Trevor Lawrence is a bonafied star.
The true freshman quarterback kept Nick Saban from his seventh national championship, as he led Clemson to a 44-16 win over Alabama at Levi’s Stadium. He picked the Crimson Tide’s secondary apart, completing 20 of 32 passes for 347 yards with three touchdowns.
Despite not having a 100-yard performance, running back Travis Etienne was clutch when the Tigers needed him – totaling 86 yards rushing with two scores on 14 carries. Alabama courted wide receiver Justyn Ross strongly in the 2018 recruiting cycle, but he decided to spurn the Tide and roll with Dabo Swinney and the Tigers. The 6-foot-4 specimen has his way on Monday night, en route to recording a game-high 153 yards receiving with one score on six catches.
As for the Tide, its passing offense could not get in sync.
Clemson affected Tua Tagovailoa with pressure all game long and forced two interceptions – including a pick-six in the first quarter. Regardless of him nearly having 300 passing yards (295) and Jerry Jeudy posting 139 yards receiving, it just was not the night for Alabama.
Swinney defeats Saban for a second time in the College Football Playoff era, and Clemson earns its third national championship in program history.
*Get the BEST Alabama football insider information, message board access, and recruiting coverage today! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our subscriber only content!*
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
