Clemson Football

Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence is ready to return to the field after missing his team's last two games with COVID-19.

"I feel just as good as I did when I left a few weeks ago," Lawrence said, per Pete Iacobelli of the Associated Press. "Back to normal."

Clemson plays Florida State on Saturday and is coming off a bye week, which gave its star quarterback additional time to recover. It also doesn't have much room for error after struggling some without him.

The Tigers overcame an 18-point deficit to beat Boston College and lost to Notre Dame in double-overtime while Lawrence was sidelined. Another conference loss would put them further behind the Fighting Irish and behind the Miami Hurricanes in the ACC standings, putting a potential spot in the conference title game in jeopardy. 

That would also significantly hinder their chances of reaching the College Football Playoff.

Fortunately for Clemson—and NFL evaluators looking to watch him again before he potentially goes No. 1 in the 2021 draft—Lawrence is back to lead its national title push.

Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence said he's "just happy to be back" after clearing the ACC's COVID-19 protocol.

Lawrence missed the Tigers' last two games after testing positive for the virus.  

"It wasn't even really bad enough for me to go see the trainers as far as how I felt," he said of the days before testing positive, per The Athletic's Grace Raynor. "I didn't really feel that bad."

Per the Associated Press' Pete Iacobelli, Lawrence did feel some symptoms, coming down with a headache and sinus problems before he was officially diagnosed. As a result, his 10-day isolation period began with the onset of the symptoms and not the positive test.

His isolation period ended before Clemson's 47-40 double-overtime loss to Notre Dame, but he had to watch from the sideline. He said he couldn't have been cleared in time because he was awaiting the results of cardiac scans as the team was preparing to leave for South Bend, Indiana.

The junior quarterback added that a level of worry tied to COVID-19 remains in the back of his mind.

"There's a little bit of concern just because the virus is—it's a small chance, but it could have some lingering effects and could be back," he said. "So there's a little bit of that. Thankfully, I'm healthy and still feeling good. But I think there's a little bit of concern just because of the nature of the virus."

Lawrence provided a silver lining to his diagnosis, saying he effectively got "three bye weeks of rest," which could help him stay fresher as the season unfolds.

Lawrence's absence may not have played much of a role in the Tigers' first regular-season defeat since Oct. 13, 2017. His replacement, D.J. Uiagalelei, went 29-of-44 for 439 yards and two touchdowns through the air.

Clemson's offensive problems stemmed more from Travis Etienne's 28 rushing yards and one fumble that Notre Dame ran back for a touchdown. Unless Lawrence was planning to play both ways, he wouldn't have helped a Tigers defense that allowed 519 yards, either.

The College Football Playoff selection committee might be willing to give the team a mulligan given Lawrence's situation. Clemson has three more games before potentially playing in the ACC championship. Winning all four could be enough to seal a playoff berth.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney told reporters that quarterback Trevor Lawrence will return to practice on Monday and resume his role as the team's starter after testing positive for the coronavirus on October 28. 

The announcement followed the No. 1 Tigers falling to No. 4 Notre Dame in double overtime, 47-40, at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday night. 

Lawrence was spotted on the sidelines but was inactive for the contest. 

In his place, Clemson turned to backup D.J. Uiagalelei, who more than held his own against one of the best teams in the nation. The freshman passed for 439 yards and two touchdowns and notched a rushing score in the first overtime. 

The Fighting Irish were able to stop Uiagalelei from creating even more magic in double OT, sacking him twice before he tossed an incomplete pass followed by Clemson tight end Braden Galloway losing a fumble to end the game. While it's clear Uiagalelei is the future of the program, it appears this is still Lawrence's team for now. 

A favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, Lawrence has already passed for 1,833 yards this season with 17 touchdowns and two interceptions, making the Tigers offense one of the most potent units in college football.

Fortunately, Lawrence will have some time to get back into his routine.

Clemson will be on a bye this upcoming week before traveling to Florida State for a Nov. 21 matchup with the 2-5 Seminoles.   

Trevor Lawrence won't be cleared to play for Saturday's game against Notre Dame, but the Clemson quarterback will still help his team from the sidelines in South Bend, Indiana.

"He's an incredibly knowledgeable guy and he's been there, so he'll be able to bring a great presence to D.J. [Uiagalelei]," head coach Dabo Swinney said Tuesday, per David M. Hale of ESPN. "He's got a great mind and great eyes, so he's going to be Coach Lawrence."

Lawrence will have completed the mandatory 10-day isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 before Saturday's game, but he still has to go through testing to identify any symptoms of myocarditis. The school also has a "reacclimatization" period of two days before players can return to action.

