Clemson Football

No. 3 Clemson will roll into the College Football Playoff field after defeating No. 23 Virginia 62-17 in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday.

Clemson scored 24 unanswered points in the first half to turn a 7-7 tie into a 31-7 halftime lead. Tee Higgins caught two of his three touchdowns before halftime, and Travis Etienne and Justyn Ross each scored once.

The 31 first-half points set a new ACC Championship Game record:

Clemson set an ACC championship game record with 3️⃣1️⃣ points in the first half❗#ALLIN | #ACCFCG pic.twitter.com/0dNzAFEZxC

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) December 8, 2019

UVA opened the second half with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Perkins to Terrell Jana, but Clemson immediately responded with Higgins' third score and never looked back en route to the 45-point win.

The Tigers outgained the Cavaliers 619-387, with Higgins catching nine passes for 182 yards. He also found himself in great company following the third TD, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Clemson’s Tee Higgins has set an ACC Championship Game record with 3 TD receptions.

Higgins now has 27 career TD receptions at Clemson, tying DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins for the most in program history. pic.twitter.com/weWoViUeVg

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 8, 2019

Etienne enjoyed an efficient night with 14 carries for 114 yards and a touchdown.

Hasise Dubois paced the UVA offense with 10 receptions and 130 yards.

The Tigers have won 28 straight games dating to Week 1 of the 2018 season. The defending national champions will head to the CFP for the fifth straight year following the win at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Clemson is also the ACC champion for the fifth straight season and a conference-record 19th time overall.

UVA will enter bowl season with a 9-4 record. The Cavaliers had won four straight.

      

Notable Performances

UVA QB Bryce Perkins: 27-of-43, 266 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT; 17 carries, 58 yards

UVA WR Hasise Dubois: 10 catches, 130 yards, 1 TD

UVA WR Terrell Jana: 6 catches, 62 yards, 1 TD

Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence: 16-of-22, 302 passing yards, 4 TD

Clemson RB Travis Etienne: 14 carries, 114 yards, 1 TD

Clemson WR Tee Higgins: 9 catches, 182 yards, 3 TD

         

Clemson Ready to Take on CFP Challenge

After Clemson closed the regular season with a 38-3 win over South Carolina, Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney went on an impassioned rant about a variety of things, namely a perceived bias against his team due to playing in the weak ACC.

"We've got to go 30-0," Swinney said facetiously, per ESPN's Chris Low. "We ain't got no choice because we don't play nobody."

The sentiments continued into ACC Championship week in a Saturday press conference.

"People should spend more on who we are and not on who we so-call play," Swinney added. "I could understand if we were a new kid on the block, but we've been around here for a long time."

Swinney may have an argument after another easy win.

Clemson has won all but two of its games by 31 or more points. The Tigers have outscored their opponents by an average of 35.9 points.

After a close 21-20 win over North Carolina, Clemson has outscored its rivals 415-82. The Tigers ranked fourth in points per game and first in scoring defense entering Saturday.

Yes, the ACC is the weakest Power Five conference, and it isn't really close. No ACC team was ever higher than 19th in the Associated Press poll all year outside Clemson.

But Clemson's sheer dominance over its opponents has to be taken into account.

It happened once again Saturday, with the Tigers essentially putting this one away in the second quarter.

Etienne could not be stopped en route to another 100-yard day.

The Lawrence-Higgins connection felt like an easy pitch-and-catch. It helps when a wideout can literally go horizontal and make tiptoe sideline catches all at once:

PASS COMPLETE 😤#ALLIN | #ACCFCG pic.twitter.com/QEznD7EEej

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) December 8, 2019

The defense wasn't invincible with the Perkins-Dubois connection doing damage, but Clemson largely held the UVA attack at bay otherwise.

When it was over, Clemson crushed the 29-point spread set by Caesars Sportsbook.

The Tigers have won 13 games this year despite losing three defensive linemen (Christian Wilkins, Clelin Ferrell, Dexter Lawrence) who were picked in the top 17 of this year's NFL draft. And they've done so in dominant fashion outside one blip on the radar in North Carolina.

