Trevor Lawrence is beauty on beast Clemson

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Super sophomore Kyle Hamilton caused a bit of a stir within Notre Dame’s football building this week when he cited the “great legs” of Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence in advance of Saturday’s meeting in the ACC championship game.

Defensive end Daelin Hayes, one of the team’s captains and elder statesmen, couldn’t let the moment pass without ribbing his uber-talented safety.

“I just want to address Kyle and the ‘Trevor with great legs’ comment,” Hayes said at the start of his media teleconference. “Just great legs, great hair, great arm. Just following up on that. Just want to throw that out there, if anybody would care.”

When it comes to this highly anticipated, high-stakes rematch, there is seemingly no aspect that has gone unexamined — right up to and including the various physical attributes of Lawrence, who missed the first meeting between these teams Nov. 7 as he was recovering from COVID-19.

Even though freshman fill-in DJ Uiagalelei shredded Notre Dame’s secondary for 439 passing yards and two touchdowns, the Irish pulled off the 47-40, double-overtime upset. With Lawrence back at the controls, the second-ranked Irish are nearly a 10-point underdog in this neutral-site showdown in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Overloading the tackle box for much of the first meeting enabled Notre Dame to hold star running back Travis Etienne to just 28 rushing yards on 18 carries. Just as dangerous as a receiver, Etienne caught eight balls for 57 yards, but the expectation seems to be that a healthy Lawrence (and his play-action wizardry) will be the key to springing Etienne in the ground game, as well.

Lawrence, the odds-on favorite to be taken first overall in the NFL Draft next spring, is 33-1 as the Clemson starting quarterback. Notre Dame’s Ian Book is 30-3, setting a school record for wins in that role, but no one is lining him up for shampoo commercials.

“No moment is too big for him,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said of Lawrence. “He loves it. He loves the bright lights. He loves the challenge. He’s at his best when the game’s on the line in the biggest situations. He just doesn’t flinch.”

Lawrence, just coming out of quarantine, made the trip to Notre Dame Stadium in -November. That was as much for him to experience the moment as to help his fill-in make adjustments between series.

In addition to the great arm, hair and, yes, legs, Lawrence possesses “great eyes,” Swinney likes to say.

“He’s not perfect, but when he makes a mistake, he rarely will make it again,” Swinney said. “He’s got almost a photographic memory. It’s amazing to me what he sees.”

As a freshman in 2018, Lawrence passed for 327 yards and three touchdowns (all in the second quarter) as the Tigers rolled to a 30-3 win over previously unbeaten Notre Dame in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.

Win or lose Saturday, both teams are expected to land spots in the four-team tournament. That could set up a third meeting, -either in the CFB semifinals on New Year’s Day or the national championship Jan. 11 in Miami.

As for Hamilton’s “great legs” comment, what he was trying to say about his fellow product from suburban Atlanta was that Lawrence is a threat even when he pulls the ball down.

“He’s an underrated runner,” Hamilton said. “He’s a really fast tall guy.”

Hayes, who played in a reserve role in that 2018 Cotton Bowl loss to Clemson, remembers coming off the field and being stunned by Lawrence’s athleticism. Notre Dame record-ed three sacks, but plenty of other times its defenders were left grasping at air.

“He’s exceptionally fast,” Hayes said. “He was faster than we anticipated.”

And, unlike Uiagalelei, Lawrence isn’t likely to be rattled by anything outgoing -defensive coordinator Clark Lea — headed to Vanderbilt as the next coach at his alma -mater — can scheme up.

“He’s a proven winner,” Hayes said. “Trevor has played in a lot of big games. He has that calm, that cool. You can’t really put a price on that experience. His decision-making and his experience are going to be the biggest thing.”

Round 2 should be another doozy.