Swinney had previously explained that Lawrence had remained active with the team even when isolated, per Andrea Adelson of ESPN:

"He'll be in every meeting, we can Zoom him into practice, so he can stay engaged and make his comments and things like that to support those guys, and participate in traveling with us as well. Obviously can't play, but he can still make a contribution with his presence, his encouragement and his eyes, but he can be in every meeting, he can be in every practice."

Lawrence was unavailable for last week's game against Boston College, leaving freshman quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei to keep the undefeated season alive. Though the Tigers trailed 28-10 in the first half, Uiagalelei helped lead a comeback while finishing with 342 passing yards and two touchdowns, adding one score on the ground.

The young quarterback will have a tougher challenge Saturday against No. 4 Notre Dame, which has a defense that ranks fourth in the country with just 10.3 points allowed per game.

Having Lawrence on the sidelines, with 36 career games and a national title on his resume, could help provide a boost to the offense and keep the Tigers at No. 1 in the AP poll.

Clemson will have to play at least two games without starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence following his positive COVID-19 test. 

Head coach Dabo Swinney told reporters after the Tigers' 34-28 win over Boston College that Lawrence won't play next week against Notre Dame. 

Lawrence announced Thursday he was experiencing "relatively mild symptoms" after being diagnosed with COVID-19. 

Under ACC protocols for this season, any player must isolate "for at least 10 days from the detection of symptoms or the return of the positive test result."

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Lawrence's test was taken on Wednesday and Nov. 7 would be the first date he is eligible to play.

Clemson plays fourth-ranked Notre Dame in South Bend on Nov. 7. 

With Lawrence unavailable for the game, Clemson will once again rely on true freshman D.J. Uiagalelei to lead the offense. The 19-year-old made his first career start on Saturday against Boston College. He threw for 342 yards and accounted for three total touchdowns in the Tigers' 34-28 comeback win.

Clemson (7-0) is ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 and Amway Coaches Poll.

With superstar quarterback Trevor Lawrence out because of a positive COVID-19 test, the No. 1 Clemson Tigers overcame an 18-point deficit to beat the unranked Boston College Eagles 34-28 at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina, on Saturday.

Freshman D.J. Uiagalelei got the start in place of Lawrence and kept the offense playing at a high level, as he accounted for three touchdowns in the win, while running back Travis Etienne scored twice as well.

Quarterback Phil Jurkovec led the way for Boston College with two touchdown passes and helped the Eagles build a three-score lead in the first half, but they were unable to hang on in the second half.

With the win, Clemson improved to 7-0 overall and 6-0 in ACC play, while Boston College fell to 4-3 on the season with a 3-3 conference mark.

       

Notable Stats

D.J. Uiagalelei, QB, CLE: 30-of-41 for 342 YDS, 2 TD, 0 INT; 6 CAR for 25 YDS, 1 TD

Travis Etienne, RB, CLE: 20 CAR for 84 YDS, 1 TD; 7 REC for 140 YDS, 1 TD

Cornell Powell, WR, CLE: 11 REC for 105 YDS

Amari Rodgers, WR, CLE: 7 REC for 66 YDS, 1 TD

Phil Jurkovec, QB, BC: 12-of-24 for 204 YDS, 2 TD, 0 INT

Zay Flowers, WR, BC: 3 REC for 63 YDS, 1 TD

CJ Lewis, WR, BC: 5 REC for 66 YDS, 1 TD

         

Uiagalelei's Play Overshadows Clemson's 1st-Half Mistakes

Clemson had some issues Saturday in a tightly contested game against Boston College, but Uiagalelei was undoubtedly the Tigers' biggest bright spot.

The spotlight was firmly on Uiagalelei as Lawrence's replacement, but he largely rose to the occasion and played at a high level in his first collegiate start.

That was clear on Clemson's first drive of the game, as he drove the Tigers in for a touchdown after watching Jurkovec decimate the Clemson defense on BC's first drive.

The Eagles sent pressure in an effort to rattle Uiagalelei, but he recognized it and got the ball out quickly to running back Travis Etienne for a 35-yard touchdown:

Meet DJ Uiagalelei.

The true freshman tosses a touchdown in his first drive as a starter filling in for Trevor Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/Kjkh1qElkq

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 31, 2020

Etienne also set the career ACC rushing yardage record in the game and ran for a go-ahead score in the fourth quarter, but Saturday was more about his work as a pass-catcher and Uiagalelei's dual-threat play under center.

