Ohio State ousts Clemson, likely ends college careers of stars Lawrence and Etienne
When Clemson walked off the field after last year’s national championship game loss to LSU in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the Tigers vowed they would be back and better in the 2020 season.
Trevor Lawrence was returning, and Travis Etienne later announced that he would do the same. The Tigers had arguably the top quarterback and running back in the nation to build around.
Clemson accomplished its goal of getting back to the College Football Playoff, but put together a performance that was shockingly worse than last season’s loss to LSU.
Ohio State manhandled the Tigers 49-28 Friday night in the Superdome to avenge last year’s semifinal playoff loss to Clemson. The Buckeyes earned their first-ever win over the Tigers and will face Alabama in the national title game Jan. 11 in Miami.
“Well, obviously not our night. Incredibly disappointed in how we played,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “We had great preparation but wasn’t our night, and you have to give Ohio State credit for that. They were awesome.”
Clemson (10-2) was outplayed in almost every facet by the Buckeyes (7-0). Ohio State had more total yards and points against Clemson than LSU finished with in last year’s game in New Orleans and led the Tigers 49-21 early in the fourth quarter Friday before letting off the gas.
Ohio State star Justin Fields completed 22 of 28 passes for 385 yards and six touchdowns, one more than 2019 Heisman winner Joe Burrow had against Clemson last year. He outplayed Lawrence, who played better than he did last year against LSU but also fumbled three times, losing one. The Buckeyes outgained Clemson 639 to 444.
“The credit goes to Ohio State. They just absolutely dominated the game. You’ve got to give them credit for that. They were the better team, and they earned it,” Swinney said. “Very disappointed, certainly, in how we performed. Not what any of us expected. But, again, congratulations to Ohio State.”
The game likely marks the last time Lawrence or Etienne will ever play for the Tigers. Lawrence is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, while Etienne is a senior who also has a chance to be a first-round pick.
Lawrence was 33 of 48 passing for 400 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. Etienne had 10 carries for 32 yards and a score. He also had four catches for 64 yards.
“Obviously tonight didn’t go well, but I know that the way I prepared, the way this team prepared, and then just this whole year, the way we’ve carried ourselves. I’m proud of it,” Lawrence said. “I don’t have any regrets. There’s not much I’d go back and change.”
If it was indeed the final game for Lawrence and Etienne, they leave as two of the best players in school history. Lawrence was named a Heisman finalist last month and earned ACC Player of the Year honors. He is also the winningest QB in school history and led Clemson to a national title as a freshman in 2018.
Etienne was named the ACC Player of the Year twice during his career and leaves as the the conference’s all-time leading rusher.
“Both of them have such bright futures and a lot of football ahead,” Swinney said. “These are two unbelievable players that will be in the College Football Hall of Fame at some point.”
The game added some extra hype when Swinney ranked Ohio State No. 11 in his own final coaches poll ballot, which Swinney attributed to the Buckeyes playing fewer games than most teams in the pandemic-altered 2020 season.
Swinney said after the game that he did not regret his decision.
“No, I don’t regret any of that. And polls have nothing to do with motivation. Both teams were highly motivated to play,” Swinney said. “Only thing I regret is obviously not doing a good enough job getting my team ready. But I don’t regret anything about that at all.”
Swinney and Ohio State coach Ryan Day said, leading up to the game, that they have nothing but respect for each other. There was no bad blood afterward, either.
“Dabo has been nothing but professional to me,” Day said when asked about their postgame exchange. “He said, ‘Have a great game and go win it all.’”
CLEMSON FOOTBALL 2020 SCHEDULE, GAME SCORES
Sept. 12: Clemson 37, Wake Forest 13
Sept. 19: Clemson 49, The Citadel 0
Oct. 3: Clemson 41, Virginia 23
Oct. 10: Clemson 42, Miami 17
Oct. 17: Clemson 73, Georgia Tech 6
Oct. 24: Clemson 47, Syracuse 21
Oct. 31: Clemson 34, Boston College 28
Nov. 7: Notre Dame 47, Clemson 40, 2 OT
Nov. 21: at Florida State CANCELED
Nov. 28: Clemson 52, Pitt 17
Dec. 5: Clemson 45, Virginia Tech 10
Dec. 19: Clemson 34, Notre Dame 10
Jan. 1: Ohio State 49, Clemson 28
Clemson vs Ohio State score, stats
——First Quarter——
CLE—Lawrence 2 run (B.Potter kick), 12:10.
OSU—Sermon 32 run (Haubeil kick), 7:59.
CLE—Etienne 3 run (B.Potter kick), 5:01.
OSU—Farrell 8 pass from Fields (Haubeil kick), 1:36.
——Second Quarter——
OSU—Ruckert 17 pass from Fields (Haubeil kick), 10:35.
OSU—Olave 9 pass from Fields (Haubeil kick), 5:12.
OSU—Ruckert 12 pass from Fields (Haubeil kick), :11.
——Third Quarter——
CLE—Powell 10 pass from Lawrence (B.Potter kick), 7:56.
OSU—Olave 56 pass from Fields (Haubeil kick), 4:55.
——Fourth Quarter——
OSU—Ja.Williams 45 pass from Fields (Haubeil kick), 14:03.
CLE—Powell 26 pass from Lawrence (B.Potter kick), 10:42.
——TEAM STATS——
- First downs: OSU 26-23
- Rush yards: OSU 260-44
- Pass yards: CLE 400-385
- Time of possession: OSU 34:05-25:55
——INDIVIDUAL STATS——
RUSHING—Ohio St., Sermon 31-199, Fields 8-42, M.Williams 3-21, (Team) 2-(minus 2). Clemson, Etienne 10-32, Dixon 2-20, Lawrence 10-(minus 8).
PASSING—Ohio St., Fields 22-28-1-385. Clemson, Lawrence 33-48-1-400.
RECEIVING—Ohio St., Olave 6-132, Sermon 4-61, Ja.Williams 3-62, Ruckert 3-55, Wilson 2-52, Smith-Njigba 2-12, Farrell 2-11. Clemson, Powell 8-139, Rodgers 8-54, E.Williams 5-45, Etienne 4-64, Galloway 2-38, D.Allen 2-35, Br.Spector 2-16, Ladson 1-9, Dixon 1-0.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.
This story was originally published January 2, 2021 at 12:00 AM.
