Can the Miami Hurricanes stop the nation’s top college quarterback on the No. 1 team?
The No. 7 Miami Hurricanes must stop quarterback Trevor Lawrence to win the most important game they have played since they last faced No. 1 Clemson in the 2017 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game.
Good luck with that.
“He’s a problem,’’ Miami defensive coordinator Blake Baker said with a worrisome laugh during a Zoom interview Tuesday. “That’s the best way I can put it.’’
Lawrence, a 6-6, 220-pound junior widely expected to be the No. 1 NFL Draft pick in 2021, is an all-around marvel. He became the first true freshman quarterback in 2018 to lead the Tigers to a national title since 1985 (Oklahoma’s Jamelle Holieway), and has not slowed down since.
The Tigers (3-0, 2-0 ACC) and Hurricanes (3-0, 2-0) will clash in Clemson, South Carolina, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC). Better believe the Canes, led by defensive-minded coach Manny Diaz, are scheming around the clock for Clemson’s multifaceted offense.
“I just know historically Miami has always been a powerhouse,’’ Lawrence said this week. “They’ve just always had a certain swag about them that when you play them you know what you’re going to get. They’re definitely getting back to that and that’s really good to see.
“At Miami they’ve always had athletes. They get them every year. It’s going to be a good challenge for us for sure.’’
Lawrence, from Cartersville, Georgia, completed 268 of 407 passes for 3,665 yards and 36 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 15 games last season. He also ran for 563 yards and nine touchdowns on 103 carries — his 45 combined rushing and passing touchdowns tying Lamar Jackson for fifth most in a season in ACC history.
No picks for almost a year
This season, he’s 55 of 75 (73.3 percent) for 848 yards and seven touchdowns and no interceptions. The last time Lawrence threw a pick — actually, two — was on Oct. 19, 2019 against Louisville.
“Do you ever catch yourself thinking, ‘Hey, man, I haven’t thrown an interception in about a year?’ Lawrence was asked Monday. He was reminded that UM has four interceptions (two by cornerback Al Blades Jr. and one apiece by safety Bubba Bolden and defensive end Jaelan Phillips).
“Honestly, in my mind I haven’t really carried over the streak I guess from last year,’’ Lawrence said. “A new year started and I kind of forgot all about that. I’m doing a good job taking care of the ball. That’s been a priority for me.
“As far as interceptions, it’s just making every throw contested as a defense. That’s really important, not letting guys have a lot of separation. If you can get your hands in there, tips are picks, that’s what our defense says all the time. [The Hurricanes] are athletes. Your really got to be on time with your throws... They’ve got a lot of speed. One thing they pride themselves on is getting turnovers.’’
Miami is ranked 28th in total defense (377 yards allowed per game) as well as in passing yards allowed per game (230.3), and Clemson is 12th in total offense (499 yards a game).
Lawrence is fifth nationally in passing efficiency, eighth in passing touchdowns and 12th in passing yards. But he also has a spectacular running back in Travis Etienne, which makes UM’s job even tougher trying to stop Lawrence.
“He is playing like you’d expect an elite NFL quarterback prospect to be playing,’’ ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said of Lawrence. “But on-field talent aside, I was even more impressed talking to him before the Wake Forest game. He has grown so much as a leader. ... He’s the face of college football, and no stage is too big for him.’’
Get in his face
Baker said the Canes must be able “to contest a lot of his throws.’’
“Even when you think you have a guy covered... he has such great arm strength and such great accuracy, he’s able to throw it just like an NFL quarterback into really, really tight windows.
“The other thing about Trevor Lawrence is his legs. ...That’s where he does a lot of his damage,’’ Baker said. “He’s great when a play breaks down, extending that play. ...Once he gets into the open field he’s a load to bring down — real, real fast. People probably sleep on that more than anything, probably because he has such long strides. But he is eating up ground and gaining tons of yards once the pocket breaks down.”
Said Diaz: “He will pull the ball. All you have to do is look at the Ohio State game [in a College Football Playoff semifinal] a year ago. He ran a quarterback draw and outran the entire Ohio State defense, which was full of first-round draft picks, to the end zone from like 60, 70 yards out. So he can roll.
“I think the really aggravating part is when you’re doing a good job in pass coverage and he’s got the ability to break away from a pass rush and either scramble to run, he’s really, really good throwing on the run or just tucking it to get a first down. It just seems like he eats up your angle because he gets on the sideline and a defender can never really even get a hit on him.
“He puts a lot of stress on your defense.’’
▪ Diaz said coaches are still deciding who the starting punt returner will be for Clemson after Mark Pope fumbled the ball on a punt return against UAB and muffed a punt return against Florida State, which the Seminoles recovered. “We’re still confident in Mark,’’ Diaz said.
This story was originally published October 6, 2020 at 4:01 PM.
