Clemson's Lawrence Has Career Day
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence set a career-high in passing yards and passing touchdowns Saturday as the Tigers defeated Georgia Tech 73-7 in Atlanta on Saturday.
The junior quarterback solidified his status as Heisman Trophy frontrunner after completing 24-of-33 passes for 404 yards and five touchdowns. The majority of Lawrence's numbers came in the first half as the Tigers built a 52-7 lead.
"You see some of that stuff on the scoreboard, but I was just trying to play and give us the best chance to win," Lawrence said following the game. "Stats don't always tell the whole story. It's just the flow of the game and keeping the chains moving. Trying to get better every week."
Lawrence set his previous career-high in yards last season against Syracuse with 395. He has thrown four touchdowns four times in his career. The Georgia native said he was excited to set some new records in front of friends and family.
"It was awesome for me," Lawrence said playing in Atlanta. "The two times I've played here it's gone pretty well. It's a lot of fun coming home, invited some buddies from high school. It was fun, this is a cool place to play."
Lawrence started the second half but played only the first series which ended in a Clemson punt.
Lawrence's lone miscue happened late in the first quarter when he threw an interception to Zamari Walton. The interception was the first of the season for Lawrence and the first since Oct. 19, 2019, against Louisville. It snapped a streak of 366 consecutive passes without an interception, just 14 shy of breaking former N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson's record of 379.
"I didn't really add much pressure to myself even though I could have broken the record," Lawrence said. "I really don't care too much, I think I played well today and that's the biggest thing."
Lawrence had touchdown throws to four different receivers and completed at least one pass to 10 different Tigers in the first half.
"We knew we were going to take some shots," Lawrence said. "We let our guys run and me being locked in on my reads making sure we had what we wanted. Coach (Tony Elliott) did a good job, put me in a great position with the calls."
On the season, Lawrence has thrown for 1,544 yards and 15 touchdowns as the Tigers improved to 5-0.
"He continues to play lights out," Elliott, Clemson's offensive coordinator said. "He's definitely the leader of our offense, to come out and be the best version of himself and just so proud of him."
