Heisman hopeful Trevor Lawrence dominant in season opener at Wake Forest
Trevor Lawrence wanted to play. He couldn’t have made it any clearer.
After weeks of spearheading the #WeWantToPlay movement and further entrenching himself as the face of college football, the star Clemson quarterback — finally — had the chance to step on a football field Saturday night.
The wait was worth it.
Touted by most outlets as the top quarterback and NFL draft prospect in the country, Lawrence led the explosive No. 1 Tigers to a 37-13 rout of Wake Forest in the first game of a strange, coronavirus-altered 2020 season.
“It was a little weird,” Lawrence said. “But obviously we’re just so happy to be playing. We had just as much energy. We might’ve had a little bit more with some fans, but we were just excited to play.
“We’ve been waiting a long time. We really just cherish these opportunities, especially this whole offseason when it was up in the air if we were even gonna get to play.”
The 6-foot-6 junior completed 22 of 28 passes and threw for 351 yards, scoring a career-high two rushing touchdowns and adding one touchdown through the air. Lawrence exited the game with 1:41 left in the third quarter, with Clemson up 37-3, giving way to freshman quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei.
Already considered the favorite to win The Heisman Trophy, Lawrence did nothing to hurt his chances. At one point during the game, while Lawrence was walking off the field, ABC play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough quipped, “There goes the Heisman.”
Coming off a loss to LSU in January’s national title game — the first loss in 26 career games for Lawrence — the Clemson offense looked out of sync early. On Lawrence’s first pass of the season, top wideout Amari Rodgers slipped at the end of his route, and the ball sailed over his head. One play later, Lawrence rolled out of the pocket and took a 16-yard sack, leading to a three-and-out.
That was the only time Lawrence struggled.
He kicked off the next drive by connecting with Rodgers on a perfectly placed 37-yard deep strike, then hurrying to the line and hitting Rodgers again for a 17-yard gain on a quick pass. After several runs by star halfback Travis Etienne, Lawrence kept the ball on an option play at the two-yard line and ran for a touchdown. He capped off the next drive in the same way, with a one-yard run.
“Outside of the one play there in the first drive where he took the sack, could’ve gotten rid of the ball … other than that, man, he’s had the eye of the tiger,” offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. “He made great decisions in the run game, pulling the ball down there on the goal line to give us an opportunity to score there. Definitely he’s at a different level. Just got to challenge him to continue to maintain that focus for the rest of the season.”
After the first drive, the offense worked at a quicker pace, and Lawrence spread the ball around, focusing on shorter passes. His lone touchdown pass went to an unlikely target in redshirt senior tight end J.C. Chalk, who caught his first career touchdown in the corner of the end zone.
“This whole offseason, one of my goals is just to take what the defense gives me, don’t overcomplicate it, don’t try to do too much, and eventually the big plays will come,” Lawrence said. “Our coordinators, our coaches and obviously our playmakers — that stuff is gonna come. So just trust it. “
Perhaps most importantly, Lawrence didn’t turn the ball over. The quarterback threw eight interceptions in the first seven games last season, including two picks in the season opener. ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay, who served as a sideline reporter Saturday, noted that Lawrence cleaned up his footwork in the second half last year, throwing zero interceptions to 22 touchdowns in his final eight games.
McShay said during the broadcast that in his 20 years of evaluating quarterbacks, only former Stanford and Colts quarterback Andrew Luck graded higher than Lawrence as a draft prospect.
Hours before the contest, on ESPN’s College GameDay, Lawrence confirmed in an interview with Tom Rinaldi what most had already assumed — that this season would be his last in a Clemson uniform. Projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Lawrence has little left to prove on the college level.
“I just love football,” Lawrence told Rinaldi, explaining why he didn’t opt out. “I’m graduating in December. I’m planning on this being my last season. Just really excited to have one more with my brothers, my teammates and my coaches that I’ve grown so close to over the past three years.”
That final ride is off to an electrifying start.
This story was originally published September 12, 2020 at 10:17 PM with the headline "Heisman hopeful Trevor Lawrence dominant in season opener at Wake Forest."