Clemson's strength of schedule may be weak, but every game hasn't been a carbon copy of the UNC contest. Rather, the matchups mostly resemble the ACC title game, where the Clemson ground and aerial attacks leave no doubt about the result by the end of the third quarter.

The Tigers are headed to the College Football Playoff, where their next opponent is guaranteed to be the best they face all year. We'll find out on the field whether Clemson is on par with the rest of the country's best.

But the safer bet is believing in Clemson despite its opponents. Many of the players who were on the 2018 team that steamrolled its way to a 15-0 mark and an emphatic national title win over Alabama are still around.

"All I can tell you is that we're 10-1 against the SEC in our last 11," Swinney said last Saturday. "We've won 115 games this decade. So had Ohio State. So had Alabama. We've played both of them [and won the last time they played Alabama and the last time they played Ohio State]. Our program is what people don't focus on. Virginia...they would be 9-3 in any league."

In sum, Clemson looks ready for the challenge of winning its second straight title and third in four years.

           

What's Next?

Clemson will find out its CFP semifinal opponent at noon ET Sunday, when ESPN reveals the four-team field. Virginia will find out its bowl destination and opponent Sunday as well.

Class of 2021 defensive tackle Lee Hunter announced Tuesday he's committed to the Auburn Tigers amid interest from the Alabama Crimson Tide, Ole Miss Rebels and Tennessee Volunteers.  

So blessed to be committed to the university of Auburn it's crazy how a dream came to reality #WARDAMNEAGLE#gotigers#wareagle pic.twitter.com/lR0yhjAPo3

— Lee_Hunter7 (@The_Fridge7) December 3, 2019

Hunter is listed as a 5-star prospect and the No. 28 overall player in the 2021 class by 247Sports' composite rankings. He's also ranked as the No. 4 defensive tackle and the third-best recruit from the state of Alabama.

The Blount High School standout told 247Sports' Jason Caldwell he's still planning to take a "few visits" before signing an official letter of intent, but his commitment to Auburn is firm.

"My heart keeps telling me to go to this school and that's where I'm going to fit in good," Hunter said. "It's Auburn. My heart just keeps telling me to go to Auburn. If I don't go there I feel like I'll make a bad decision."

He noted getting a chance to see Jordan-Hare Stadium packed for a clash with the Georgia Bulldogs in mid-November helped seal the deal despite the Tigers' loss.

"That was big," Hunter told Caldwell. "I saw them score touchdowns in the fourth quarter just because the fans were hyped. It was a great atmosphere. I feel like me and my mom would enjoy that atmosphere."

He added: "War Eagle. I'm going to be somebody to watch and hold on to. My goal is to be a Hall of Famer."

Hunter already features an impressive 6'5'', 292-pound frame with almost two full years to continue adding more power, especially in his lower body. He should be ready from a physical perspective to make an immediate impact when he joins the Tigers in 2021.

In addition, beating out Alabama for a top in-state defensive prospect is a nice recruiting victory for head coach Gus Malzahn and his staff.

No. 3 Clemson looks destined to make the College Football Playoff for the fifth straight season after defeating South Carolina 38-3 on Saturday to improve to 12-0.

After the game, head coach Dabo Swinney provided his thoughts on how he believes the CFP selection committee perceives the Tigers.

"Obviously, if we lose this game, they are going to kick us out," Swinney said, per ESPN's Chris Low. "They don't want us there anyway. We'd drop to 20 [had Clemson lost to South Carolina]. Georgia loses to this very same team, and it's, 'How do we keep Georgia in?'

"We win, against the team that beat [Georgia], and it's, 'How do we get Clemson out?' It's the dadgummest thing.'"

Clemson has won 27 straight games, including a 44-16 victory over No. 1 Alabama in last year's College Football Playoff National Championship.

The Tigers began their tenure in the 2019 CFP rankings at No. 5, perhaps in part because of a near loss to unranked North Carolina.

Swinney referenced that game—a 21-20 contest in which Clemson stopped a late two-point conversion attempt—in his remarks:

"It's been that way all year long. Some guy said the other day on the radio, 'Y'all are pre-North Carolina.' What season has [he] watched? It's like, 'You want me to agree with that?' We've dominated 11 out of 12 games. Dominated. We're not any different. There's no pre-North Carolina. We just had one close game where we stunk. We turned it over, gave up a big play, but we won. There's nobody that's been more consistent than us."

