Two Clemson legends are off to the NFL. A look back at some of their best moments
Travis Etienne enrolled at Clemson in the summer of 2017. A couple of weeks later, with fall camp underway, he received his first carry as a Clemson Tiger during practice.
“After his first run in camp, his first run ever in a Clemson uniform in fall camp, I said to one of the wide receivers, I was like, ‘Man I thank God that he’s on our team and not on someone else’s,’” Clemson senior wideout Cornell Powell recalled last month.
Then there’s Trevor Lawrence.
The five-star quarterback enrolled at Clemson in January of 2018 in time for spring practice. The first time he every played in front of a crowd at Death Valley came that April in the spring game.
His second pass that afternoon was a perfectly placed deep ball to Tee Higgins for a 50-yard score. Lawrence was so good in his first spring game that he finished 11-of-16 passing for 122 yards, despite Dabo Swinney blowing two plays dead when Lawrence completed deep balls for big gains. Swinney ruled that Lawrence was touched for a sack before letting the ball go. Perhaps he was really just trying to keep the hype from getting too out of control.
Still, when Clemson fans left Memorial Stadium that day, they knew the Tigers had a special talent in Lawrence and a couple of exciting years ahead with Lawrence and Etienne together in the backfield. Clemson got three years of the duo together, and they were everything Tigers fans and coaches could have hoped for and more.
Top moments of 2018
- Let’s start with Lawrence’s first ever throw against an FBS opponent. Clemson was playing at Texas A&M in Week 2 of the 2018 season after a tune-up with Furman. The Tigers led 7-3 in the second quarter when Lawrence took his first snap. On the first play he faked a handoff to Tavien Feaster and found Tee Higgins streaking down the left sideline. Higgins made a spectacular grab and run after the catch and went 64 yards for a touchdown. Not a bad start.
- In Week 4 of that year there was the throw at Georgia Tech, the one where Lawrence rolled to his left and squeezed the ball into a tiny window to hit Hunter Renfrow for a 17-yard score. It was a throw most college QBs wouldn’t be able to make, and certainly not most freshmen. It was also the throw that helped Lawrence earn Clemson’s starting job.
- The following week it was Etienne who had a monster game, rushing for over 200 yards for the first time in his college career against Syracuse. Everyone remembers that game as the “Chase Brice game” for helping Clemson to a win when Lawrence left with an injury. But Etienne had 203 yards and three touchdowns that afternoon.
- There was the rivalry game that year when Lawrence and Etienne helped Clemson put up 56 points. Lawrence passed for 393 yards and stared down the Gamecocks’ sideline in the 21-point win. Etienne had 150 yards and two touchdowns.
- A month later, in Lawrence’s first College Football Playoff game, there were questions about how he would handle the big stage of playing at AT&T Stadium as a freshman. He answered those questions quickly, passing for 327 yards and three touchdowns against Notre Dame.
- To close out that season, Lawrence, Etienne and the Tigers blew out Alabama 44-16 to give Clemson its second national title in three years. Lawrence had 347 passing yards and three touchdowns against the Crimson Tide. Etienne had three touchdowns of his own.
Top moments of 2019
- The 2019 opener was arguably the best game of Etienne’s career. He needed only 12 carries to top the 200-yard mark as Clemson destroyed Georgia Tech 52-14. Etienne averaged 17.1 (!!!) yards per carry.
- Midway through the 2019 season, Etienne had another monster game. Lawrence threw a pair of early interceptions at Louisville, but it didn’t matter as Clemson’s star running back had 14 carries for 192 yards, averaging nearly 14 yards per run in the 45-10 victory.
- In Lawrence’s first and only trip to Williams-Brice Stadium, and in what turned out to be his final game against the Gamecocks, he passed for 295 yards and three scores. Lawrence also rushed for 66 yards that day, showing off his underrated rushing ability.
- The biggest performance of Lawrence’s sophomore season came against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl when he passed for 259 yards and two scores and rushed for 107 yards, including a touchdown. The signature play of that playoff semifinal was a 67-yard QB draw for a touchdown when the Tigers were trailing 16-7 late in the second quarter. The designed quarterback run was a perfect play call as the middle of the field was wide open. Lawrence juked the safety about 12 yards down field and outran the Ohio State defense to the end zone. Clemson went on to win 29-23.
Top moments of 2020
- Two of the biggest moments of Lawrence’s career came off the field in the summer of 2020. It started with Lawrence helping to organize a protest against systemic racism in June. Lawrence spoke out against racism on Twitter over the summer, before helping organize the protest. Lawrence’s Black teammates said it meant a great deal to them to have their star quarterback speak out against racism. It’s an issue that is important to Lawrence. “It’s important for us to stand up for something. It’s easy to stay quiet because some people don’t want to make people mad,” Lawrence said. “But my thoughts on it are — those aren’t the kind of fans, followers, whatever (that) you want, if it makes them mad if you stand up for equality.”
- In August, with the college football season in jeopardy, Lawrence and his teammate and close friend Darien Rencher helped organize the #WeWantToPlay movement, which helped save the college football season.
- Lawrence struggled early on in 2019, throwing five interceptions through the first three games. But he got off to a fast start in 2020, opening the season with 10 touchdowns and zero picks through his first four games. That included a three touchdowns and zero interception outing against No. 7 Miami.
- In that same game, Etienne had 222 yards of offense as the Tigers destroyed Miami 42-17 in what was supposed to be a competitive top 10 battle. Instead it was a statement game for Clemson.
- The following week, Lawrence had his best half of football of his career, passing for 391 yards and five touchdowns in the first half alone in a 73-7 win at Georgia Tech.
- On Dec. 19, Lawrence and Etienne led Clemson to its sixth consecutive ACC championship as the Tigers pounded Notre Dame 34-10, avenging a loss to the Irish earlier in the season. Lawrence passed for 322 yards and three touchdowns, while Etienne had 124 rushing yards and a score.
- The final game of Lawrence’s and Etienne’s career did not go as they hoped as the Tigers fell to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. But the two fought hard until the end and were respectful and complimentary of the Buckeyes in defeat.
Final thoughts
Lawrence and Etienne are two of the best players in Clemson history and arguably in college football history. Lawrence finished as the runner-up in the Heisman race in 2020 and was named the ACC Player of the Year. He will almost assuredly be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Etienne is the ACC’s all-time leading rusher and all-time leader in rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns. He was named the ACC Player of the Year twice.
As good as both players were on the field, they were also incredible representatives of Clemson University off of it. They never had any off-field issues. They were great speaking with the media, always giving thoughtful and respectful answers. Lawrence won the 2019 Tim Bourret Award, given to the Clemson player who best represents himself and the program in the media. Etienne was one of six players to receive at least one first-place vote for the award in 2020.
Even when a media member thought she was on mute in Lawrence’s press conference following the loss to Ohio State and suggested he needed to shave his mustache, Lawrence laughed it off during an emotional time following the final game of his college career.
Clemson fans had high hopes after seeing Lawrence and Etienne on the field together for the first time during the 2018 spring game. The Tigers legends exceeded even the most optimistic expectations with their play on the field and their character in everything they did.
