Trevor Lawrence, No. 1 Clemson Beats Syracuse 41-6 Behind Amari Rodgers' 2 TDs

The No. 1 Clemson Tigers took their show on the road for the first time this season and topped Syracuse 41-6 at the Carrier Dome. 

Clemson sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw for 395 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions on 22-of-39 passing, while also rushing for 42 yards and a touchdown. Junior receivers Tee Higgins (150) and Amari Rodgers (121) each recorded 100-yard days through the air.

Clemson's last regular-season loss came on Oct. 13, 2017. Syracuse beat the Tigers 27-24 then and held a 23-13 fourth-quarter lead last season in an eventual Clemson win, but the Orange couldn't upset the defending national champions this time. 

Syracuse squandered several opportunities that could have swung momentum in its direction. The Orange's four red-zone trips resulted in two field goals, an interception and one turnover on downs. 

Amari Rodgers' Recovery Gives Clemson's Offense Embarrassment of Riches

Amari Rodgers tore his ACL during practice on March 25, and 173 days later, he caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence. It marked the first touchdown of his junior campaign, a season that was initially believed to be lost. 

The 19-year-old followed his first-quarter score by taking a screen pass 87 yards for his second touchdown to extend Clemson's lead to 24-6 with 9:42 remaining in the third quarter, outrunning the entire Syracuse defense:

"After reconstructive surgery, Clemson doctors and trainers estimated he could return to action in approximately eight months," Manie Robinson wrote for the Greenville News on Sept. 10. "Rodgers initially circled the sixth game on the schedule—Oct. 12 at home against Florida State. That was an optimistic, yet reasonable, goal for his return."

Now, instead of when Rodgers may return, a different question will be asked: Just how much more dangerous can the Tigers offense be with him if he continues to progress to full strength?

Saturday's win showcased how crucial Rodgers can be when Lawrence shows vulnerability and how overwhelming the Tigers offense can be when everyone is clicking. 

The Tennessee native's debut came last week in the Tigers' 24-10 defeat of Texas A&M, a game in which he caught two balls for six yards.

Rodgers didn't start Saturday night's game against Syracuse, but it served as his true breakout. He finished with four catches for 121 yards and accounted for two of the team's four touchdowns despite fellow junior receiver Tee Higgins having himself an historic outing:

There is a precedent for this. Rodgers was a productive member of Clemson's championship squad last season as both a receiver and returner, ranking second to Higgins in receptions (55) and third in yards (575) behind Ross and Higgins respectively.

Rodgers started every game for Clemson last season, and his role in this year's offense could be even more substantial in the slot now that Hunter Renfrow is in the NFL as an Oakland Raider. 

Depth is showing itself at Clemson outside of the slot, too. True freshman running back Chez Mellusi replaced Travis Etienne in garbage time and took his one carry 57 yards for a touchdown. Earlier in the fourth quarter, Lawrence had found true freshman receiver Frank Ladson Jr. for a seven-yard touchdown.

The dominant storyline of this season will be the anticipation of Clemson and No. 2 Alabama rematching in the national championship. While the Tigers embarrassed the Tide 44-16, Alabama sports arguably the best receiving corps in the nation with Jerry Jeudy, Devonta Smith, Henry Ruggs III and Jaylen Waddle. 

In other words, unexpectedly having a dynamic playmaker like Rodgers in the mix will only strengthen Clemson's odds to repeat. 

Trevor Lawrence Has Work to Do in Heisman Race

The good news for Clemson is Lawrence is only a sophomore. 

The bad news for Clemson is Lawrence played like a sophomore Saturday night.

While he led the Tigers offense to the majority of its points against Syracuse, he has already surpassed his interception total (four) from last season through this year's first three games. His two picks brought his 2019 total to five. 

Lawrence's decent outing came on a day when Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa was exceptional, creating a gap between his form and Heisman-caliber play.

Tagovailoa threw for 444 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions in Alabama's 47-23 win over South Carolina and notched a spot in program history several times over in the process:

The junior Tide quarterback has 12 touchdowns and no picks through Week 3, continuing his impeccable touchdown-to-interception ratio from last season. Tagovailoa seems to be the standard, which isn't surprising given he and Lawrence were pegged as Heisman favorites before the season.

Entering Saturday's slate, however, several other hopefuls had impressed more than Lawrence:

The others' performances across Saturday only bolstered their individual arguments. Alongside Tagovailoa, the most notable was former Alabama and current Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts' dual-threat dominance:

Meanwhile, Lawrence's defense bailed him out twice in the third quarter. His first interception gave Syracuse field position at the Clemson 9-yard line, but Mario Goodrich intercepted Tommy DeVito on the Orange's first snap after the turnover.

Lawrence was picked again later in the third, but the Tigers defense held Syracuse on fourth down.

That said, it's early. This slow start can easily be erased with immensely talented skill players surrounding Lawrence and Clemson not scheduled to play a ranked opponent.

What's Next? 

No. 1 Clemson (3-0) will be back home to face Charlotte, while Syracuse (1-2) will host Western Michigan next Saturday.