USC FOOTBALL | PAC-12 FOOTBALL | COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF
Davidson tops Lawrence in shootout for the ages
Davidson throws late TD to seal win
By MTPeterson | @ZoneTracks | Dec 28, 2019, 5:25pm PST
Clemson's Trevor Lawrence and USC's Tanner Davidson are without a doubt two of the best quarterbacks in college football today. As soon as the matchup between the two in the playoff semifinal was announced football fans and NFL scouts and coaches began salivating.
The game did not dissapoint as Lawrence and Davidson exchanged blows down to the final minutes with Davidson's Trojans taking a 42-38 win on a 12 yard Davidson touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown with 37 seconds left to play. Davidson was flushed from the pocket on the 4th down play and delivered a perfect pass to St. Brown in the ultimate pressure situation.
Davidson threw four touchdown passes and ran for a fifth in the win with runningback Vavae Malepeai running for the Trojan's other score.
For Clemson Lawrence threw for a pair of touchdowns with RB Travis Etienne on the receiving end of both. Lawrence and Etienne each ran one in as well as Darien Rencher. Kicker B.T. Potter added a field goal along with five extra points.
Davidson scored the first points of the game on a 19 yard run that saw him barrell his way through a pair of Clemson defenders at the goalline. Etienne tied things up a few minutes later on an eight yard scoring run that tied the game at 7-7 with a few minutes left to ply in the first quarter.
After an exhange of punts Davidson got the USC offense down to the Clemson 14 after runs of 14 and 24 yards. He then connected with Michael Pittman Jr. for a score, making it 14-7 USC.
After that Clemson scores sandwiched a USC punt. First was a 67 yard rushing touchdown by Lawrence followed by a 53 yard Lawrence to Etienne TD pass. USC trailed 21-14 with a few minutes left in the first half.
A long kick return by Velus Jones Jr. set up the Trojan offense at the Clemson 31 yard line. Two plays was all it took to tie the game up with Davidson scrambling for a gain of 21 then finding Kenan Christon for a ten yard touchdown. After a Clemson punt Davidson took a knee to run out the first half with the score tied at 21-21.
Clemson was forced to punt from deep in their own end after a Drake Jackson sack of Lawrence on their first possession of the second half Davidson and Pittman Jr. connected again, this time for a 54 yard score on the first play of the drive. Lawrence's 34 yard wheel route TD pass to Etienne tied it back up at 28-28 midway through the third quarter.
Clemson reclaimed the lead on Rencher's short TD run at the tail end of the third, making it 35-28 Clemson to start the fourth quarter.
Malepeai tied it back up with a 64 yard TD run on a read option. Both offenses had drives stall before Clemson's Potter put the Tigers back in front with a 37 yard field goal with 2:07 left in the game.
Davidson led out the offense, starting the possession at their 21 yard line.
Stephen Carr ran for a gain of seven followed by a four yard pass to Pittman Jr on a slant, picking up the first down at the 32. Malepeai ran for a short gain then Davidson hit Erik Krommenho out to the 43 yard line for another first down with 1:11 left.
Davidson threw away a pass on first down then ran out to the 50 where USC used a timeout to stop the clock at :58.
On third and three from the 50 Davidson found Carr for a gain of nine yards on an angle route. After a drop by Drake London Davidson stepped up in the pocket and delivered a dime to Amon-Ra St. Brown on a deep out and the receiver strode into the endzone to put USC on top for good.
“Amazing game.” Davidson said after the win. “Great job by the offensive line all day keeping me clean, couldn't do it without those guys. Proud as hell of all the guys on the team. Trevor played a hell of a game too. I can't wait to play against that dude for the next 20 years.”
USC will watch closely as LSU battles Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl with USC facing the winner for the National Championship.
Media Gallery