Dabo Swinney on Clemson's Critics: Who Has Beat Alabama in Last 5 Years?
Nov 5, 2019
CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 02: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers makes the Tiger Walk before their game against the Wofford Terriers at Memorial Stadium on November 02, 2019 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
One of the knocks against the undefeated Clemson Tigers to this point has been what is considered an easy schedule. According to USA Today'sJeff Sagarin, they have played the 64th-most difficult schedule in 2019, which is expected to keep them out of the No. 1 spot when the College Football Playoff rankings are unveiled Tuesday night.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney unsurprisingly finds fault with that line of reasoning, dismissing it during his press conference Tuesday.
"Who has beat Alabama in SEC? In the past five years? Ain't many," he said, per Sam Hellman of 247Sports. "Yet we've had a great run in our conference because nobody is else good. We've only won in postseason because people are tired or there are distractions...it's funny."
To answer Swinney's question, Alabama has lost to Ole Miss (2014, 2015), Ohio State (2014), Clemson (2016, 2018) and Auburn (2017) in the past five-and-a-half seasons. In that time, the Crimson Tide have won two national championships, lost in the title game twice and have reached the College Football Playoff five times.
Granted, Clemson has also won two national championships in that time, and Swinney would be expected to advocate for his team. But the Tigers also lack a signature win this year, with their best victory coming against 6-3 Texas A&M by a 24-10 margin.
The rest of the top undefeated teams in theAssociated Press Poll, meanwhile, have put up results against stiffer competition:
No. 1 LSU: Wins over Texas, Florida and Auburn. Strength of schedule ranks 34th.
No. 2 Alabama: Best win over Texas A&M. Strength of schedule ranks 59th.
No. 3 Ohio State: Best win over Wisconsin. Strength of schedule ranks 20th.
No. 5 Penn State: Best wins over Iowa, Michigan. Strength of schedule ranks 39th.
It would be something of a surprise if Tuesday's rankings didn't include a Top Five of LSU, Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and Penn State in some order. Certainly, the top of the college football world will have more clarity after this weekend, when LSU and Alabama clash in Tuscaloosa.
And it's hard to imagine that the selection committee would ever hold an undefeated Clemson out of the College Football Playoff. The more fascinating discussion would be if the Tigers eventually suffered a defeat or failed to win an ACC title.
When the one-loss teams enter the discussion, resumes are generally compared and held up to greater scrutiny. As for avoiding that dreaded defeat, Swinney said he feels good about his team.
"We are in a good place heading into November, but everybody has got to be a little bit better," he said. "Just a little bit better from everybody because, man, the air gets a little colder, a little thinner the higher that you climb. Guys get banged up, and you've got to have the guts to push through."
Clemson generally pushes through. But that doesn't mean this iteration of the team won't find itself ranked a little lower than it'd prefer Tuesday night, given its mediocre schedule to this point.
Willie Taggart Fired by FSU; Odell Haggins to Serve as Interim HC
Nov 3, 2019
Florida State head coach Willie Taggart watches his team before the start of an NCAA college football game against Clemson Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)
The Willie Taggart era at Florida State is over, as the school fired the head football coach Sunday after less than two years with the program.
The decision came after FSU fell to 4-5 on the season with a 27-10 loss to Miami. Odell Haggins will serve as the interim head coach.
Matt Fortuna of The Athletic shared the program's release confirming the decision.
Odell Haggins will be FSU’s interim head coach. AD David Coburn will meet the media at noon tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/BrADV8gy0q
Taggart was originally signed to a six-year, $30 million contract full of incentives in 2017 and had a buyout of "around" $18 million, per Matt Murschel of the Orlando Sentinel & Tribune.
Darren Rovell of The Action Network noted it's the second-largest buyout in college football history, behind Charlie Weis, who was paid $18.9 million after being fired by Notre Dame.
According to ESPN's Andrea Adelson, Florida State had also paid Oregon $3 million when it hired Taggart in 2017, along with $1.3 million the Ducks owed South Florida for their hire of Taggert the previous year.
