Trevor Lawrence and Jackson Carman
Freshman shine in season opener
Clemson (1-0, 0-0 ACC) welcomed the Furman Paladins into Death Valley to kickoff the 2018 football season. This game gave the Tiger freshman a chance to make an impression on the fans as well as the coaching staff.
First Half
BT Potter made his first appearance as a Tiger in the first quarter, kicking off after the 40-yard touchdown pass from Kelly Bryant to Amari Rodgers putting the Paladins deep into tiger territory. Potter continued to impress throughout the course of the game.
Trevor Lawrence entered the game in the 2nd quarter replacing Kelly Bryant, who had a total of 60 yards in the first quarter. Lawrence had a quick 3 & out before the Tigers kicked off. Lawrence and the offense got the ball rolling just before half time, Lawrence found Diondre Overton in the endzone for his first career touchdown pass covering 55 yards in 2:50.
First Half Takeaways
Trevor Lawrence came into the game ready to play, after his first appearance in the position, he appeared to try his best to get rid of the ball and get out of the pocket as soon as he could. But he soon would settle down and do what Trevor Lawrence does best and make big plays, making his first career touchdown pass in the second quarter before handing off to Travis Etienne just before halftime to put the Tigers up 27-0. Lawrence had 113 passing yards in his first appearance as a tiger compared to Bryant’s 60 yards.
The tiger defense proved why they are one of the best in the nation. Holding the paladins to 30 passing yards and 33 rushing yards throughout throughout the first half. The defense is putting immense pressure on the QB and making crucial plays against the paladin offense. The
BT Potter has an incredible leg, pushing the paladins back into tiger territory each time. Potter is going to give the tigers a huge advantage during kickoff, he will prove himself a huge asset throughout his time here.
KJ Henry & Xavier Thomas
Second Half
BT Potter continued to kickoff for the tigers
Derion Kendrick made a huge play for the tigers, setting up Kelly Bryant for a 35 yard run to bring the Tigers to a 34-0 lead with under six minutes to play in the third quarter.
Trevor Lawrence saw more playing time in the third quarter. He would help close out the third quarter with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Justyn Ross.
Lyn-J-Dixon first two runs as a tiger totaled 75 yards, his second run would put the tigers in position for a touchdown.
Justyn Ross scored his first career touchdown as a tiger at the end of the third quarter with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Trevor Lawrence.
Baylon Spector recovered a paladin fumble at the beginning of the fourth quarter, setting up Braden Galloway up for his first career touchdown to put the tigers up 48-0.
KJ Henry prevented the Paladins from scoring late in the fourth quarter recovering a fumble in the red zone.
Game Takeaways
This is a young Clemson team with still a lot to learn, but this is a young team that has a bright future ahead of them. A future that will win them many championships. The freshman came out today and proved that they were nothing short of spectacular. The team looked tight at the beginning of the game but ending the game, the defense looked sloppy allowing the paladins to reach the redzone twice and allowing them to score with 1:20 left in the game preventing a shutout. One can look forward to seeing how these young players respond to a team like the aggies, as the team prepares to take on Jimbo Fisher and the Texas A&M Aggies next week in College Station, TX.
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