Dabo explains how Miami’s D’Eriq King compares to Heisman winner Lamar Jackson
There is a certain level of excitement heading into this weekend’s Miami at Clemson showdown that is unusual for an ACC game being played at Death Valley.
The top-ranked Tigers (3-0, 2-0) have had their way with the ACC for the past five years, winning the league all five seasons while going 40-2 in conference games since the start of the 2015 season.
Since 2017, Clemson is 13-0 in ACC home games, winning by about 30 points per game. But this will be Clemson’s toughest home test during that stretch, as the Tigers have played only one ranked ACC team at Death Valley since 2017 and zero opponents ranked in the top 10.
Miami (3-0, 2-0) enters Saturday’s matchup ranked No. 7.
The last time the Tigers hosted a top 10 team? Louisville and Lamar Jackson came to town to face Deshaun Watson and the Tigers in October of 2016.
“Two amazing quarterbacks and neither one wanted to lose. Did everything they could to help their teams win,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said of that memorable game. “It was a special performance by Lamar. A special performance by Deshaun (Watson). ... It was one for the ages.”
It will no doubt be tough for Saturday’s Clemson-Miami showdown to match the drama and excitement of Deshaun Watson vs. Lamar Jackson, but on the surface there are some similarities between the two games.
Clemson is once again led by a player who has been described as a generational talent in Trevor Lawrence, while the Tigers defense will have to deal with a dual-threat star in Miami’s D’Eriq King.
King, who is passing for 245 yards per game and rushing for 52 yards per game, has generated some Heisman buzz with his outstanding play over the first three weeks of the season.
King currently has the third-best Heisman odds at 6-1, behind only Lawrence and Florida’s Kyle Trask. Swinney believes it’s easy to see why King is receiving so much attention nationally.
“It’s always a challenge to stop gifted, athletic quarterbacks,” Swinney said. “When (King) takes off he’s a running back, and that’s the mindset he has. You better have your big boy pads on. He wants to throw it first. He’s a very good thrower. He can throw the ball on the run. He can push the ball down the field. There’s really nothing he can’t do.”
While there are some similarities between King and Jackson, there are also some differences.
For one, King has accounted for seven touchdowns through three games. Jackson had 51 in 13 games in 2016, for an average of nearly four per game.
“(King’s) fast, but he’s not Lamar Jackson fast. Lamar Jackson was probably the fastest guy on the field, either team,” Swinney said. “But (King’s) a very dangerous player. But they’re different in some regards. But the similarities are they’ve got good people around them. They’re well-coached, good schemes. And they challenge you because they can beat you with their mind, they can beat you with their arms, they can beat you with their legs. That’s a three-phase quarterback.”
This story was originally published October 7, 2020 at 5:45 PM.
