Clemson Football: 3 takeaways from dominant win over Georgia Tech

2. Travis Etienne grabs Heisman lead

Trevor Lawrence entered week one as the clear favorite to take home the Heisman Trophy – an award no Clemson player has won. Lawrence will enter week two behind a new frontrunner – Travis Etienne.

Etienne can contribute his new top dog status to not only his rushing performance, but also the passing struggles of Lawrence. The sophomore quarterback uncharacteristically threw two interceptions in the first half and did little in the second half to help his Heisman-cause as Clemson deferred to the running game.

The ability to “defer” to an All-American caliber running back when the passing game isn’t clicking is the ultimate luxury for the Tigers. It’s too early to count Lawrence out, obviously, and the narrative will undoubtably change when Lawrence outshines Etienne in a game, but the Clemson bellcow can bask in the attention after his huge game this week.

In two and a half quarters of work, Etienne racked up 205 yards and three touchdowns while averaging a whopping 17.1 yards per carry. To put icing on the cake, he also tied the Clemson record for the longest run in program history when he took a 90-yard rush to the house.

Etienne is well on his way to recording a record-breaking season for an offense that is bound to set some records of its own.