Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence making late push for Heisman Trophy vs. Notre Dame

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is running from behind in the Heisman race, but he’s making a strong late impression vs. Notre Dame in the ACC Championship Game.

Can Trevor Lawrence win the Heisman? It’ll be a climb at this stage, but the Clemson quarterback is making his case late.

Part of winning the Heisman is delivering big performances in big games. That’s what Lawrence is doing early against Notre Dame in the ACC Championship Game.

Lawrence was the star of the show in the first half. He hit the deep ball…

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He found receivers in space…

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He was 12-of-18for 199 yards and two scores at halftime with the Tigers up 24-3 on the Fighting Irish.

And Lawrence made plays with his legs too, keeping the Notre Dame defense honest with five carries for 42 yards.

Trevor Lawrence needs a big performance to overcome other Heisman hopefuls

Lawrence’s performance early against Notre Dame makes you wonder how the season might have gone if he had been available for the first meeting between the two. Would Clemson be undefeated? Would Lawrence be a Heisman favorite again?

It’s tough to say obviously, especially given the performance of other Heisman contenders. They remain the biggest obstacles to Lawrence bringing home the prize.

Essentially, Lawrence needs to continue to put up big plays against Notre Dame while hoping Alabama stars Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith lay a bit of an egg in the SEC title game.

For what it’s worth, Smith looked like he was cruising to the Heisman with six 100-yard receiving games and two 200-yard showings, including four and three-touchdown performances against Mississippi State and LSU. However, he had just three catches for 22 yards in Alabama’s blowout of Arkansas. A big day against Florida would go a long way to locking up the award.

Jones has been exceptional all season as well. With 3,321 yards, 27 touchdowns and a passer rating of 203.90 this year, he’s set up to claim the Heisman on production alone. A “Heisman moment” or two against the Gators could make his candidacy impossible to overcome.

If, however, Jones and Smith have an off day and Lawrence can guide Clemson to a big win over Notre Dame, the Heisman Trophy conversation is going to get very interesting.

The finalists will be revealed on Christmas Eve night with the winner being named on Tuesday, Jan. 4.

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