Clemson QBs are judged by record vs. Gamecocks. Trevor Lawrence ready for first shot
Clemson players, particularly quarterbacks, can help or hurt their legacy depending on their record against South Carolina.
Trevor, Lawrence, Clemson’s star freshman quarterback, get his first opportunity against the Gamecocks this weekend.
Lawrence is off to a record-setting start to his career, helping the Tigers to an 11-0 record and breaking several of Deshaun Watson’s freshman records in the process.
The next challenge for Lawrence is to continue the success that Watson started against USC in the rivalry game. Watson came to Clemson after the Tigers had lost five consecutive games to South Carolina and proclaimed that as long as he was the starting quarterback Clemson wouldn’t lost to USC.
Watson made good on that statement, going 3-0 against the Gamecocks. Kelly Bryant led the Tigers to a win at South Carolina last season and now Lawrence gets his first shot.
“I haven’t really thought about (my record against USC) that much yet just with this being my first year, but definitely that would be a goal is to go undefeated against these guys. That’s definitely a goal to go for,” Lawrence said.
Tigers co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott, who has been a part of a five-game losing streak to South Carolina and is now helping the Tigers go for a fifth consecutive win, expects Lawrence to be ready for the moment.
“I’m excited to watch him get out there and play. I think about all the players that have come through here. You remember how they played in these rivalry games,” Scott said. “And so it’ll be fun watching Trevor out there as a freshman getting his first opportunity. I know he’s looking forward to it. He’s heard a lot about it. But I expect him to go out and play very well just like he’s done all year.”
Clemson is a 26-point favorite for the rivalry matchup, and most expect the Tigers to roll to an easy win.
But even with the Gamecocks being banged up, Scott believes South Carolina’s defense has plenty of talent. He added that USC head coach Will Muschamp, who is a defensive coach, will have his defense ready to play.
“I respect coach Muschamp a lot. I think a lot of what he does you see Alabama and Georgia, they’re going to be aggressive. They’re not going to sit back. It’s not a bend but don’t break defense. They’re gonna be aggressive and force the issue,” Scott said. “And you’ve got to be prepared for a lot of different looks. Some of the things they do on third down are a little bit different and kind of keep you off balance. And then they always play with great energy, great emotion and physical players.”
Clemson’s offense has had success against USC the past couple of years, scoring 56 points and finishing with 622 total yards in 2016 and putting up 34 points and finishing with 469 total yards last year.
But Scott said the past success does not guarantee anything as far as Saturday’s game goes.
“Looking at South Carolina they’re athletic on defense. They’ve had to battle through some injuries. I think the positive part of that for them is they’ve got a lot of guys that have played. It’s a little bit difficult for us putting together a depth chart because they have a lot of guys that have played meaningful snaps, so it gives them a little bit of versatility there being able to move some guys around to different spots,” Scott said. “They have a really good scheme, do a good job on defense, and put their guys in a position to be successful. It’ll definitely be a good challenge for us, but I know it’s one our guys look forward to every year.”
This story was originally published November 23, 2018 at 10:40 AM.