In his passionate statements, Swinney also said the ACC gets no respect:

"This team has gone 12-0. In 124 years of Clemson football, and that's the fourth time, ever—1981, 2015, 2018 and 2019. It's hard to do, and there's only three undefeated teams in America. So if it was easy to be undefeated, how come there's not more than three?

"There's some other weak leagues, as people say. How come they ain't undefeated?"

There isn't much for Swinney to be concerned about now, though. Barring a stunning upset by Virginia in the ACC Championship Game next Saturday, the Tigers will head for the CFP with a chance to win back-to-back national titles and their third in fourth years.

Trevor Lawrence and the No. 3 Clemson Tigers cruised to a 52-3 victory over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

Lawrence suffered a brief injury scare during the first half after a hit to the head. He remained in the game, however.

The sophomore star had an efficient day, completing 21 of 27 pass attempts for 272 yards and four touchdowns.

         

Notable Performances

Clemson

QB Trevor Lawrence: 21-of-27, 272 yards, four touchdowns

RB Travis Etienne: 16 carries, 121 yards, one touchdown; three catches, 37 yards

WR Tee Higgins: four catches, 64 yards, three touchdowns

           

Clemson Finishes Conference Slate in Dominant Fashion

Clemson's strength of schedule has been a major talking point, but the Tigers had little trouble in one of their toughest tests.

Wake Forest has been ranked in the Top 25 on a few occasions in 2019, with its most recent appearance lasting until a 36-17 loss at Virginia Tech last week.

Still, the Demon Deacons have been a respectable squad. And Clemson faced little resistance.

Dabo Swinney's team was ready to play in all three phases. The defense forced a three-and-out on the game's opening drive, Amari Rodgers provided terrific field position with a 53-yard punt return, and Lawrence and Co. needed just three plays to find the end zone.

TREVOR ➡️ TEE x 3️⃣@ClemsonFB's Tee Higgins has a career-high 3 receiving TDs today ... and it's only halftime 👀 pic.twitter.com/DlCWjn3I79

— ACC Network (@accnetwork) November 16, 2019

The Tigers came up with an interception on the first play of the Demon Deacons' second drive. That set the table for Travis Etienne, as the star running back carried the offense 41 yards to the end zone on four attempts.

Storming on into the endzone 🚨 @swaggy_t1 #ALLIN | #WAKEvsCLEM pic.twitter.com/aQ5cQfoQ9u

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) November 16, 2019

Through the first five minutes and five seconds of the game, the Tigers offense ran just seven plays...and scored two touchdowns. At that point, the rout was on.

Clemson has scored 40-plus points in nine of its 11 games, including six in a row since a 21-20 victory over North Carolina on Sept. 28. 

Clemson has now scored 45 points in six consecutive games for the first time in school history. The streak matches Florida State's 2013 squad for the longest streak of 45-point games in ACC history.

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) November 16, 2019

The defense has continued to dominate. The Tigers have not allowed more than 14 points in a game since they faced the Tar Heels, allowing an average of 9.7 points over their last six contests.

Clemson has won 21 consecutive ACC games since October 2017. 

        

What's Next

Clemson (11-0) will be off until Nov. 30, when it hits the road for a clash against the South Carolina Gamecocks. That in-state rivalry game will mark the final regular-season contest for the Tigers.

Wake Forest (7-3) will return home to host the Duke Blue Devils on Nov. 23.

Clemson extended its winning streak to 25 games with a 55-10 victory over NC State at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Saturday.

The Tigers led 28-0 after one quarter, with quarterback Trevor Lawrence accounting for three of those scores (one running, two passing). Running back Travis Etienne, who caught a four-yard Lawrence pass for a touchdown, also ran one into the end zone from 19 yards out.

Clemson then grabbed a 42-0 halftime edge because of a John Simpson one-yard run and another Lawrence touchdown toss, this time to Justyn Ross from 33 yards.

