Clemson-Alabama IV could be dramatic with Trevor Lawrence in the mix

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The NFL's nine scouts lined up at the bottom of Boston College's modest box office on Saturday night. They came to watch Clemson's repechage quartet on the defensive line, British Columbia's first-round defensive end Zach Allen and the other set of eligible prospects. But what appeared throughout the match in Tier 2 was a collection of "oooohs" and "aaaahhhhs" on Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence of the NFL Watch Group.

Visceral emotions have triggered a Greek chorus of adulation and anticipation, as it becomes more and more clear what can become Lawrence's elite hope. Do not be surprised if, in the next few years, some NFL savvy fans begin charging their franchise to Tank For Trevor in the NFL draft in 2021.

In simple terms, Trevor Lawrence shone dramatically during his first season with his size, balance, arm strength and mobility, so that he could well become the best quarter-watcher of this generation. "He's the best prospect since [Peyton] Manning, "said an ACC assistant coach at Yahoo Sports Saturday night. "He would be the first pick in this year's draft if he went out, even though he was not playing again."

Just a real first-year player, Lawrence will have to trim his hair a few times before the NFL scouts evaluate him as a junior in 2020. But for this season of college football, Lawrence appears as the perfect flagship for the inevitability of the Alabama championship.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Up to 2018, the main scenarios of The Alabama season has Alabama dominance and the question of whether Alabama could beat an NFL team like the Browns or the Bills.Daaaa Bears"Sketch" Saturday Night Live ", and replace Bears with Tide and the bratwurst with the chest. It's essentially a distilled version of the conversation around the sport. "Data-reactid =" 20 "> Until now, in 2018, the main scenarios of the season revolved around Alabama, the dominance of Alabama and the possibility for it. Alabama to beat an NFL team like the Brown., Or bills.Daaaa Bears"Sketch" Saturday Night Live ", and replace Bears with Tide and the bratwurst with the chest. It's essentially a distilled version of the conversation around the sport.

Clemson # 2 easily playing the 17th edition of Boston College, 27-7, Saturday night at Alumni Stadium, it would be stunning not to have the fourth consecutive edition of Alabama against Clemson in the playoffs. The first two were classic title games divided by the programs, won mainly by a bold kick in Alabama (part 1 in 2015) and the genius of Deshaun Watson (part 2 in 2016). Last year, the team played 24-6 in the semifinal of the college football match, Clemson's offensive having become one-dimensional and helpless with Kelly Bryant behind the center.

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This led to reasonable assumptions that Clemson coach Dabo Swinney had in mind the tide, his alma mater, when he replaced the starting quarters with the talented Kelly Bryant by the dynamic Lawrence after four games this week. season. I asked Swinney about this in a moment of calm after the game and he immediately chuckled.

"Nothing to do with it," he told Yahoo Sports. "It's so far from reality. It's a beautiful story that people like to create. But I made the decisions based on what had happened during four baseball games. He was the best player. "

The move to Lawrence helped the Clemson program find another speed. And Swinney's awareness that Clemson needed more dynamism from the quarterback looks like what Alabama coach Nick Saban had decided at the half-time for the national title title. Georgia, when he replaced Tua Tagovailoa for Jalen Hurts. And similar to what Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly discovered when he traded Brandon Wimbush against Ian Book in the fourth game of this season.

Swinney's decision seemed risky in real time, as Bryant was transferring and leaving the Clemson Depth Map vulnerable. But in the back, it seems painfully obvious that this decision was more difficult from a personal point of view than from a staff point of view.

"There is no limit," Swinney lamented Lawrence. "He loves to get ready, he's a brilliant guy. He has incredible skill. He is not even physically developed yet. This kid weighs 217 pounds, he's going to be 235 and he's a volunteer runner and an athlete. "

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What has most impressed Lawrence at Boston College? It's not that he rolled short-sleeved on a night when the cold weather fell in the 20's. That's not to say that he has mastered the gusts of wind, the American flag at half-mast in the Stade des Anciens flying frantically at the beginning of the match. It was not completing 29 passes out of 40 for a touchdown and rushing for another.

The first time Lawrence played a live game was that nothing bothered him. He watched and played completely comfortably in all situations, a supernatural balance that will be needed when Clemson will finish blowing through the ACC and finally begins to see a formidable competition. (Apologies to Pat Narduzzi, but potentially playing Pittsburgh in the ACC championship does not count.) Clemson co-coordinator Jeff Scott summed up the situation in these terms: "He has the mind to use his skills. "

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The Clemson staff has already begun sending Lawrence's sincerest compliments, their trajectory being similar to that of Clemson's former quarterback, Deshaun Watson. This is the biggest compliment of Clemson's football lexicon.

While he does not have Watson's mobility, Lawrence showed Saturday night that he was a dangerous runner and should be considered a threat to zone-reading games. Comparisons with Watson focus on Lawrence's mental mind. Scott and co-coordinator Tony Elliott said some of Lawrence's best plays were mistakes.

"It's really a good reminder of Deshaun's position as a rookie," Scott told Yahoo Sports. "From a mental point of view, he's a junior sophomore. He learns things and adapts very quickly. "

Clemson reminded everyone how good they were. The defense marked the shutout, with the only touchdown in BC being played by special teams. Dominant defensive lineman Christian Wilkins fired quarterback Anthony Brown in the first quarter, ending his night and sending him to the hospital. The game was essentially there because British Columbia had no way of moving the ball.

And they had no answer for Lawrence, who has already mastered the art of staying true to his speech. When told about Alabama, he said he did not have a lot of time to see the tide but had caught it a bit while beating the state of Mississippi on Saturday. "Yes, we would like," said Lawrence when asked when he wanted to see Alabama. "We will play whoever comes before us."

"We want" Bama! "Lawrence said. This gave us reason to believe that Clemson can be on top, especially with Tagovailoa. seeming to fight a knee problem.

Although the term "Bama-Clemson – Part IV – The Tetralogy" does not completely crush the language, it does not mean that we would not be less excited to see it. On Saturday night, Lawrence gave us another data point as to why the best game going on in college football projects was spectacular when this last edition was taking place.

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