Beyond Clemson’s box score: Breaking down every Trevor Lawrence throw vs. Wake Forest
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence got off to a slow start in 2019 and entered this year’s season opener determined to not let it happen again.
After throwing a pair of interceptions in the opener last year against Georgia Tech, Lawrence was 22 of 28 for 351 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions at Wake Forest on Saturday as the Tigers earned a 37-13 victory.
While Lawrence threw six incompletions, the film shows he was even better than his numbers indicated. Here is a breakdown of each throw:
FIRST QUARTER
2nd-and-6, own 29: Lawrence’s first pass of the game falls incomplete, but it’s not his fault. His intended receiver — Amari Rodgers — falls down on the play while coming out of his break. This would have likely been a completion had Rodgers kept his footing.
1st-and-10, own 8: Lawrence’s first completion of the season goes to Rodgers on an NFL-caliber throw. Lawrence has good protection and finds Rodgers running across the field in stride for a 36-yard gain. The defender is in decent position, so Lawrence has to be careful to put the ball where only Rodgers can get it and he does.
1st-and-10, own 44: Lawrence goes right back to Rodgers on the next play and hits him quickly on a screen pass. The throw is accurate, allowing Rodgers to quickly make a move, shake a defender and gain 17 yards.
2nd-and-6, WF 35: Lawrence again displays his accuracy on a quick out pass to tight end Braden Galloway, who picks up five yards on the play.
1st-and-10, WF 13: Rodgers comes in motion and Lawrence flips it to him on a play that Clemson has had success with in the past but only runs once with Lawrence in the game against Wake Forest. Rodgers gains just 2 yards.
1st-and-10, own 20: Clemson’s second drive of the game begins with Lawrence faking a toss to Travis Etienne and finding Galloway running wide open down the middle of the field. It’s a beautiful play design, Lawrence hits Galloway between the 8 and 8 and Clemson picks up 25 yards.
1st-and-10, own 45: Lawrence tosses a quick pass to Cornell Powell for a 6-yard gain, again hitting his receiver between the numbers.
2nd-and-10, WF 33: Perhaps Lawrence’s prettiest pass of the evening falls incomplete as Rodgers is wide open in the end zone but is unable to hang on. Lawrence faces some pressure up the middle and has to hold onto the ball longer than he would like. He backpedals and lets the ball go from the Wake Forest 42, flicking his wrist while on his back foot and making a 52-yard toss seem effortless. However, Rodgers takes his eyes off the ball for just a second to make sure he is inbounds and when he does it costs him with a drop.
1st-and-10, own 26: Lawrence throws a quick screen to Powell, hitting the senior in stride and allowing him to pick up 9 yards.
First quarter recap: Lawrence was 7-for-9 passing for 100 yards in the first quarter. His two incompletions were due to a receiver slipping and a dropped pass. Lawrence also ran for a couple of touchdowns in the first quarter.
SECOND QUARTER
2nd-and-1, own 35: Clemson tries to set up a screen to Galloway, but Boogie Basham, who is one of the best defenders in the ACC, quickly recognizes the play, defends it well and knocks the ball away.
1st-and-10, own 49: Lawrence comes right back to Galloway on his next pass attempt and fires the ball from the right side of the field to the opposite sideline. It was one of those throws that makes you say “wow,” and ESPN analyst Todd McShay quickly points out how impressive the throw is.
“That’s why he’s going to be the first pick in the NFL draft,” said McShay, who was a sideline analyst for the game. “I mean he made that throw look so easy. … He put the perfect amount of touch and placed it exactly where it needed to go. He’s a special talent. Very obvious.”
2nd-and-7, WF 29: Lawrence’s next throw doesn’t count, but man is it impressive. From the right hash, Lawrence throws the ball all the way across the field to the left sideline. The gain would have been for about 15 yards if not for an illegal formation penalty.