In the coach's first year, the Seminoles finished with a 5-7 record, representing the school's first losing season since 1976. The squad hasn't improved much this season, leading to Taggart's dismissal.
Taggart had a reputation of a program-builder during his career, taking over terrible teams at Western Kentucky and South Florida before making them respectable. He only had one season at Oregon, but the squad saw marked improvement in that time.
However, Florida State was unwilling to wait for a turnaround, and Taggart will now be seeking his fifth different coaching job in 10 years.
His career record is just 56-62, though taking over scuffling teams is a big reason for the mediocre record.
Meanwhile, the Seminoles will be on the hunt for a new coach who can live up to their lofty standards.
Florida State had only two full-time coaches from 1976 to 2017, with both Bobby Bowden and Jimbo Fisher winning national championships during their tenures with the team.
The next coach will hope to return the program to prominence.
Trevor Lawrence and the fourth-ranked Clemson Tigers cruised to a 59-14 victory over the Wofford Terriers on Saturday.
Lawrence had an efficient day, completing 12of 16 pass attempts for 218yards and threetouchdowns while playing just one drive into the third quarter. Running back Travis Etienne also went off for 212rushingyards and twoscores.
The Tigers improved to 9-0 with the victory.
Notable Performances
Clemson
QB Trevor Lawrence: 12-of-16, 218 yards, three touchdowns; four carries, 33 yards, one touchdown
RB Travis Etienne: nine carries, 212 yards, two touchdowns; one reception, 23 yards
WR Amari Rodgers: two catches, 71 yards, one touchdown
WR Tee Higgins: fivecatches, 74 yards, one touchdown
Lawrence, Etienne Dominant in Victory
A nonconference game against an inferior opponent can sometimes result in a less-than-focused effort for top teams. The Tigers avoided that trap as Lawrence and Etienne took care of business right from the start.
Lawrence came out of the locker room ready to play, going 3-of-3 for 71 yards while leading his team down the field on the opening drive in less than two minutes. The drive was capped off with a perfect 35-yard pass to Amari Rodgers:
The sophomore star was sharp all day, leading the Tigers to the end zone on six of their first seven drives. He missed on just four throws on this day, with three coming on the team's lone first-half drive that resulted in a punt.
Lawrence also had a chance to show off his running abilities late in the second quarter, running for a two-yard touchdown.
Lawrence wasn't the only Clemson player doing work, though. Etienne also had himself a day, breaking off touchdown runs of 47 and 86 yards:
Travis Etienne's 86-yard TD run is the 2nd-longest of his career (90-yard TD run vs Georgia Tech on Aug. 29). Etienne now has 3 career rush TD of 80+ yards, tied with Chris Thompson for the most by an ACC player over the last 15 seasons.
He had a career-high 207 yards and two scores on just eight carries...in thefirst half. According to the ACC Network, Etienne is the first ACC player to rush for 200 yards in the first half in the last 15 years.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney likely won't be able to take much away from this game, given the opponent. However, given former Top Five teams like Georgia and Oklahoma have fallen to unranked teams in recent weeks, Swinney has to be pleased his team remained locked in and delivered an overpowering performance against Wofford.
What's Next
Clemson will hit the road for an ACC tilt at NC State (4-4) on Nov. 9.
Manny Diaz's 1st Season at Miami Is a Thorough Mess
Oct 25, 2019
Miami Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz in action during an NCAA college football game against Central Michigan, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Manny Diaz entered a situation in which his new team was built to win immediately.
While the Hurricanes were never a national title contender, they reside in the ever-flailing ACC Coastal Division. Despite the offseason turnover that saw Mark Richt retire and a new offensive staff hired, Miami still had clear advantages with an experienced defense and the highest-recruited skill-position talent in the division.
First-year coaches sometimes get a pass while adjusting to a new situation, but Diaz had spent the last three seasons as Miami's defensive coordinator. He knew the personnel. He saw the weaknesses and addressed them as much as possible through the much-discussed transfer portal―and he did an excellent job of that.
And, yet again, the Hurricanes aren't going to win the Coastal. Most remarkably, that's already clear in October.
