Monday’s College Football Playoff national championship game featured two of the nation’s best offenses led by dazzling quarterbacks.
No. 1 LSU has Heisman Trophy winner and quarterback Joe Burrow and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, while No. 3 Clemson is led by Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne. LSU entered the matchup averaging 564.1 yards per game (No. 1 in the country), and Clemson came in with a 538.4 yards per game (No. 3).
Both teams have plenty of weapons, and these key players have had explosive moments all season. So it was no surprise that after a slightly slow start, their offenses seemed to calm down and started making some huge plays. And we’re keeping track of them.
So here is a running list of all the touchdown plays from the LSU-Clemson national championship game Monday.
1. T-Law runs it in
Trevor Lawrence got Clemson on the board first with this one-yard touchdown run on 2nd-and-goal at 6:34 in the first quarter. Leading up to this play, Lawrence also connected with Braden Galloway for a 42-yard play and Tee Higgins for 19 yards. Clemson was up, 7-0.
2. Burrow throws a bomb
LSU responded about four minutes later with its first touchdown of the game, thanks to Joe Burrow going deep to Ja’Marr Chase for a 52-yard touchdown on 2nd-and-2 at LSU’s own 48-yard line. Tie game at 7-7.
3. Higgins on a perfect reverse
On 2nd-and-3 from LSU’s 36-yard line, Clemson perfectly executed this reverse, and thanks to some excellent blocking, including from Lawrence, Higgins found the left sideline and steamrolled every LSU defender he came across. He took off for a 36-yard touchdown, giving Clemson a 17-7 lead.
4. Burrow’s turn to run
Although Clemson had a double-digit deficit for the first time this season, it didn’t last long. After connecting with Chase for 16-yard and then 56-yard plays, Burrow ran it in for a three-yard score on 3rd-and-goal with a little more than nine minutes left on the second-quarter clock and cut the deficit to 17-14.
5. LSU takes its first lead
Burrow found Chase again, this time for a 14-yard touchdown to give LSU its first lead of the game at 21-17. The Tigers from Baton Rouge seemed to find their groove on this drive with Justin Jefferson accounting for 40 yards and Edwards-Helaire having a 23-yard catch.
6.
Following a huge 29-yard run from Burrow to get LSU to Clemson’s six-yard line, the Heisman winner found Thaddeus Moss standing wide open in the end zone with just 10 seconds left in the second quarter. LSU had a 28-17 lead going into halftime.
With this play, Burrow tied FBS single-season touchdown record with 58 (Hawaii’s Colt Brennan, 2006).
