Three takeaways from No. 1 Clemson's drubbing of Georgia Tech

Thomas Lott

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Three takeaways from No. 1 Clemson's drubbing of Georgia Tech image

We saw this one coming.

The No. 1 Clemson Tigers took down a lesser Georgia Tech squad in their season opener 52-14 and have started the season 1-0.

Coming off of their second national title in three years the Tigers once again look like one of the best teams in the nation.

Is anyone surprised?

Three takeaways from No. 1 Clemson's drubbing of Georgia Tech

Travis Etienne's Heisman Trophy campaign starts now

Clemson probably has at least two players who could be in contention for the Heisman Trophy this year in running back Travis Etienne and quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and there could even be an outside shot someone like Tee Higgins gets into the conversation, as well.

But Etienne started his Heisman campaign with a stellar performance Thursday rushing for 205 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries. He overcame an early fumble to tie a Clemson record with a 90-yard touchdown run a few plays later.

Etienne could very well be a first-round pick in the draft next year but for now, he'll stick to dominating ACC defenses for the next few months.

Clemson's front seven is just fine

On paper, it wasn't easy to see a seamless transition for the Tigers in their front seven this season. Clemson graduated three first-round picks (Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence) from its front four from a year ago and it would be a difficult task for any team to immediately recover from that.

But this is Clemson. The Tigers consistently have one of the best recruiting classes in the nation and a pretty easy way to overcome losses like that is to start replacing said losses with the No. 3 recruit in the country. Xavier Thomas was a backup last year, but he made an instant impact for the Tigers in his first game of the year Thursday.

He had a tackle for loss early and was clearly among the best athletes on the field. Tyler Davis isn't quite the same level of recruit as Thomas, but the former four-star defensive lineman also had some big tackles and senior Chad Smith forced a fumble, as well.

Clemson just reloads and this defense will be more than capable of picking up the slack even with such big losses on its front line.

Trevor Lawrence — not just a passer

It's easy to look at Lawrence and see a prototypical NFL pocket quarterback. At 6-6, 220 pounds, he can see over the line easily and with a quick release he can get the ball out fast. But, while he can be fit into that prototypical box, he's also a very good athlete.

Lawrence showed off his skills running the ball throughout the day finishing with 24 yards rushing on three carries. He also scored the Tigers' first touchdown with a nice play on the read-option.

He even showed off his wheels after throwing an interception as he chased down Georgia Tech defensive back Tre Swilling and kept him out of the end zone on what looked like a sure touchdown. That play was big, as well, since the defense kept the Yellow Jackets' offense out of the end zone and kept them from putting up any points.

Do the Tigers want to see Lawrence run more because of this athleticism? Absolutely not. They don't want him getting hurt unnecessarily. But to know he has that kind of speed and quickness certainly lets NFL teams know he is more than a statue in the backfield.

Thomas Lott