Dominant LSU dethrones Clemson
Observations from LSU’s 4225 win against Clemson in the College Football Playoff national championship game Jan. 13:
1. The battle of offenses goes in LSU’s favor: You had Joe Burrow, the Heisman winner, on one side. An elite prospect of his own in Trevor Lawrence on the other. Combined, you might have been watching the top overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft and the top pick in the 2021 draft. Burrow finished with 463 passing yards on 31 completions with five TD passes to go with 58 yards on the ground. (He ends his senior year with the FBS single-season record for TDs.) He had two first-half completions of 50 or more yards to receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who finished with nine receptions for 221 yards and two scores. Meanwhile, Lawrence completed 18 of 37 attempts for 234 yards. LSU accounted for for more than 300 yards of offense in the first half and 628 overall.
2. LSU’s defense made the game-winning plays: Neither defense was particularly effective, though each had moments – Clemson in the first quarter, LSU in the second, and both in the second half as the game began to tighten. When push came to shove late, LSU’s defense delivered the sort of game-winning plays that prevented Clemson from making up that halftime deficit. One key moment in particular: After a questionable pass-interference call gave Clemson a first down on a drive midway through the third quarter, LSU’s defense responded to force three negative plays and a punt. LSU had an answer, as the Tigers had all season.
3. LSU earns a place in history: At 15-0 with a number of very impressive wins, LSU has earned a spot among the best teams in recent college football history. This is the best team in program history, dwarfing the recent title teams from 2003 and 2007. It’s the most productive offense to stroll through the SEC, led by one of the sport’s great single-season quarterback performances. In this year’s Playoff, LSU dismantled Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl and knocked off a dynasty in Clemson that entered Monday on a 29-game winning streak that spanned more than two calendar years. There’s no doubt LSU will be mentioned alongside 2001 Miami, 1995 Nebraska and some of Nick Saban’s teams at Alabama as the best teams of the past 30 years.