Watching Trevor Lawrence and figuring out how to slow him down is easier than it sounds, and it sounds really difficult. There are some small flaws to Lawrence’s game, but the Clemson offense is so good it is hard to key on them and still stop everyone else. But there is a way, albeit not easy and a team has to have the players to do it.
Watching Lawrence, the one flaw that seems to pop up more often than any other is he will sometimes key on one receiver. This tends to happen if he is getting a little too uncomfortable in the pocket. When this happens, Lawrence will do one of two things, throw it to the guy he has locked in on or take off and run. This is where the Buckeyes can start to slow down Clemson.
Taking away Lawrence’s ability to beat you with his feet requires committing to contain and spy defensive calls. While this may take away some in coverage it relies on getting pressure with the defensive line and forcing Lawrence to have to throw when he may not want to. If he is keying on a receiver, baiting him to make a throw instead of run could lead to defended passes — or even better – an interception.
Sure, this sounds easier than it actually is, however, it is a way to slow down Lawrence and make him uncomfortable. Last year, the Buckeyes didn’t take Lawrence’s ability to run as seriously as they probably should have and it was a big reason Clemson won. Taking his ability to use his feet away is a good way to start.
Clemson will probably rely on using Travis Etienne to open up the run game with a lot of read-option, but the goal is to simply slow Clemson down because outright throttling such a good offense is not going to happen. If the Buckeyes can put clamp down on not allowing too many yards on the ground, there’s a chance.
Ohio State has to commit to containing Lawrence and his flowing locks, force him to not get to his second read, and hopefully have some misfires at opportune times.
Now, there’s been a lot of teams try to do that, it’s up to the Ohio State players and coaching staff to figure out a way to execute on a plan. Good luck.
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