to an illegal block by wide receiver Tee Higgins. Lawrence would nearly run for a first down, which set up a nine 19-yard gain to Higgins two plays later.
A personal foul on LSU nose tackle SiakiĀ Ika had Clemson with its first goal-line opportunity of the night. Etienne would be tackled few from the goal line, which set up a read option for Lawrence, which he took it in himself for an easy score. After the made B.T. Potter PAT, Clemson would lead 7-0 with 6:34 remaining in the first quarter.
LSU didnāt do much on its third offensive drive. While Burrow was able to convert for a first down for the first time tonight, as Burrow found wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. for a 15-yard gain. However, LSUās third drive was short-lived and only lasted five plays. Zach Von Rosenberg had his third punt of the game on as many possessions.
Fortunately for LSU, the Tigers would have their opportunity to capitalize on a few Clemson miscues. A pair of penalties and a pair of Lawrence high misses in the passing game forced a three-and-out for the Clemson offense. Derek Stingley Jr. returned Will Spiersā punt nine yards to the LSU 30-yard line.
After that, this is when Burrow finally came alive. Following a pair of Clyde Edwards-Helaire runs that got LSU a first down, Burrow absolutely let it rip to Chase on a 52-yard touchdown bomb to pay dirt. It was one of those plays that shows why heāll be the No. 1 overall pick to the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2020 NFL Draft. The made Cade York PAT tied it up at 7-7 Tigers.
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Clemson would begin its fifth offensive series with 2:20 left in the first quarter. A pair of runs by Lawrence and Etienne, along with an 18-yard completion to Galloway led to the Clemson offense being at second-and-4 on the LSU 47-yard line as the clock expired on the first frame of the national championship.
Second Quarter
Clemson would add another five plays to its fifth drive of the evening in the second quarter. Lawrence would convert the second-and-4 with his legs on a five-yard run, but couldnāt get another first down on that drive. He was nearly sacked on a third-and-5 but was able to essentially shovel it to running back Lyn-J Dixon for a small gain.
This would then set up a long field-goal try for the hit-or-miss Potter to attempt. After not getting a shot on the first offensive drive of the game, Potter came out and got enough leg to make an impressive 52-yarder to make it 10-7 Clemson with 13:43 remaining in the first half.
After the made Potter field goal, LSU would get a nice 20-yard run out of Burrow, as well as a seven-yard completion to Marshall. However, Von Rosenberg would be punting again, this time pinning Clemson deep in their own territory at the Clemson four-yard line.
Clemson would respond with a four-play drive going the length of the field. Lawrence had a strong completion to Ross for 24 yards. Etienne had back-to-back runs for 29 yards and seven yards to get it to the LSU 36-yard line. Then, some more trickery happened. Higgins would take it 36 yards to the house on a reverse. The made Potter PAT extended Clemsonās lead to 17-7 with 10:38 left.
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And if Clemson extended its lead with a touchdown, LSU would answer with a score of its own. Burrow would complete back-to-back passes to Chase. The first was a 16-yarder and the second one was a 56-yard aerial strike that got the Tigers to a first-and-goal. After taking a timeout on a third-and-goal, Burrow would take it in himself from three yards out to make it 17-14 Clemson.
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After scoring points on its last two drives, Clemson punted for the fourth time in the game. It wasnāt quite a three-and-out, as Etienne had 12-yard run for a first down, but Lawrence was only able to complete one ball for one yard on three attempts. Stingley would fair catch Spiersā punt at the LSU 13-yard line.
LSU would go with pace on the ensuing offensive drive. Burrow and the aerial attack got into a rhythm, catching both the Clemson defense and the officials off-guard. After an incompletion to wide receiver Justin Jefferson, the LSU offense rattled off five-straight first-down plays. The most notable was a 23-yard completion to Edwards-Helaire where he was touched out of bounds.
However, LSU was going so fast that the Bayou Bengals beat the officials to review it and got the next snap off. It would be an 18-yard completion to Jefferson. The next play was another touchdown strike to Chase, this time 14 yards to pay dirt to give LSU the 21-17 lead at 5:19 left in the second quarter.
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Clemsonās next offensive drive was nearly identical to the previous one. Etienne was able to get a first down, but this time on a 14-yard completion from Lawrence. However, Clemson would punt on its sixth play, as Spiers pinned the LSU offense down at its own five-yard line with 3:38 left in the half.
LSU would methodically work its way down the field on an 11-play drive that resulted in a Moss touchdown grab from Burrow. It was a brilliant drive that almost wasnāt. Burrow was sacked for a nine-yard loss, which led to a third-and-19 two plays later. The LSU offense benefited from a brutal Derion Kendrick defensive pass interference call on an attempt to Marshall.
