Nowhere to hide: Trevor Lawrence takes advantage of time off to regroup

Lawrence used the off week to spend time with family and friends

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Oct 16 07:01:03 GMT-04:00 2018

CLEMSON – It's not easy to hide when you’re usually the tallest person in the room, have the most recognizable hair in all of college football, and you’re the quarterback of one of the nation’s best teams.

That’s why Trevor Lawrence spent a good portion of his off week inside his parent’s home, away from the game and away from the crowds.

Life hasn’t been easy for Lawrence over the last few weeks – he went from sharing reps with starter Kelly Bryant to being named the starting to quarterback to having to deal with Bryant’s departure from the program. Add in an injury against in his first collegiate start – against Syracuse – and Lawrence has had to deal with more than the normal freshman.

He was all smiles Monday, however, and said he didn’t even know how stressful things had been until he got a chance to unwind.

“You don’t really even realize it yourself until you get a week off and you’re like, ‘Whew. A lot’s happened this past month.’ It was good to be able to relax and have the week off,” Lawrence said.

While some of his teammates traveled and others went to local vacation spots, Lawrence returned to Cartersville, Ga., where he watched a little football, did a little fishing, and spent time with his family and friends.

“It was really good just to be able to be like, ‘OK, we’re halfway through the season. This is where we’re at.’ And kind of unwind a little bit and get ready for the second half,” Lawrence said.

Lawrence will make his second start in Death Valley Saturday when No. 3 Clemson hosts No. 16 NC State in a battle of unbeaten teams and for ACC Atlantic Division supremacy.

“We’re expecting a four-quarter game and a fight, so it’s going to be a fun game,” Lawrence said. “It’s college football. Any week anyone can beat anybody if they’re not ready so we’re just going to try to do our best to make sure we’re ready for them.”

Going into Saturday's game, Lawrence leads to ACC in yards per attempt (8.68) and passer rating (174.2). He is also second in completion percentage at 69 percent and is also ranked No. 10 in the nation in passing efficiency.

Lawrence is tied for second in the ACC in passing touchdowns with 11, despite splitting time with Bryant through four games and the fact that Clemson has already had its bye.

Against Wake Forest two weeks ago, Lawrence was 20-of-25 for 175 yards and two touchdowns, and he hopes to continue that success against the Wolfpack.

“I’m really excited. I feel like this is a big game for us to kind of prove how much we’ve grown throughout the season and just how much better we’ve gotten,” Lawrence said. “Playing a good team, I feel like it’s a chance for us to prove ourselves a little bit more.”