Trevor Lawrence: Chase Young is 'Everything You Want'
Coming into his Freshman year, Trevor Lawrence was expected to be able to read defenses and prepare to play against some of the best football players in America. Playing against Notre Dame and Alabama in his first College Football Playoff appearance put his abilities to the test.
Star defensive end Jerry Tillery, for Notre Dame, added to a solid core of linebackers and defensive linemen. The championship game against Quinnen Williams and the Alabama Crimson Tide showed that both Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and Lawrence knew what to do when facing an elite defensive line. Williams ended the game with 4 total tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss.
This season, the Tigers will face a different beast in Ohio State defensive end Chase Young in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. Young — 6-foot-5 265 pounds — has stood out as the best defensive player in the nation. He stands two inches taller than previously mentioned Williams, runs .3 seconds faster on the 40-yard dash and weighs roughly 40 pounds less.
Trevor Lawrence commented on Young Tuesday, and how physically dominant he is.
“Just a great player. He’s physical. He’s fast. He’s a big guy, really athletic," Lawrence said. "Everything you want in a defensive end. Just has a really good knack for finding the ball, getting to the quarterback. Always seems to be in the right place. That’s just a testament to how he prepares, I’m assuming, and the kind of player he is.”
The Buckeyes may see quite a few double teams from redshirt senior guard Gage Cervenka and sophomore standout Jackson Carman in an attempt to limit penetration from Young.
However, avoiding Young is hard to do.
"I think it's just being conscious of (him)," Lawrence said. "More conscious of than we are in some other games, where he didn't play guys that were quite as good as him. You have that in the back of your head. Then also just knowing what to do with protections and things like that. Just always kind of considering him. Really, there are other things, too. You can't put too much into one guy, because that will mess up your offense, but you do have to keep him in the back of your mind for sure."
Young is an exceptional athlete, is everywhere on the field and can run as fast as the average wide receiver — so the Tigers will have to get creative on how they plan to shut down Young.
Lawrence has been sacked a total of 12 times this season, while Chase Young has totaled 16.5 sacks on his own, leading the nation.
Swinney, in the past, has played against some very great defensive ends, specifically Jadeveon Clowney of South Carolina. While Swinney was never able to defeat the Clowney-led Gamecock teams, these Clemson Tigers are completely different.
Lawrence has faith in his offensive line to protect him from the dominating front of Ohio State.
"The whole line up front has done a really good job," Lawrence said. "I think we've only had I don't know how many sacks, not many though. Seeing how they've worked in the off season coming into this year, and how they've gelled together has been really cool."