Although it was mostly good for Uiagalelei, a huge mistake in the second quarter left the Tigers with a big hole to dig out of. Clemson was trailing 14-7 and driving for a score near the BC goal line when the exchange between Uiagalelei and Etienne was fumbled, picked up by Brandon Sebastian and returned 97 yards for a Boston College touchdown:

Bryan Fischer of Athlon Sports broke down the play and determined that the fumble was on Uiagalelei since he ball placement on the handoff was too high:

That fumble is on D.J., young QB nearly puts the ball on Etienne’s chin strap pic.twitter.com/l0yKxlDNrR

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) October 31, 2020

As if being down 21-7 wasn't bad enough, the Eagles put the Tigers on their heels even more later in the quarter.

With the score sitting at 21-10, Boston College went on a nearly eight-minute touchdown drive that ended in a touchdown to make it 28-10, but the Eagles got some help from Boston College.

First an interception was negated by a somewhat questionable roughing the passer call. Then, Boston College lined up for a fake after initially looking like they were going to kick a field goal, and the Tigers jumped offside.

Mike Uva of WACH Fox was surprised at the mental mistakes Clemson made on defense and special teams on the drive:

Wow. What a great call by BC. Can’t remember the last time Clemson played this undisciplined on defense in a regular season game. @wachfox

— Mike Uva (@Mike_Uva) October 31, 2020

It would have been easy for Uiagalelei and Co. to fold at that point, but the freshman led Clemson on a field-goal drive to end the half despite having only one minute on the clock and no timeouts.

That drive seemed to get the Tigers back in the game mentally, as they took control early in the second half with Uiagalelei scoring on a 30-yard quarterback keeper to shrink the deficit to eight:

D.J. Uiagalelei keeps it himself to make it a one score game! pic.twitter.com/g0FayQc3p7

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) October 31, 2020

He brought them even closer later in the quarter on an eight-yard touchdown pass to Rodgers, but an unsuccessful two-point conversion kept Boston College ahead by two.

The Tigers finally took the lead early in the fourth on a 17-yard touchdown run by Etienne, which spoke to Uiagalelei's ability to keep the team in the game even when everything was going wrong earlier in the contest.

David Ubben of The Athletic suggested that while Uiagalelei is a backup at Clemson, he could start for most teams in college football:

I'm scared to ask how many Power 5 teams D.J. Uiagalelei would start for today.

It's a high number.

— David Ubben (@davidubben) October 31, 2020

Also, Uva marveled at Uiagalelei and the bright future he figures to have with the Tigers:

Uiagalelei is gonna be special. Crazy to think he’s a true freshman making his first career start with the numbers he’s putting up today @wachfox

— Mike Uva (@Mike_Uva) October 31, 2020

Uiagalelei will go back to the bench whenever Lawrence is cleared to return to action, but Clemson fans and college football observers got a glimpse Saturday of a player who could be the best quarterback in the nation next season and beyond.

Also, head coach Dabo Swinney now knows he has a backup who can win if he is without Lawrence at any other point this season.

       

Jurkovec Makes Big Plays vs. Clemson Defense Despite Loss

Jurkovec quietly entered Saturday's game as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, ranking in the top 10 in completions, passing yardage and passing touchdowns, but he truly proved himself with some of the plays he made against Clemson.

It was clear from the first drive of the game that Jurkovec had confidence against a Clemson defense that was allowing just 13.5 points per game entering Saturday.

Jurkovec drove BC 74 yards on four plays in less than two minutes, culminating in an 11-yard touchdown pass to Zay Flowers in the face of pressure to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead:

Boston College (+1200) strikes first 👀

Phil Jurkovec to Zay Flowers for the nice TD catch and the 7-0 lead 🦅 pic.twitter.com/Hmyqd3G8na

— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) October 31, 2020

After Clemson tied it, Jurkovec orchestrated another long scoring drive, as Boston College covered 75 yards in just 2:13 to go up 14-7 on a two-yard touchdown run by David Bailey.

Jurkovec then proved in the second quarter that he could milk the clock and possess the football for a long period of time as well. With the Eagles holding a 21-10 lead, Jurkovec manufactured a 15-play, 75-yard drive that lasted nearly eight minutes.

It ended with Jurkovec's second touchdown pass of the game with CJ Lewis making an acrobatic catch from 18 yards out to extend the lead to 28-10:

WHAT A CATCH BY CJ LEWIS 😳 pic.twitter.com/38BV0IPhmQ

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 31, 2020

The drive left Clemson with no timeouts and only 1:02 remaining on the clock. The Tigers did manage a field goal entering halftime, but the long scoring drive gave Boston College a ton of momentum.