The frustrating season has included four one-possession letdowns, starting with a wasted opportunity against Florida (24-20) and a road collapse at North Carolina (28-25). Then in October, Miami lost at home to Virginia Tech (42-35) and Georgia Tech (28-21).
As you'd expect from a head coach, Diaz has recently taken the "glass half-full" approach.
Diaz: "We're four plays away from being 7-0, but we're not. ... And regardless of what our record says, we have to win today. ... When we look at who we are at our core and how we're building as a program ... the foundation of what we're trying to be, those things have shown up."
More realistically, it's a confluence of errors that has guided Miami to a dismal 3-4 record and questions of whether "The U" will even qualify for a bowl.
In the season opener, Florida committed four turnovers, yet Miami only scored one touchdown in three red-zone trips. Trailing 24-20 late in the fourth quarter, the 'Canes put together a mind-numbing drive that covered four yards on 10 official snaps despite a couple of penalties bailing them out.
An earlier missed 27-yard field goal prevented Diaz from considering a game-winning attempt, which, in hindsight, doesn't appear would've gone well anyway.
Miami's special teams has been a nightmare this year.
Bubba Baxa missed that kick against Florida, then had a game-tying extra point blocked and left a potential 49-yard winner wide at UNC. He missed a go-ahead extra point against Virginia Tech and a go-ahead 27-yard field goal opposite Georgia Tech. Overall, Baxa has missed five field goals and two extra points this season.
Diaz also recently tried Turner Davidson, who missed a pair of short kicks (34 and 25) in the horrible loss to Georgia Tech.
Return man Jeff Thomas fumbled a punt that gifted the Gators a go-ahead score. For good measure, Georgia Tech's Pressley Harvin III threw a 41-yard touchdown on a fake punt.
That's a nauseating collection of mistakes.
With regard to the kicking game, it's a complementary issue. The Hurricanes are 125th nationally with a 67.7 red-zone scoring percentage, and their 55.9 red-zone touchdown rate is 85th. That's also a product of a putrid 29.6 third-down conversion clip, which ranks 125th in the country as well.
So, the offense does a horrible job extending drives and, if it does manage to sustain a possession, breaks down in scoring territory.
Responsibility for that inefficiency partly falls on quarterbacks Jarren Williams and N'Kosi Perry, but largely on coordinator Dan Enos.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 14: Offensive coordinator Dan Enos of the Miami Hurricanes looks on against the Bethune Cookman Wildcats at Hard Rock Stadium on September 14, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Miami has the athletes to spread the field, yet the offense has regularly used tight formations. If the right personnel is there, that's fine. Williams is capable of running that pro-style attack, so the system itself is not a massive problem.
However, the Hurricanes' blocking unit is not capable of consistently winning in congested spaces. They've already ceded 60 tackles for loss (125th nationally) and 31 sacks (127th). Williams' shoulder injury forced Perry into the lineup, yet Enos only slowly adapted to a quarterback best suited for a spread.
In fairness, he's not been a disaster. The 'Canes are legitimately among the more explosive teams in the country; they've totaled 41 gains of 20-plus yards, which ranks 25th nationally. That's pretty good! Simultaneously, it shows the unstable all-or-nothing identity Miami has created for itself in 2019.
The "nothing" part has crushed Miami too often, leaving the defense in a situation where it must be absolutely perfect.
That, quite evidently, has not happened.
In the last decade only 4 P5 teams have lost 5+ games in which they were tied or ahead in the 4Q (’16 ND, ’10 Iowa, ’15 Neb, ’15 AzSt).
Overly criticizing the defense is foolish; it generated four takeaways and allowed 304 yards against Florida. Virginia Tech needed just 91 yards for three touchdowns after Miami turnovers. Georgia Tech's offense only scored once in regulation.
Yet UNC sliced through the defense for a rapid 17-3 lead. The 'Canes apparently had no idea how to cover Virginia Tech tight end Dalton Keene and then missed 29 tackles against Georgia Tech. All four losses include a winning touchdown from the opponent in either the fourth quarter or overtime.
