How fast was Trevor Lawrence on Etienne's TD run? Really fast, according to Etienne

Etienne scores on a 75-yard run with Lawrence catching him at the end of the run.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Dec 6, 2018, 8:01 AM

ATLANTA, GA – On the first play from scrimmage in last Saturday’s ACC Championship Game, Clemson running back Travis Etienne made a move towards the sideline and then turned upfield, splitting two defenders at midfield and racing for the end zone. As he reached the 20-yard line, he noticed one of his teammates in his peripheral vision, but the flash of blonde hair couldn’t be right. Could it really have been Trevor Lawrence matching Etienne stride-for-stride down the field?

It was, something Etienne had to see for himself, both on video and later when he got the speed results from Clemson’s Catapult Wearable Technology. Catapult is a system used by the Tigers that tracks a player’s performance in practice and in games, and results can be emailed to players once the game is over.

Etienne scored on the play, a 75-yard run from scrimmage that set the tone in Clemson’s 42-10 victory over Pitt. What grabbed everyone’s attention, however, was the sight of the 6-foot-6 Lawrence racing Etienne down the field.

“Actually, when I was running, I was coming towards the end zone and I saw someone running in my peripheral,” Etienne told TigerNet. “I would have never thought it was Trevor. (Laughs). I would have NEVER thought it was Trevor.”

Etienne celebrated the score with his teammates and enjoyed the rest of a soggy ACC Championship win. The fact that Lawrence was one of the first players down the field continued to gnaw at him, however, and he couldn’t wait for the email that tracked a player’s speed during the game.

“Trev does have speed. I was quite interested to see how fast he was going,” Etienne said. “We have these Catapults on our jerseys, so I actually went to the email to see how fast he went. To see if he was faster than me.

“I think he was going 20.6 (mph) and I got to 21. But he caught me when I was coming down.”

Isaiah Simmons and Hunter Renfrow tied for the fastest speed in the game at 21.3 MPH. Etienne was next followed by Lawrence and linebacker Tre Lamar.

Who is the fastest player on the team?

“Isaiah is fast,” Etienne said. “He’s really fast. Everybody thinks Mark Fields is the fastest on the team, but Isaiah is really fast. I think I would beat him in a race. I actually raced him my freshman year and I got him by a little bit.”

Etienne said he thinks his speed is an underrated part of his game.

“People don’t notice or think that I’m fast,” he said. “I really can’t explain it. It’s weird.”