Clemson Football: 3 takeaways from dominant win over Florida State

3. Trevor Lawrence finally looked like a Heisman threat again

For much of the first half of the 2019 season, it has felt like Trevor Lawrence was in the grip of a sophomore slump. After breaking onto the national scene last year as the first true freshman to win a national title in more than three decades, Lawrence entered the new season as the front-runner to contend for the Heisman Trophy and the top spot in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Though he helped lead Clemson to a 5-0 start, Lawrence was a shell of his dominant freshman self. He could still put up big statistical outings on occasion, as he did against Syracuse, but each performance felt shaky as he forced throws off his back foot and threw as many interceptions over the first three games of 2019 as he did all season long in 2018.

Lawrence was hardly perfect against Florida State. The sophomore quarterback threw another pick, surpassing last season’s total in only half a season of game play for the Tigers, but he tormented the Seminoles with both his throwing arm and his legs. Finishing with 170 yards on 17-of-25 passing, Lawrence threw three touchdown passes and added another on the ground for good measure before coming out of the game in the third quarter.

Despite the slow start to the season, Lawrence is back on track to get to the Downtown Athletic Club in Manhattan come December. If he continues to play like he did in Week 7 at home, his reputation will continue to be rehabilitated after a rough start to his second year as the Clemson starter.