Despite allowing only 4.7 yards per play (23rd) and 20.4 points per game (27th), the defense and first-year coordinator Blake Baker are not without blame.
Miami literally is not good at any phase of football. Not a single one. Complete failure that lays at the feet of Manny Diaz. Put away the chains, the props and the hashtags. Focus on fundamentals... #canes
— Steve Kim - the Thomas Sowell of Boxing (@SteveKim323) October 19, 2019
Looking at the entirety of the current performance, very little has gone right for Diaz in his head coaching debut. His promises of "The New Miami" are nothing but an offseason memory.
Yes, the team is regularly close. That's better than a weekly blowout, right? Sure, a totally botched review prevented the Hurricanes from extending the game against Georgia Tech. But to even be in that situation―in overtime, at home, against a 1-5 Georgia Tech team in the process of the most difficult offensive system overhaul possible―is atrocious.
Is there hope for a turnaround? In theory, yes.
Diaz's defensive background is excellent, and even an average offensive line would help the Hurricanes dramatically.
Relative to its Coastal competition, this is the most talented roster. Miami usually brings in top-25 recruiting classes and is headed for another in 2020. While the division may be improving, it won't hit an unreachable level for the 'Canes.
However, that's the same old story―one that hasn't changed for a decade. And in 2019, we're watching the same old Miami.
Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.
FSU AD David Coburn Debunks Urban Meyer, Steve Spurrier Head Coach Rumors
Oct 22, 2019
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 20: Former player Urban Meyer, rumored to be the next USC head coach, appears at the USC game against the Utah Utes at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 20, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Florida State athletic director David Coburn threw a wet blanket the rumors the Seminoles would consider hiring Urban Meyer or Steve Spurrier as a replacement for head football coach Willie Taggart.
"If Coach were hit by a bus tomorrow, we would not target Coach Meyer, period," Coburn said, per the Tallahassee Democrat's Wayne McGahee III. "I say that with all due respect to Coach Meyer, but we would not target Steve Spurrier either."
Football Scoop'sZach Barnettreported Monday that Florida State "engaged its donor class about making a change," with Meyer one candidate to take over for Taggart.
The tone of Coburn's comment is somewhat surprising, but the general sentiment isn't. The Seminoles have little to gain from undermining their head coach in the midst of a disappointing 2019 season. They sit at 3-4 heading into Saturday's home game against Syracuse.
The last thing the AD should be doing is sowing doubt about Taggart's future, even if the school is seriously considering his job status.
One could argue Taggart shouldn't even be on the hot seat despite the fact that the Seminoles could post a losing record for the second year in a row. Bleacher Report'sMatt Hayeswrote in June that Taggart was effectively inheriting a rebuild from his predecessor, Jimbo Fisher.
"Many of the issues Taggart inherited, they say, began with the coddling of Jameis Winston, the player who led the Noles to such remarkable heights under Fisher. Those issues eventually bled into a hands-off attitude with academics and placed the program at risk of not complying with NCAA standards and being ineligible to participate in championship events.
"Another former assistant under Fisher tells Bleacher Report that by the end of Fisher's reign, coaches were being given one mandate: 'Keep the players eligible.'"
Coburn alluded to those problems when he told Hayes that Taggart "had a lot to deal with, beyond the field" when he arrived in December 2017.
Granted, theTampa Bay Times'Matt Bakernoted attendance at Florida State games is trending downward this year. The Seminoles had 46,530 for their 35-24 win over Louisville on Sept. 21, which was their smallest crowd since 1983.
Making a marquee hire such as Meyer or Spurrier might provide a shot in the arm for the fanbase and bring some much-needed energy, but until the team is ready to make a move it seems best for Coburn to maintain as much stability as possible for Taggart's sake.
Clemson's Andrew Booth Jr. Forced to Miss Flight, Ride Bus Home After Ejection
Oct 20, 2019
CLEMSON, SC - SEPTEMBER 07: General view as Clemson Tigers players hold up their helmets during a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Memorial Stadium on September 7, 2019 in Clemson, South Carolina. Clemson defeated Texas A&M 24-10. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney clearly wasn't pleased with freshman cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. following Saturday's 45-10 victory over Louisville.