There was no shortage of praise for Jurkovec on social media after his performance, including some from former New England Patriots quarterback and current Patriots announcer Scott Zolak:

Jurkovec is the real deal

— scottzolak 🏈 (@scottzolak) October 31, 2020

Yahoo Sports NFL draft expert Eric Edholm also liked what he saw:

Boston College QB Phil Jurkovec has been really interesting. Notre Dame transfer, has size, guts, some athleticism. Redshirt soph.

— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) October 31, 2020

Justin Rowland of Rivals marveled at Jurkovec's transformation as well:

Truly amazing what Phil Jurkovec is doing. "Forgot how to throw" at Notre Dame a year ago. In one offseason without much spring ball he's become a stud.

— Justin Rowland (@RowlandRIVALS) October 31, 2020

Jurkovec and the Boston College offense did not move the ball in the second half like they did in the first, but the Eagles' inability to stop Clemson defensively in the second half was the biggest culprit in the loss.

It was unclear what the future held for Jurkovec after he transferred from Notre Dame to Boston College, but that decision seems to be paying dividends. Jurkovec has finally gotten the opportunity to play regularly, and he is taking advantage of it even though Boston College fell just short Saturday.

        

What's Next?

Clemson will hope to get Lawrence back for its next game on Saturday, Nov. 7, when it faces the No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on the road.

Meanwhile, Boston College will look to bounce back next week when it goes on the road to face the struggling Syracuse Orange on Saturday.

Clemson Tigers star running back Travis Etienne moved to No. 1 on the ACC rushing list Saturday against Boston College, passing the previous record by NC State's Ted Brown (4,602 rushing yards). 

Travis Etienne is now the all-time leading rusher in ACC history 👑 pic.twitter.com/PtmD5R7fvZ

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) October 31, 2020

The ACC’s new ALL-TIME LEADING RUSHER: Travis Etienne!@swaggy_t1 | @ClemsonFB | #ACCFootball pic.twitter.com/46J7wt3b4E

— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) October 31, 2020

Your all-time ACC leading rusher

Travis Etienne - 4,612 yards pic.twitter.com/rfsDqVPVLG

— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 31, 2020

I love seeing Ted Brown getting the recognition this week as Etienne's passing him was imminent. Insane that Brown held the ACC rushing record for more than four decades. https://t.co/CimUjbJ4v9

— Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee) October 31, 2020

It wasn't the only record he set Saturday:

Travis Etienne now has a TD in 42 career games.

A College Football record. pic.twitter.com/flGqv28iT4

— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 31, 2020

Etienne came into Saturday's game having yet another excellent season, with 522 rushing yards and nine total scores through six games.

He has been a force in his four seasons for Clemson and emerged as one of the best playmakers in college football across the 2018 and 2019 seasons, combining to rush for 3,272 yards and 43 touchdowns. He also emerged as a receiving threat last year, catching 37 passes for 432 yards and four scores. 

He was also huge for Clemson on Saturday, helping to erase a 28-13 halftime deficit with over 200 yards from scrimmage. His first-half fumble by the goal line hurt the Tigers, but the second of his two touchdowns on the day put them ahead in the game for the first time in the fourth quarter.

He earned his share of plaudits for both his performance Saturday and his impressive Clemson career:

Man, Travis Etienne is going to be fun to watch in the NFL

— Michele Steele (@MicheleSteele) October 31, 2020

Travis Etienne receiving touchdown. He reminds me so much of Jamaal Charles.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) October 31, 2020

Etienne will be playing on Sundays soon enough. For now, he's attempting to keep Clemson in the national championship conversation with starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence out of action because of a positive test for COVID-19. 

Two days after Trevor Lawrence confirmed he tested positive for COVID-19, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney provided an update on his star quarterback. 

Appearing on ESPN's College Gameday (h/t Associated Press), Swinney said Lawrence is doing "great" as he remains in isolation.

In a Twitter post Thursday, Lawrence said that he was experiencing "relatively mild" symptoms and has been following the protocol put in place by Clemson and the ACC. 

Per the ACC's official COVID-19 policy, any student-athlete who tests positive must isolate for at least 10 days. Lawrence's test was taken Wednesday, which required him to miss Saturday's game against Boston College. 

With Lawrence unavailable this week, true freshman DJ Uiagalelei got the start at quarterback. He was the No. 1 pro-style quarterback and 10th-ranked prospect in the 2020 recruiting class, per 247Sports.

There has been no announcement regarding whether Lawrence will be able to return for Clemson's game against fourth-ranked Notre Dame on Nov. 7.