Burrow would then show why he won the Heisman Trophy on the next eight plays. He completed passes to Chase, Jefferson and then Moss on a six-yarder to make it 28-17 LSU seconds before halftime. Burrow also extended the drive with 34 rushing yards on three carries, including a tremendous run to the red zone after LSU had to burn its last timeout. This was incredible.
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There were only 10 seconds left on the clock before halftime when Burrow found Moss for his third touchdown pass in the game. Lawrence would take a knee after the ensuing kickoff to take this one into halftime. And just like that, LSU had 21 unanswered points and took a double-digit lead into the break.
Third Quarter
Shortly before the end of the half, Burrow appeared to injure his ribs and was trying to work through it during halftime with an obvious grimace on his face. This might have led to a three-and-out on LSUās opening drive of the second half, as he took a sack by linebacker James Skalski. Von Rosenberg would punt and Clemson would have its opportunity to take back some momentum.
Lawrence and the Tigers offense marched down the field on the LSU defense. A face mask penalty on LSU linebacker KāLavon Chaisson led to great field position for Clemson. Etienne would run it on three straight plays in the red zone, capping it off with a three-yard touchdown run to make it 28-25 LSU after the two-point conversion from Lawrence to wide receiver Amari Rodgers.
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LSU would go three-and-out on its second offensive drive of the second half. Safety Isaiah Simmons was able to give Clemson its fourth sack of Burrow for the evening. A nice completion to Chase nearly got the Bayou Bengals a first down, but an incomplete pass that Clemson safety Nolan Turner should have taken to the house on a pick-six was dropped. LSU punted again.
Clemson would punt on its next drive, as the Tigers had little success vs. the LSU defense. After an 11-yard completion to Ross to begin it, Lawrence couldnāt get a first down on his next three passing attempts. Wide receiver Joe Ngata nearly had a completion, but the ball skipped on the Superdome turf first. An incompletion to Higgins was nearly picked off before Clemson punted.
LSU would extend its lead on the ensuing drive. An obviously hurt Burrow would run up the middle for a 10-yard gain to get the Tigers started on that series. After a delay of game penalty, Burrow would connect with Chase again for a 43-yard gain to get into the red zone. Burrow then completed a seven-yard pass to Jefferson but got the benefit of a questionable call.
Skalski would lower his head and appeared to launch himself at Jefferson, thus getting flagged for targeting. It was a late flag for targeting, but one that was ultimately upheld upon further review. On the next play, Burrow would throw his fourth touchdown pass of the day, finding Moss at the left pylon. This play would be reviewed, but it too would be upheld. LSU then led Clemson, 35-25.
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Clemson would try to respond but was unable to. Cornerback Kristian Fulton appeared to have picked Lawrence off but was instead flagged for defensive pass interference. Clemson would punt a minute later, as Stingley returned Spiersā punt to the LSU 32-yard line, looking to extend the Tigersā lead.
Burrow would complete a great ball to Jefferson for a 35-yard gain to essentially get LSU in field goal range. But after that, LSU couldnāt keep the drive rolling. This set up a 45-yard field goal attempt for York on a fourth-and-4, but his inconsistency from mid-range yielded its ugly head again, as he shanked his field-goal try. LSU still led 35-25 after the missed field goal.
Clemson would then go three-and-out, giving LSU less than a minute on the clock before the end of the third quarter. Edwards-Helaire had two plays combined for 20 yards, but an Adrian Magee personal foul knocked the LSU offense back a bit. LSU would have a first down near midfield at the start of the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Burrow would need six more plays to throw his fifth touchdown pass of the night for LSU. He had a nice 13-yard completion to Moss for a first down. Four plays later, Burrow found Marshall near the right pylon for six. It was an incredible grab and one that extended the LSU lead by 17 points after the made York PT. LSU led 42-25 with 12:08 left in the ball game. Then, āNeckā happened.
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Lawrence and the Clemson offense would not respond to Burrowās fifth touchdown pass on the ensuing possession. The Clemson quarterback struggled with his accuracy, as he had for much of the night. A brutal Higgins offensive pass interference took his best throw of the night off the board on what could have been a touchdown. Clemson would then punt with 10:10 left.
LSU was just playing against the clock at this point. The Bayou Bengals chewed up over five minutes of clock before punting after a Jake Venables on a third-and-18. Rodgers was hit immediately on the return with only 4:46 left in the national title bout.
Lawrence and the Clemson offense went into scramble mode. After two big plays on offense, Lawrence would try to make something out of nothing and ended up fumbling the football with 3:53 left on the clock. Delpit would force the fumble and Stingley would recover it, almost certainly putting the final nail in the coffin of Clemsonās back-to-back perfect seasons. It was party time.
After several Edwards-Helaire runs, it was time for victory formation for LSU. The Tigers just ended the defending champsā quest at setting a college football record for the most consecutive wins. Outside of the Palmetto State, this was a win and a moment that every college football fan can appreciate. Congratulations, LSU. This was an unforgettable season.
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