NEW ORLEANS — Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence was on his back, reaching out desperately with his right hand to try to gather in the ball after it squirted through his arms as he was dragged down to the Superdome turf.
The Heisman Trophy finalist couldn’t quite get a grip on it before it was ripped loose and ultimately recovered by Ohio State.
And with that, Lawrence’s bid to finish an extraordinary college football career with his second national championship in three seasons slipped away. The Tigers were down three touchdowns and the deficit grew even larger in the fourth quarter before No. 3 Ohio State celebrated a 49-28 victory over No. 2 Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Sugar Bowl on Friday night.
“I missed a few throws and put too many balls on the ground,” said Lawrence, who fumbled three times but only lost one. “Obviously, it sucks to finish like this.”
For the second consecutive season, Lawrence and Clemson got bounced from the CFP by being blown out in the Big Easy. Those are the only two losses in his 36 college starts.
Last season, Clemson fell 42-25 to LSU in the national championship game on the same field, with Lawrence having one of the worst games of his career (18 of 37, 234 yards, no touchdowns passing). This year in New Orleans, like last year, Lawrence scored the game’s first touchdown on a keeper, but later lost a fumble while Clemson was trying to close a yawning second-half deficit.
Lawrence played better overall this year, despite Clemson being without offensive co-ordinator and play-caller Tony Elliott, who was in COVID-19 protocol and did not make the trip to New Orleans. Lawrence finished 33 of 48 for 400 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
“I tell you what, man, Trevor Lawrence, I know we didn’t win the game, but you saw everything you need to know about that guy tonight,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “I mean, he just, he wanted to play ’till the last second and give it everything he has. And that’s just who he is as a person.”
The way Clemson’s defence struggled most of the game, giving up two touchdown passes longer than 50 yards, that wasn’t nearly enough.
When it was over, Lawrence had been outshone by Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields (22 of 28, 385 yards, six TDs).
“Obviously they kicked our butt tonight,” Lawrence said.
The season “didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but it was special,” Lawrence continued. “We just didn’t get it done tonight for a lot of reasons. … In games like this, you’ve just got to play well all the way around and we didn’t do that.”
That won’t change anything regarding the Heisman Trophy, because the votes were already in. Lawrence is one of four finalists, along with Alabama QB Mac Jones, Crimson Tide receiver Davonta Smith and Florida QB Kyle Trask.
Time will tell if it affects the thinking in pro football front offices. Lawrence, for much of this season, has been the consensus projected top pick in the 2021 NFL draft assuming he passes up his senior year at Clemson.
Still, he’ll be remembered as one of the faces of college football — on the field and off — during a tumultuous junior year.
Over the summer, he was out front of both social justice marches and calls for the games to continue despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There’s not much I’d go back and change,” Lawrence said. “I’m proud of the man I’ve become over the time I’ve been (at Clemson). … Yeah, it’s been a crazy year.”
His stances earned him the respect of his peers across the country, as did his play.
In three seasons, Lawrence has passed for 10,098 yards and 90 touchdowns, and has rushed for 943 yards and 18 TDs. He also went down in Clemson history as the QB for the program’s third national championship team. He is the winningest quarterback in Clemson history and he led the Tigers to three straight ACC titles
That may have to suffice. After all, not many have done better.
Swinney said Lawrence and Clemson senior running back Travis Etienne leave behind “incredible legacies” and “set the standard” at Clemson while never expecting “anything more from their teammates than they were willing to give.”
“Trevor Lawrence is a generational guy. He’s going to be a great player for a long, long time,” Swinney added. “We’re all sad that it ended the way it ended tonight. And we wanted to end it in Miami with a victory (in the national title game) and ride off into the sunset, but that wasn’t to be.”
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
