ESPN Commentators Give Thoughts on LSU Quarterback Joe Burrow, Clemson's Trevor Lawrence

Herbstreit gives slight edge to Burrow on Monday night, Fowler going with Lawrence
ESPN Commentators Give Thoughts on LSU Quarterback Joe Burrow, Clemson's Trevor Lawrence
ESPN Commentators Give Thoughts on LSU Quarterback Joe Burrow, Clemson's Trevor Lawrence /

It's the matchup everyone across the college football world has been talking about for two weeks now. The undefeated, long-haired quarterback from Clemson and the fifth year senior out of LSU that has quite possibly had the greatest passing season in college football history.

It's Joe Burrow vs Trevor Lawrence and for the first time in these two weeks fans got to hear from the men who will be in the booth to call the game.

Longtime ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit recently made an appearance on LSU's "Hey Fightin" podcast where he commented on the historic, Heisman winning season Burrow had for the Tigers.

"I love studying quarterbacks and I've never sat down with a guy who's more insightful and more prepared for a defense and what he's facing every week and more just in tune," Herbstreit said. "Let's put it this way, if he were on that show with Jon Gruden back in the day, Gruden's Camp, there's nothing you could ask Joe Burrow where he's not going to have an answer."

Herbstreit said the Texas game is when he officially got on board the Burrow train, noting the 3rd-and-17 play call and execution that left him stunned.

"What I saw when I left that stadium that night was "when's that Alabama game," Herbstreit said. "Him and Tua, can we get there now, because I thought this was different, this was not LSU. This was a totally different thing. The approach from Coach O all the way down on that 3rd-and-17 call was 'we're here to win' so it made me feel early in the year that this was possible."

The Texas game would go on to be the opening act of what would be a season that saw Burrow toss for 5,208 yards (SEC record) and 55 touchdowns (SEC record) while completing 77.6% of his passes (NCAA record).

Play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler sees the experience that Lawrence has in big game situations as the edge needed for the Clemson quarterback to have a better game. 

"I don't know if there's anybody you'd trust or not want to bet against than Lawrence, never having lost a game since high school, just the toughness that he showed against Ohio State when he got pissed off after getting hit in the head and really played much better after that, the 94-yard drive, the 67-yard run," Fowler said. "He made plays in that game that are going to live in the history of the sport. It showed me a lot."

"Trevor has a lot of championship experience, and I think that counts for something, not that Joe won't deliver. I can't wait to see it unfold. It's really tough to choose, though."

It's true that Lawrence has played in this game before with everything on the line, but Burrow has faced his fair share of tough matchups this year, starting in Tuscaloosa. That 46-41 win over Alabama was as big a win in this program's history, outside of a national championship.

To get that eight-year-old monkey off the program's back was the point in the season where everyone started to look at this team in a different light. A 37-10 dominant performance over No. 4 Georgia in the SEC Championship solidified the thoughts on this historic offense as it excelled with 481 total yards against the Bulldogs. 

Herbstreit was also in the booth for the Clemson-Ohio State alongside Fowler but he watched the dismantling of Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl as well. Needless to say, Herbstreit is all in on Burrow having the edge over Lawrence in the National Championship.

"They're both outstanding, but just because of the way Joe has executed with his teammates and this new offense, I think you've got to give him a slight edge going in," Herbstreit said. 


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Glen West
GLEN WEST

Glen West has been a beat reporter covering LSU football, basketball and baseball since 2017. West has written for the Daily Reveille, Rivals and the Advocate as a stringer covering prep sports as well. He's easy to pick out from a crowd as well, standing 6-foot-10 with a killer jump shot.