Former Clemson football star Trevor Lawrence had a career day in the Jacksonville Jaguars' 48-20 win over the Jets. Here's what Liam Coen had to say.
Former Clemson football star Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars put a beatdown on the New York Jets in Week 15 NFL action Sunday.
Lawrence threw a career-high five touchdown passes, accounted for another rushing touchdown, and completed 20 of his 32 passes for 330 yards in the Jaguars' 48-20 demolishing of the Jets at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville.
The Jaguars (10-4) picked up their 10th win of the season and seem poised to return to the playoffs with three games remaining. They've won five straight and lead second-place Houston (9-5) by one game.
On this day, Lawrence ran for 51 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown scramble in the first quarter as the Jaguars built a 31-10 halftime lead over the Jets (3-11).
Lawrence's Clemson teammate, Travis Etienne, was a factor through the air. Etienne caught three of Lawrence's five touchdown passes, including a 20-yard score with just 21 seconds before halftime. He recorded touchdowns on all three catches for 73 yards total and rushed 12 times for 32 yards.
Etienne's last touchdown came with 13:40 to play in the game and was on a 45-yard swing pass out of the backfield that he took upfield for the game's final score.
After the Jaguars' 28-point thrashing of the Jets, Jacksonville coach Liam Coen met with the reporters to discuss his team's victory. Here's what the first-year Jaguars coach had to say about Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne.
Jaguars coach Liam Coen on what he saw from Trevor Lawrence in six-TD performance
"I thought he was very accurate with the football. Started hot, allowing these guys to continue to be able to catch and run, especially over the middle of the field. The vertical throws, I thought, were very impressive. You know, six total touchdowns. Very proud of Trevor and his preparation, the way that he's practiced, the way that he's continued to lead our offense and do what we're asking him to do at a high level. He's playing at a high level right now."
Liam Coen agrees Clemson football star Trevor Lawrence had best day of NFL career
"I think you would say (it's) one of the best ones he's had, absolutely. You could feel it, like throughout the weeks. The last few weeks, especially, that he's continuously gaining more and more confidence, continuity and chemistry with the guys that he's playing with. Executing the plan. But also, then again he had a ditto play from last week: the rollout to his left across his body, zero blitz. Same exact play that we were actually running as last week.
"Again, that's him being special. That's him being a football player and making a play. So, yeah, I would say that it was one of his better performances that I've seen."
Jaguars coach Liam Coen credits Trevor Lawrence for 2025 ascension
For the season, Lawrence has thrown for 2,880 yards and 18 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. Lawrence hasn't committed a turnover in the past three games.
Coen was asked if Lawrence's success was a result of the first-year coach figuring out the player, or the player figuring out the coach's system. Here was his answer.
"Combination. I would say that that the pre-snap operation has definitely settled. I would say for him. In terms of the motion shifts, there's a lot going on, right? I think that has chilled out for him a little bit in terms of -- we're able to now run more of the same but just out of different looks. So, time on tasks, repetition, carrying plays over from week to week that may be of work that we just want to dress up. I think that that's really helped and allowed him to just go play. And once the ball is snapped, go use his traits and his skillset.
"You saw today, and we've seen over the last few weeks, that we like throwing the football. Him throwing the football is a good thing right now to those guys, and we're protecting at a high level. He trusts the group in front of him protecting, and trusting the guys out on the perimeter to go make plays when the ball is in the air. I think it's probably a combination of those things that sometimes, it just takes a little time.
Liam Coen comments on explosive performance from Travis Etienne against Jets
Coen was asked by a reporter how much it helped to utilize Etienne as a receiver.
"We finally hit a screen for a big one there. (It's) a part of our offense that we've worked hard at and that hasn't exactly been perfect by any means. Look, the totality of your offense, you want to be getting all cylinders at some point to click, right? When you've got a guy like (Etienne) that can make people miss in space, that's got great hands, vision out on the perimeter, just finding different ways to get him the ball.
"He ran a great route right before the half where kind of made it look like an option route. He just studied his feet, got the linebacker to stop and beat him over the top. And then that angle route again that we kind of had similar to last week, the one to Jakobi (Meyers) with the angle route underneath, that he ends up making the great route and throwing a catch on. To have a back be able to do both for you is huge, and (Etienne) just continues to ascend."
Watch Liam Coen's full postgame press conference discussing Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne and more from Sunday's Jaguars win over the Jets.
Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X (formerly known as Twitter), and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Trevor Lawrence has career day, and Jaguars coach Liam Coen sounds off
Category: General Sports
