Trevor Lawrence missed ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ game. What that was like and what’s next
Trevor Lawrence arrived at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday and went through his typical pregame routine, taking in the scene, talking with the other quarterbacks and enjoying the moment.
But as his Clemson teammates went back to the locker room to change into their uniforms for Saturday’s top 5 showdown, Lawrence switched from his suit and tie into tracksuit pants and a thin hoodie, with his jersey over the top.
Lawrence then watched from the sideline as No. 1 Clemson suffered a heartbreaking 47-40 double overtime loss to No. 4 Notre Dame.
“Obviously I hate that I wasn’t able to play. It’s such a cool experience and really a once-in-a-lifetime experience to get to play up there,” Lawrence said Monday. “But I was grateful I got to go and at least be there for it. Super cool place, obviously a lot of history. It’s just a cool thing to be a part of, but definitely wish I could’ve played. It would’ve meant a lot to me.”
Lawrence missed Saturday’s game after testing positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 29, two days before the Tigers hosted Boston College.
The junior started experiencing mild symptoms from the coronavirus on Monday but assumed it was allergies. However, by the middle of the week he knew that something wasn’t right.
“I didn’t really feel that bad, and then Wednesday night, before my test came back Thursday morning, I started feeling worse,” Lawrence said. “And then Thursday morning when they called me and told me I was positive, I felt really bad Thursday and Friday as far as just flu-like symptoms. But then after Friday I felt good. I started feeling better every day and was back to normal pretty quick.”
Lawrence had to isolate for 10 days from the time he started experiencing symptoms, which cleared him to return to team activities this past Thursday.
His taste and smell are still “a little bit weird,” but otherwise Lawrence said he feels great.
Lawrence returned to practice Monday night and was expected to be full go, according to Dabo Swinney.
Clemson has a bye this week, before the Tigers travel to face Florida State on Nov. 21. Lawrence is expected to start at QB that afternoon in Tallahassee.
“He’ll be full go. He’ll be ready to go (Monday) night,” Swinney said. “He was just about a day off from being able to play Saturday night from a protocol standpoint, but he’ll be back at it (Monday) night rolling. He’s excited.”
Next Clemson football game
Who: Clemson at FSU
Where: Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida
When: Noon Saturday, Nov. 21
TV: ABC
This story was originally published November 9, 2020 at 7:50 PM.