4️⃣0️⃣3️⃣ total yards
8️⃣.8️⃣ avg. yards per play
2️⃣1️⃣ first downs

SO FAR.#ALLIN | #CLEMvsNCST pic.twitter.com/6BB0gpvTko

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) November 10, 2019

The Tigers took their foot off the gas after halftime as they cruised to their 10th win this season.

Clemson, which outgained NC State 549-290 from scrimmage, entered the evening fifth in the College Football Playoff standings. A move into the Top Three is inevitable after No. 3 Alabama fell to No. 2 LSU at home and No. 4 Penn State lost to No. 17 Minnesota on the road.

The 10-0 Tigers are now 7-0 in the ACC. NC State, which has lost three straight games, fell to 4-5 (1-4 in ACC play).

                    

Notable Performances

Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence: 20-of-27, 276 passing yards, 3 TD; 8 carries, 59 yards, 1 TD

Clemson RB Travis Etienne: 14 carries, 112 yards, 2 TD; 3 catches, 31 yards, 1 TD

Clemson WR Justyn Ross: 4 catches, 75 yards, 1 TD

Clemson WR Tee Higgins: 4 catches, 73 yards, 1 TD

NC State QB Devin Leary: 14-of-29, 166 yards

NC State RB Zonovan Knight: 12 carries, 139 yards, 1 TD

NC State TE Cary Angeline: 2 catches, 53 yards

      

Travis Etienne Continues Scorching-Hot Pace

These are Etienne's rushing numbers in four games from Weeks 2 through 5: 55 carries, 257 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

These are Etienne's rushing numbers in the four games immediately afterward: 58 rushes, 640 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

Whatever slump that Etienne worked through in the beginning of the season is a distant memory as he's reassumed his place as one of the country's best running backs.

He once again shined on Saturday thanks to 14 carries for 112 yards and two touchdowns in addition to three receptions for 31 yards and another touchdown.

The day was a historic one for Etienne, who set the school record for most career touchdowns:

Travis Etienne finds the endzone ❗ Etienne is now Clemson's sole record holder for total touchdowns with 52 😤#ALLIN | #CLEMvsNCST pic.twitter.com/hW3GU87kuN

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) November 10, 2019

He'll also set the Clemson record for most consecutive 100-yard rushing games with six if he can cross the century mark again:

With his 5️⃣th straight 100-yard rushing game, Etienne tied the school record for consecutive 100-yard rushing games set by Kenny Flowers and Raymond Priester.#ALLIN | #CLEMvsNCST pic.twitter.com/4xx7B5kC1f

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) November 10, 2019

Clemson once had a two-headed rushing attack called "Thunder & Lightning," featuring the powerful James Davis and the speedy C.J. Spiller.

Head coach Dabo Swinney gave Etienne the ultimate compliment earlier this year, saying that he was "thunder" and "lightning" all in one, per Matt Connolly of the Charlotte Observer.

The Tigers may have been fifth in the CFP rankings following a slow start that included a sluggish win over Texas A&M and a near-loss to UNC, but that placement will be a distant memory thanks to Etienne, who is in peak form at the right time as Clemson looks to close out its second straight undefeated season.

     

What's Next?

Clemson will host No. 19 Wake Forest on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Tigers will clinch a spot in the ACC Championship Game with a victory.

The Wolfpack will welcome Louisville into Raleigh on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

One of the knocks against the undefeated Clemson Tigers to this point has been what is considered an easy schedule. According to USA Today's Jeff 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 the Associated 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.

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 12 of 16 pass attempts for 218 yards and three touchdowns while playing just one drive into the third quarter. Running back Travis Etienne also went off for 212 rushing yards and two scores.

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: five catches, 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:

Another day, another dime from @Trevorlawrencee 🎯 pic.twitter.com/byscwcAbrf

— ACC Network (@accnetwork) November 2, 2019

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:

See ya, @swaggy_t1 ✌️ pic.twitter.com/afuC1NidB2

— ACC Network (@accnetwork) November 2, 2019

History made in Death Valley!@swaggy_t1 scores his 4️⃣8️⃣th career rush TD — the most in @ClemsonFB history 👏 pic.twitter.com/LEMHwnCE7b

— ACC Network (@accnetwork) November 2, 2019

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.

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 2, 2019

He had a career-high 207 yards and two scores on just eight carries...in the first 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. 