"He rode back on our manager bus. That's where it started," Swinney said of Booth's punishment for punching Louisville's Trenell Troutman in the third quarter, per Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com. "The rest of it will be handled in-house."
Schlabach explained Booth was ejected after punching Troutman following a scuffle during a Louisville punt. The bus ride back from Louisville to Clemson, South Carolina, is approximately 450 miles, so he had plenty of time to think about the play.
The rest of the team flew back.
Booth has appeared in three games this season with three tackles and zero interceptions. The Tigers likely won't miss him on the field in the immediate future if he is held out of action as further punishment for the ejection.
Despite the Booth drama, Clemson is cruising through a weak ACC slate after a Sept. 28 scare against North Carolina.
It plays 4-3 Boston College on Saturday.
Trevor Lawrence Shakes Off Early Struggles; Leads Clemson to Win vs. Louisville
Oct 19, 2019
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - OCTOBER 19: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Clemson Tigers throws a pass against the Louisville Cardinals at Cardinal Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
The No. 3 Clemson Tigers remained undefeated Saturday with a 45-10road victory over the Louisville Cardinals at Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky.
Clemson improved to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in ACC play on the season, while Louisville dropped to 4-3 with a 2-2 mark in conference games.
While sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence had an up-and-down day for the Tigers, running back Travis Etienne ran wild, and the Clemson defense shut the Cardinals down to the tune of 263 total yards allowed and three turnovers forced.
Dating back to the 2017 season, Clemson has now won 21 consecutive games.
Notable Stats
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson: 20-of-29 for 233 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT, 10 carries for 47 yards
Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson: 14 carries for 192 yards, 1 TD, 4 receptions for 35 yards
Dez Fitzpatrick, WR, Louisville: 3 receptions for 63 yards
Etienne, Dominant Defense Pick Up Slack for Inconsistent Lawrence
Lawrence entered the 2019 season as a leading Heisman Trophy candidate, but he has fallen out of the race due largely to his inability to protect the football.
That was on display once again Saturday, as he threw interceptions in the end zone on two of Clemson's first three drives.
After his second interception of the game, both Bleacher Report's Matt Miller and Pete Prisco of CBS Sports noted how much Lawrence has seemingly fallen off since last season:
2 INTs for Trevor Lawrence today. Sophomore slump continues. He's just not seeing the field well.
Bruce Feldman of The Athletic provided some context after the second interception regarding how much Lawrence has struggled protecting the football in comparison to 2018:
Louisville picks off Clemson again. It's now eight INTs on 168 throws this season for Trevor Lawrence. Last season it was one INT/99 throws. This year, it's one INT/21 throws. https://t.co/HpLg8yW1p4
Lawrence's slow start may have severely damaged a lesser team's chances of winning, but head coach Dabo Swinney looked to his running game and defense to step up.
They did precisely that, as Etienne rushed for nearly 200 yards, and the defense forced three turnovers of their own.
With other aspects of Clemson's game operating to near perfection, it allowed Lawrence to settle in and turn things around.
Lawrence threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Joe Ngata early in the second quarter to extend the Tigers' lead to 10-0 and then found wideout Justyn Ross in the back of the end zone for a 25-yard scoring strike with just five seconds remaining in the half:
Like clockwork 🔁
Trevor Lawrence with a dime to Justyn Ross for the TD!
Lawrence threw his third and final touchdown of the day in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard toss to Cornell Powell to essentially put the game away at 31-3.
ESPN Stats & Info pointed out that Lawrence excelled under pressure Saturday despite some of his early struggles:
Trevor Lawrence has recorded 2 passing touchdowns when under duress today vs Louisville.
The only other time in his career where he threw at least 2 touchdowns against duress in a game was last year's National Championship game against Alabama. pic.twitter.com/GYh4ifSWAP
There is no question that Lawrence hasn't been the same player this season that decimated Alabama's defense in the National Championship Game last season, but it hasn't mattered much for the Tigers.
Clemson has an easy schedule down the stretch, and unless there is a shocking upset along the way, it is likely that the Tigers will be back in the College Football Playoff.
