Clemson pounds Furman as Trevor Lawrence debuts, Tigers offense shines
Clemson’s abundance of young and veteran talent, led by quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Kelly Bryant, was on full display Saturday afternoon in the season opener against Furman.
Bryant had a rushing and passing touchdown, while Lawrence threw for three scores as the Tigers destroyed the Paladins 48-7 Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
Clemson’s first try at a two-quarterback system went well in what was a tuneup before next week’s showdown at Texas A&M.
“Both had some mistakes. Both missed a couple of easy throws ... But I thought they both settled in and made some big-time plays,” Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said. “That’s what they need to do. I didn’t see anything that would say, ‘Hey, this guy doesn’t deserve an opportunity to play.’”
Bryant and Lawrence each played five series, including three apiece in the first half.
The Tigers scored 17 points on Bryant’s five drives, turning it over on downs twice.
Clemson scored on all five of Lawrence’s drives, putting up four touchdowns and a field goal.
“It was awesome,” Lawrence said. “I’ve been waiting on it for a while [and have] been practicing hard. It [was] good to finally get out there.”
Bryant was 10-for-16 passing for 127 yards with a touchdown. He added 44 rushing yards and a score.
Lawrence was 9-for-15 for 137 yards with three touchdown passes.
The two had plenty of help as 11 Tigers caught a pass, led by Amari Rodgers with three grabs for 44 yards and a touchdown. Braden Galloway, Justyn Ross and Diondre Overton also had touchdown grabs for the Tigers.
Freshman running back Lyn-J Dixon led Clemson with 89 rushing yards on six carries, while Travis Etienne rushed for 63 yards and a score.
Kicker Greg Huegel, who is back after tearing his ACL last season, made field goals from 35 and 49 yards.
“I think we had a nice balance today. We were able to play so many people. We didn’t commit any turnovers and committed only four penalties,” Swinney said. “The depth showed up for us today. We got all three quarterbacks in the game [and] there were a lot of opportunities for players to touch the ball.”
Clemson’s defense held the Paladins scoreless until the final two minutes when quarterback Darren Grainger found Ryan DeLuca for a 16-yard score with 1:18 left.
The Tigers outgained Furman 531 to 163, and Clemson finished with 10 tackles for loss. Christian Wilkins and Clelin Ferrell each recorded a sack, while Albert Huggins and Jordan Williams split a sack.
“I loved our attitude coming out of the locker room. We were ready to play and played with passion and energy. We were very intense and physical,” defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “I thought our guys were really excited to play today, and we played to our standard. I think we saw 34 guys play today on defense, and that will pay off in dividends. It’s good to reward guys for their work, and I’m pleased with a lot of guys. I thought our guys up front, from the onset, set the tone for the day.”
THREE POINTS
Star of the game: Freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence lived up to the hype in his first game. After starting the afternoon 3-for-8 the Georgia native was 6-for-7 for 82 yards and three touchdowns the rest of the way.
Play of the game: Amari Rodgers had a spectacular 62-yard return in his first game as Clemson’s primary punt returner. The Knoxville native showed off impressive moves and a strong stiff-arm during the run back.
Stat of the game: 29- Clemson had 29 players record a tackle during the game.
OBSERVATIONS
Trevor Lawrence looked as advertised: The true freshman showed off his strong arm strength, making tough throws look effortless.
Freshmen shined: From Lyn-J Dixon to Justyn Ross to Derion Kendrick to Xavier Thomas the newcomers all impressed in their first college action.
There’s still a lot to learn: While Clemson clicked on all cylinders against Furman, next week’s game at Texas A&M will give us a much better idea of where the Tigers are.
NEXT
Who: Clemson at Texas A&M
When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8
Where: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas
TV: ESPN
This story was originally published September 1, 2018 at 3:18 PM.