Trevor Lawrence ready to see the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry up close

Trevor Lawrence will get his first crack at the Gamecocks Saturday

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Nov 20 17:23:04 GMT-04:00 2018

CLEMSON – Trevor Lawrence is ready to see what the Clemson and South Carolina rivalry is all about.

The Tigers’ talented freshman quarterback will get his first taste of the rivalry when the Gamecocks visit Death Valley in a 7 pm game that will be televised on ESPN. Clemson has won four in a row in the series and is looking to make it five in a row with a victory Saturday night under the lights.

Lawrence is looking forward to the challenge but said that growing up in Georgia he never paid attention to the rivalry and only started paying attention after committing to the Tigers.

“Since I’ve known I was coming here it has; you can definitely tell how intense the rivalry is, so I’m excited for it,” Lawrence said Tuesday. “I watched the last two years but before that, not really. I didn’t really hate them, but I grew up a Tennessee fan so Alabama was a big rivalry but mostly the Tennessee – Florida game was the rivalry I remember the most.”

A night game and a chance to go 12-0 are reason enough to excited without throwing in the extra juice from a rivalry game.

“I’m excited for the atmosphere. It’s going to be awesome. We want to finish the last game of the season the right way,” Lawrence said. “It doesn’t really change much but the atmosphere is more electric and the stadium seemed louder (for last week’s night game). It’s awesome playing in Death Valley no matter what time it is.”

Lawrence said he hasn’t heard from Gamecock fans.

“There’s been some around here and I know a couple guys on their team,” he said. “I’ve heard some stories about the fans doing some questionable things but I’ve had good interactions for the most part.”

What does he see out of the South Carolina defense?

“They’re a good defense, good size at linebacker, they’re physical,” Lawrence said. “They were a little bit banged up last week, so they should be ready to go this week.”

He then said he will also have eyes on South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley.

“I saw him play in the last two Clemson – Carolina games. He’s a good player and our defense will have their hands full,” he said.

The Gamecocks were never a factor in Lawrence’s recruiting.

“No, not really. I think they offered me, but we never really talked,” he said.

As for the emotions of a rivalry game, Lawrence said this year’s Clemson team hasn’t had a problem staying focused.

“I think one of the cool things about this team is we’re always able to lock back in no matter what and that’s going to help us down the road,” he said. “Just stay focused.”