Regardless of quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s future with the Clemson football team, one thing is certain, this will be his last year playing alongside All-American running back Travis Etienne in the Tigers backfield.

After a slow start against Syracuse, the Heisman candidate duo flipped the switch and led Clemson to a 47-21 win, combining for five touchdowns.

Playing together over the past few seasons, the pair has developed a unique chemistry on the field that you rarely get to see in college football. Off the field however, the two are still building a stronger relationship every day. 

“Me and Travis are friends and we’re somewhat close, but I wouldn’t say we hangout a ton off the field,” Lawrence said. “I think we both have similar personalities as we both kind of stay to ourselves a little bit. We’ve definitely gotten closer though. My first year I really wouldn’t see him other than here and every year we’ve hung out more and more and built a closer relationship. It’s just different for everybody on the team. You get your friends that you get really close with.”

As far as a team, the Tigers coaching staff do a great job of building a comfortable and fun winning environment for their players. For Lawrence and Etienne, the atmosphere that has been built around them has helped the pair work hard for each other and the team without letting season accolades, such as the Heisman, get in the way of the team’s success.

With expectations high for the both of them, they’re aware of the bigger picture. 

“I think me and Travis both understand the position that we’re in and our success up to this point,” the Clemson quarterback said. “With what we’ve shown, we’re capable, and there’s a lot of responsibility with that. We need to play well if we’re going to get to where we want to be at the end of the season.

“I think we understand that. That’s the biggest thing is we want to do whatever we can to help our team win and do the best we can because we know if we don’t our potential is going to be limited.” 

Lawrence has continued working on his game in areas that will not only strengthen his team’s odds of winning but his Heisman odds as well. After a couple of questionable decisions in run/pass option plays, the junior quarterback understands improvements need to be made. Working on the RPO could benefit Trevor drastically as it will also open up more opportunities for him on the ground.

Already snagging four rushing touchdowns this season, working towards breaking double digits would improve his Heisman stock drastically. 

“No matter what it is, you have to be consistent,” Lawrence said. “You have to be consistent and you have to have rules. I think our offense has been very efficient and I trust every coach and teammate of mine. As I gain more knowledge on the run game, the ideal times to run the ball and certain schemes that we want, I can help manage that better. These are just things I’m continuing to learn, staying on the same page as the coaches and talking to the coaches asking them questions. It’s important to communicate every week and I think we’ve done a good job of that.”

Five games into an already stellar junior campaign, Lawrence continues to learn to benefit himself and his team for future success. He and Etienne will continue their quest for the Heisman this Saturday as they face Boston College at Memorial Stadium in Clemson.

Another championship season is underway for the Tigers. It’s time to gear up for another year of Clemson football.

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