Clemson Football: Trevor Lawrence isn’t Deshaun Watson and that’s okay

Clemson football‘s young quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been grouped with Deshaun Watson probably for as long as he cares to remember.

Trevor Lawrence will lead the Tigers into Monday night’s College Football Playoff title game against Alabama in hopes of duplicating the same kind of success Watson had in the 2016 game when Clemson took home its second national championship.

But for the true freshman, he doesn’t have to follow exactly in the giant footsteps of the current Houston Texan star. Instead, Lawrence just needs to continue doing what he’s done all year: be the best Trevor Lawrence he can.

Take a quick look back at that fateful Jan. 9 evening in 2017 when Watson and the Tigers rallied back to topple the mighty Crimson Tide and Nick Saban. Watson was 36-for-56 passing for 420 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He also carried the ball another 21 times, gaining 43 positive yards and a score.

That means Watson was in control of what happened on 77 plays against an Alabama defense loaded from top to bottom with NFL talent. He also had a punt for 38 yards in the contest.

Lawrence enters this game having broken a pair of Watson’s Clemson freshman passing records. By the time he leaves the school, whether that be after his junior season like Watson or his senior year, he’ll have likely bested several other top marks set by the legend.

But for Lawrence to equal Watson in regards to national championship rings, he doesn’t have to throw the ball 56 times on Monday night. And he definitely doesn’t have to run it 21 more times.

Lawrence took over the starting quarterback job back in late September, replacing Kelly Bryant. The most attempts he has in a game is 40, set in a 27-7 victory over Boston College on the road. As for rush attempts, that high-water mark is nine, which also came in the same contest vs. the Golden Eagles.

In the recent Cotton Bowl win over Notre Dame, Lawrence completed 69 percent of his throws for 327 yards and three touchdowns, posting a quarterback rating of 154. He also had positive rushing yards, albeit just six on seven carries.

If Lawrence comes close to matching those numbers against the Crimson Tide, and the Clemson defense holds up against Tua Tagovailoa, there will be a very good chance that the Tigers will be hoisting up the trophy with Lawrence as the most valuable player.