How close is Trevor Lawrence to passing Deshaun Watson statistically?
Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence enters his junior season with an opportunity to make some major strides and cement his legacy in Tiger history.
Trevor Lawrence currently holds an overall record of 29-1 as a quarterback with the Clemson football program and has led the Tigers to two National Title appearances, as well as back-to-back ACC Championships in his first couple of seasons as a Tiger.
Of course, there are always comparisons when we talk about the greatness of a Clemson football quarterback. And no one has been greater than Deshaun Watson.
Statistically-speaking, here is what Trevor Lawrence must do to pass Deshaun Watson this season.
Trevor Lawrence has an opportunity to become an all-time great
First, let’s take a look at some of Watson’s notable stats.
Deshaun Watson Career:
- 10,163 yards passing
- 90 passing touchdowns
- 12,097 yards of total offense
Deshaun Watson Top Season Numbers:
- 4,593 yards passing (2016)
- 580 yards passing in a single game (2016 vs. Pitt)
- 41 passing touchdowns (2016)
Here’s a look at those same numbers for Trevor Lawrence in his career heading into what most presume will be his final season with the Tigers.
Trevor Lawrence Career:
- 6,945 yards passing
- 66 passing touchdowns
- 7673 yards of total offense
For those keeping up at home, that would put Lawrence 3,218 yards away from tying Watson in terms of career passing yardage. He’ll have to throw 25 touchdowns to surpass Watson and will need an additional 1,206 yards (on top of that 3,218) to tie Watson’s total offense mark.
If Lawrence were to reach marks set by Watson in the 2016 season- specifically 4,500 yards passing and 40 passing touchdowns- he would surpass Deshaun by quite a bit in both categories. For Lawrence to have these numbers, he’ll have to average around 300 yards per game (assuming the Tigers play 15 games) and around 2.67 passing touchdowns per game.
In addition to looking at stats, Clemson football fans are going to want to see how Trevor Lawrence finishes his career in terms of wins. If he can finish this season undefeated with another National Championship, there would be a strong contingent of the fan base that may begin to consider him the GOAT.
No matter what happens, it will be interesting to see how Lawrence’s final season plays out in a Clemson uniform.