3rd-and-16, WF 38: Lawrence finds Joseph Ngata for his first catch of the game on third-and-long. The ball calls for pinpoint accuracy as there is a linebacker underneath and a safety over the top. Lawrence has to fit the ball between the two and he delivers.
1st-and-10, own 41: The result of this pass is an incompletion but the play is still impressive. Lawrence avoids a free rusher on a corner blitz, rolls right and finds Galloway 15 yards down field, but the Wake defender makes a nice play and shoves Clemson’s tight end out of bounds before he can get a foot down.
2nd-and-10, own 41: Lawrence tosses a swing pass to Etienne, hitting the running back in stride and in space. The senior picks up 13 yards and a first down.
3rd-and-6, WF 42: This is Lawrence’s first and only inaccurate pass of the game. He throws high and behind an open Frank Ladson and the Tigers have to punt.
2nd-and-8, own 11: Lawrence hits Rodgers on a slant over the middle for a 14-yard gain.
1st-and-10, own 25: Lawrence and Ladson connect on a slant pattern for a 21-yard gain.
2nd-and-9, own 47: Brannon Spector finds a soft spot in coverage, catches a short pass and gets up field for 16 yards and a first down.
2nd-and-4, WF 31: Lawrence fits another ball into a small window, hitting Ngata for a 16-yard gain on a deep out between the safety and cornerback.
3rd-and-7, WF 12: Lawrence finds an open J.C. Chalk in the back of the end zone for Lawrence’s first passing touchdown of the season and Chalk’s first of his career.
2nd-and-16, own 28: Lawrence dumps off a short pass to Etienne, who continues to show off how dangerous he is in the open field and gains 26 yards.
2nd-and-10, WF 46: Lawrence hits Galloway on a short pass to the sideline for 5 yards.
3rd-and-5, WF 41: Clemson moves into field goal range as Lawrence finds Galloway for a 6-yard gain right before the half.
First half recap: Lawrence finishes 18 of 23 for 261 yards, with one touchdown in the first half. Only one pass was inaccurate. The other four incompletions were due to: receiver slipped, dropped pass, receiver lands just out of bounds, defender reads screen. Lawrence completed eight consecutive passes to end the half after his first incompletion.
THIRD QUARTER
2nd-and-4, own 31: Lawrence picks up where he left off to start the second half, rolling to his left and hitting Rodgers in stride for a 21-yard gain.
1st-and-10, WF 48: Lawrence reads the corner blitz, finds the receiver the corner vacated and hits Ngata 10 yards down field between the 1 and 0. Clemson’s sophomore receiver turns up field and gets a 19-yard gain.
1st-and-10, WF 29: Clemson tries to go deep but Wake Forest defends the double move well. Still, Lawrence makes something out of nothing and checks down to Etienne for an 8-yard gain.
2nd-and-10, own 31: Lawrence’s longest completion of the game comes midway through the third quarter when he finds tight end Davis Allen running free on a play-action pass. Lawrence hits Allen perfectly in stride 22 yards down field, and the sophomore catches the ball and rumbles for a 42-yard gain.
3rd-and-goal, WF 12: Lawrence’s final pass of the game is a bullet into the end zone and Ladson can’t hold on. Lawrence exits moments later with the Tigers leading 37-3 late in the third quarter.
FINAL ANALYSIS
The Heisman favorite certainly looked like it in Clemson’s season opener. He threw 28 passes (29 counting the one that was erased because of a penalty) and only one of those was inaccurate. The performance had to feel good for the Georgia native, who struggled with his accuracy against LSU in the national title game his last time out and entered 2020 ready to prove that he is a better quarterback than the one who played in New Orleans in January.
McShay, who is one of ESPN’s top NFL draft analysts, is certainly a believer.
“Trevor Lawrence has the highest grade of a quarterback I’ve had going back to 2012 with Andrew Luck,” McShay said on the broadcast. “Twenty years of evaluating players, he has the second highest grade coming into this season.”