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.

The second-ranked Clemson Tigers continued their winning ways Saturday by knocking off the Florida State Seminoles 45-14 at Memorial Stadium in South Carolina.

After a near-upset two weeks ago against North Carolina, the Tigers lost their spot atop the AP Top 25 and the Amway Coaches Poll. There have been concerns about the reigning national champions, especially on offense with quarterback Trevor Lawrence not progressing as expected.

Lawrence did a great job of reminding everyone why he was a preseason Heisman favorite against Florida State's defense. The sophomore sensation tied his season high in touchdown passes (three) in the first 23 minutes of Saturday's win.

     

Notable Stats

• QB Trevor Lawrence (Clemson): 17-of-25, 170 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT; six carries, 40 yards, 1 TD
• RB Travis Etienne (Clemson): 17 carries, 127 yards; 1-of-1, 23 yards
• WR Justyn Ross (Clemson): five receptions, 61 yards, 2 TDs
• QB James Blackman (Florida State): 8-of-20, 60 yards, 2 INTs
• QB Alex Hornibrook (Florida State): 8-of-12, 84 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

     

Lawrence's Diverse Skill Set Gives Tigers Boost

One problem with constantly evaluating talent for the NFL is it's easy to overlook the things a player does at the college level that make them special.

Lawrence also played a role in his expectations because of how he closed last season against Notre Dame and Alabama in the College Football Playoff. If you look at his first six starts in 2019 compared to 2018 when he became the full-time starter on Sept. 29 against Syracuse, there's not a significant difference.

The Georgia native completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 1,244 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions in those first six starts last year. He entered Saturday completing 61.8 percent of his passes for 1,131 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions.

"It's kind of nice now, everyone says we suck so we're kind of in the backseat and can just go to work and not really worry about all the No. 1 expectations and all that, so it'll be good," Lawrence told reporters earlier this week.

This was a game when Lawrence allowed his performance to speak for itself. He's using his athleticism a lot more with five rushing touchdowns on the season, including one in the first quarter Saturday.

Trevor Lawrence is responsible for 4 touchdowns in a single half for the first time in his career.

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 12, 2019

Before today, it had been 19 years since a Clemson quarterback had rushed for a touchdown in five of the first six games of a season.

2000 Woody Dantzler ⏩2019 Trevor Lawrence pic.twitter.com/G2hGhOOnvH

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) October 12, 2019

https://twitter.com/BudElliott3/status/1183118937195732992

There appears to be a narrative rising up around Lawrence about why he isn't playing at the same level as, say, Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa.

Head coach Dabo Swinney seemed to get annoyed earlier this week when a reporter asked if his star quarterback had an MRI on his shoulder stemming from a hit in the Texas A&M game:

"Ain't nothing wrong with Trevor. Zero. Nothing. If we did an MRI, that ain't nobody's business. We do MRIs all the time. ALL the time. All the time. I mean a guy gets a bruise on his knee, we do an MRI. Guy bruises his elbow we do an MRI. It's like we've got to find-- it drives me crazy. There's no drama on this team, so it's like we've got to create some. 'Oh, Trevor missed a throw. He must be hurt.' No— he's human. He's human, alright."

Swinney is defending his player, as any head coach would do, but he's also making a point about Lawrence going through typical growing pains that aren't afforded to star athletes. Lawrence is only 20 years old and has 17 starts on his resume.

https://twitter.com/NicoleAuerbach/status/1183120801245077504

One thing that doesn't get discussed enough is Clemson doesn't need Lawrence to be the best quarterback in the country to win because the defense is still as dominant as ever. The Tigers have allowed a total of 74 points through six games and have yet to allow more than 294 yards to an opponent.

There may eventually come a point when Lawrence has to win a game for Clemson, but there are plenty of instances this decade of Alabama winning national titles on the back of a dominant defense and an efficient offense.

     

What's Next?

Florida State will play No. 19 Wake Forest at BB&T Field in North Carolina next Saturday, while Clemson will travel to Cardinal Stadium to take on Louisville.

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, per Clemson 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, Lawrence doesn't seem concerned about any shoulder ailment.

"I'm wearing something on my shoulder to try to cover it up so it doesn'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.