They will need far better play from Lawrence to win back-to-back national titles, though, and perhaps Lawrence's improved performance as the game wore on will be the start of a big turnaround for him moving forward.
What's Next?
Clemson will be a heavy favorite to improve to 8-0 next week when it hosts the 4-3 Boston College Eagles in a Saturday night game.
Louisville will have a tougher test on its hands in the form of a home game against the 4-2 Virginia Cavaliers.
5-Star DE Desmond Evans Commits to North Carolina over Florida, More
Oct 18, 2019
Highly-touted defensive end Desmond Evans is going to play college football at North Carolinaafter announcing his commitment on Friday.
Evans revealed his decision during a pep rally at Lee County High School:
Hailing from North Carolina, Evans is one of the best players in the 2020 recruiting class. He's rated as a 5-star prospect, the third-ranked defensive end and the No. 32 overall player, per 247Sports' composite rankings.
Evans has been lauded for his football skill dating back to his freshman year in high school. Adam Friedman of Rivals.com was gushing while describing the Sanford native in a 2016 article from Langston Wertz Jr. of the Charlotte Observer:
"This guy. His film is pretty freakin' special. You don't see guys come off the ball like he does and he has a natural aggression and quick-twitch nose for the ball. I don't want to blow him up too much, but I'm excited to see what he can do. He's got a frame that you can't teach and coordination to go with it."
Fast forward three years and Evans has filled out his body and stands at 6'6, 240 pounds. He plays a premium position and has consistently been a disruptive force in the backfield with 25 tackles for loss as a junior and 26 combined sacks in 2017-18.
The Tar Heelswill happily add Evans' unique skill set to their defensive line as they chase a conference title in 2020 and beyond. His addition is a huge boon to head coach Mack Brown's incoming class and a foundation piece to build around for the next few years.
Brown is making a strong impression in the early stages of his tenure at North Carolina. The program had a solid recruiting class in 2019 with fivefour-star prospects among 25 commitments considering Brown wasn't hired until the end of November.
In his first full recruiting cycle for the Tar Heels, Brown is showing the same prowess that made him so good at Texas. Evans is one of North Carolina's best in-state recruits, so keeping him at home will go a long way toward helping the program compete for ACC Coastal Division titles.
Clemson's Dabo Swinney: Trevor Lawrence Injury Reports 'People Creating Drama'
Oct 9, 2019
Clemson football head coach Dabo Swinney responded to a report Wednesday that quarterback Trevor Lawrence received an MRI on his shoulder.
"No, I'm not confirming any of that," Swinney told reporters in part, perClemson Sports Talk.
"And I don't want anybody texting anymore. I had a media guy text me the other night about it. That's private information. That's private information. If I want anybody to know our medical stuff, I'll tell you. We'll put it on the injury report...
"There's nothing wrong with Trevor, and I don't like people creating drama. There's no drama on this team, so what do people want to do? Create drama. It's the most unbelievable thing. There's no drama. There ain't nothing wrong with Trevor. Zero. Nothing. If we did an MRI or we didn't, that ain't nobody's business."
The quotes come after Lawrence told Larry Williams of Tiger Illustrated (h/t Matt Connolly of The State) that he suffered a bruised shoulder against Texas A&M on Sept. 7 in a 24-10 win.
Connolly then reported that Lawrence, who has not missed a game this season, received an MRI.
For his part, Lawrencedoesn't seem concerned about any shoulder ailment.
"I'm wearing something on my shoulder to try to cover it up so itdoesn't get hit again,"Lawrence told Williams (h/t Connolly). "But it's not affecting my mechanics or anything. I'm good."
As Connolly noted, any concern about Lawrence's shoulder seems non-existent after he rushed 11 times in his last game against UNC.
Lawrence's numbers have taken a small dip between his freshman and sophomore seasons, with his completion rate (65.2 percent to 61.8 percent) and adjusted yards per pass attempt (9.3 to 7.8) both falling. He's also thrown five interceptions in five games, or one more than he did in 15 games last year.
However, Lawrence has been one of the game's best players since making his debut last season, winning all 20 games he's played.
