What Brian Kelly said about Trevor Lawrence missing the Notre Dame game
Shortly after Notre Dame finished off a 31-13 victory over Georgia Tech on Saturday, Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly was asked about Clemson and quarterback Trevor Lawrence during his postgame news conference.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney announced following the Tigers’ win over Boston College that Lawrence will not be able to play against Notre Dame after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier this week.
It was news that Kelly said he was disappointed to learn.
“It’s too bad he’s not playing. You want the best players to play,” Kelly said. “But look, the kid that played today is a five-star recruit as well. I know he’s not Trevor Lawrence, but they’re not going to come to South Bend shorthanded.”
The “kid” Kelly referred to is five-star freshman QB D.J. Uiagalelei. The California native passed for 342 yards and accounted for three total touchdowns in Clemson’s 34-28 come-from-behind win over Boston College on Saturday.
Kelly added that when he first heard that Lawrence tested positive for COVID-19, he assumed that Lawrence would be cleared to play against the Irish.
“When I heard he got the virus the first thing you think of is, ‘I hope he’s OK. I hope he doesn’t have any lingering effects that affect him. He’s the best player in college football,” Kelly said. “You start to think, ‘Is he gonna play? I’m sure he’s gonna play.’ Then I hear today he’s not gonna play, which is probably the safest thing.”
Next week’s game against Notre Dame is expected to be a top 5 showdown. Clemson (7-0, 6-0) is currently ranked No. 1, while Notre Dame (6-0, 5-0) is ranked No. 4.
“We wish him good health and a speedy recovery, but they’ll be well-fortified with an outstanding quarterback who played today,” Kelly said. “We’ve been preparing for this opportunity to play the best team in the country in Clemson at home... They’re excited about this opportunity to play the gold standard in Clemson.”
Next Clemson football game
Who: Clemson at Notre Dame
When: 7:30 pm Saturday, Nov. 7
Where: Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana
TV: NBC
