by Clemson Athletic Communications
The Clemson Tigers will attempt to earn their second straight title and their third championship in four years on Monday, Jan. 13, when they face the LSU Tigers in the College Football Playoff National Championship. Kickoff at Mercedes-Benz Superdome is set for 8 p.m. ET.
Another Clemson championship would be Clemson's fourth football title in school history, joining the 1981, 2016 and 2018 squads.
Clemson enters the contest coming off of a thrilling semifinal performance in which the Tigers overcame a 16-0 first-half deficit to earn a 29-23 victory against No. 2 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. The victory was Clemson's fifth-largest comeback in school history, the second-largest under Head Coach Dabo Swinney and its largest in postseason play.
Ohio State outgained Clemson by 99 yards, snapping a streak of 28 consecutive games in which Clemson had outgained its opponent. The 28-game streak was Clemson's longest on record, far surpassing a 16-game streak across the 1959-60 seasons.
The victory was Clemson's first in a game in which it was outgained since 2017 in a 38-31 victory against NC State in which Clemson was outgained by 76 yards.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence led the way, accounting for 259 passing yards and two passing touchdowns in addition to posting team and career highs in rushing attempts (16) and rushing yards (107). The victory improved Lawrence to 25-0 in his career as a starter.
A victory in the College Football Playoff National Championship would be his 26th consecutive win to open his career, which would match Florida State's Jameis Winston (26 in 2013-14) for the most consecutive victories to start a career by a starting quarterback in ACC history.
While the quarterback led Clemson in rushing, it was running back Travis Etienne that led the Tigers in receiving yards, recording three catches for 98 yards and two receiving touchdowns, including the 34-yard game- winner with 1:49 remaining in the game.
The upcoming game in Louisiana against LSU could bear witness to one of the state's native sons becoming the most prolific running back in Clemson history.
Etienne, a native of Jennings, La., enters the contest with 3,960 career rushing yards, seven shy of breaking the school record of 3,966 set by Raymond Priester from 1994-97. Etienne is only 40 rushing yards away from becoming the ninth 4,000-yard rusher in ACC history.
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