The Tigers did have one close call this year after sneaking by North Carolina 21-20, but they're still on track to make the College Football Playoff for the fifth straight season barring an upset. As of now, they only have one Top 25 team (No. 19 Wake Forest) on their schedule for the rest of the year.
Clemson, which has started the season 5-0, is currently ranked second in the latest Associated Press poll. The No. 2 Tigers will host Florida State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Trevor Lawrence, No. 1 Clemson Survive North Carolina's Upset Bid in 21-20 Win
Sep 28, 2019
Clemson's Travis Etienne (9) celebrates his touchdown with Trevor Lawrence (16) and Tee Higgins (5) during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
The defending national champion Clemson Tigers escaped Kenan Memorial Stadium with a 21-20 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels.
After looking sluggish on offense in the season's first four games, the Tigers were pushed to the limit Saturday. They extended their winning streak to 20 games, but it seems clear head coach Dabo Swinney and his staff have a lot to fix if they want to repeat as champions.
North Carolina cut the deficit to one point with 1:17 remaining when head coach Mack Brown went for two and the win. The Tigers defense stuffed quarterback Sam Howell at the 3-yard line on an option run, however.
Notable Game Stats
QB Trevor Lawrence (Clemson): 18-of-30, 206 yards, one touchdown; 11 carries, 45 yards, one touchdown
QB Sam Howell (North Carolina): 15-of-27, 144 yards, two touchdowns
RB Travis Etienne (Clemson): 14 carries, 67 yards, one touchdown
RB Michael Carter (North Carolina): 16 carries, 99 yards
RB Javonte Williams (North Carolina): 10 carries, 49 yards, one touchdown; two receptions, 35 yards
WR Tee Higgins (Clemson): six receptions, 129 yards, one touchdown
WR Dyami Brown (North Carolina): three receptions, 63 yards, one touchdown
Lawrence's Inconsistent Play Leaves Tigers Vulnerable
When this season started, it was reasonable to expect Lawrence would at least be in the Heisman Trophy conversation by this point.
He was coming off an incredible true freshman campaign in 2018 with 3,280 yards passing and 30 touchdowns, and he led the Tigers offense to a combined 74 points in the College Football Playoff against Notre Dame and Alabama en route to winning a national title.
Rather than take another step forward in his development, Lawrence appears to have regressed. He entered Saturday with more interceptions through four games (five) than he had all last season (four).
Something is different about Trevor Lawrence this year. He's regressed in some of the traits that made him an unbelievable player as a freshman.
He's locking onto receivers. He's not getting his feet set. He's hesitating.
There are still glimpses of elite-level Lawrence. His placement of this go-ahead touchdown pass to Tee Higgins on 3rd-and-6 in the fourth quarter was perfect:
As noted by Michael Felder of Stadium, Lawrence was thrown off his game Saturday when North Carolina's defense forced him to look away from his No. 1 option:
UNC did a great job to confuse Trevor Lawrence and the Clemson staff. Forced those false starts. Forced him to get to #2 and #3 in his progressions and by bringing pressure was able to move him off his spot.
If there is a reason to be optimistic about Lawrence and the Tigers, the rest of the regular-season schedule isn't difficult. Boston College, North Carolina State and South Carolina are their only opponents with winning records.
It also helps that Lawrence is surrounded by a highly-skilled players at running back and wide receiver to help take some pressure off his shoulders.
Travis Etienne entered Saturday averaging 7.5 yards per carry. Higgins has been a big-play machine all year with 23.5 yards per reception. Justyn Ross hasn't had a breakout game yet, but the sophomore had 1,007 yards and averaged 21.7 yards per catch in 2018.
Now that opposing defenses have had a chance to adjust to Lawrence, it's up to him to prove he can counter their attack. If he can't get it done, the Tigers' dreams of winning a second straight national title will turn into a nightmare.
What's Next?
Clemson will have a week off to regroup before it hosts Florida State on Oct. 12. North Carolina will go on the road to Bobby Dodd Stadium for an Oct. 5 matchup with Georgia Tech.
