Lawrence Not Focused on Legacy
CLEMSON— A quarterback can make or break his legacy based on how he performs in the Clemson-South Carolina game.
Former Clemson quarterbacks Charlie Whitehurst and Deshaun Watson both went a combined 7-0 against their rival, while former quarterback Tajh Boyd was winless over the Gamecocks—leaving a void in a career that saw him win 43 games at Clemson.
But for Trevor Lawrence, he has not given much thought to what the game will mean for his legacy at Clemson—he is just trying to win the next game.
"I haven't really thought about it much yet," Lawrence said. "Definitely that would be the goal to go undefeated against these guys. That's definitely a goal to go for.”
Even though he has not thought about his legacy, does not mean that he does not have an understanding of what the rivalry means to both sides.
“SInce I’ve known I was coming here, and last year in high school just watching the game, you can definitely tell how intense the rivalry is,” Lawrence said. “I watched the last two, but being from Georgia, I wasn’t too really involved in that, but I watched the last two.”
Saturday will be Lawrence’s first game against the Gamecocks in Columbia, which means even the cool, calm and collected sophomore is excited to take the field in a game that means so much to both sides.
“I’m just really excited for the atmosphere, it’s going to be awesome,” Lawrence said. “Really, just excited to finish the last game of the season and finishing it the right way.
“I mean, it doesn’t really change much. Definitely, the atmosphere is more electric . It’s probably louder. It's definitely is neat playing up there, but it really doesn’t change much for us—we still have to go out there and play.”
If the Tigers do win their sixth straight game in the series with the Gamecocks Saturday, it will not only be the first victory for the sophomore in Columbia, it will also mark the fouthh time in school history that the Tigers have reached the 12-0 mark.
That is something that Lawrence believes is worth focusing on.
“I think it’s important to realize how fortunate we are to be in this situation,” Lawrence said. “Well, not really fortunate because we’ve worked for it, but just to have this opportunity to be undefeated this late in the season it’s definitely worth taking note of. We’re blessed to be in this situation and we’re trying to end on a good note.”
