Travis Etienne harkens back to Clemson days with Trevor Lawrence following return

Travis Etienne and Trevor Lawrence have been reunited on the football field. The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted the duo in the 2021 NFL Draft after they spent three seasons together at Clemson. While Lawrence debuted last year, Etienne missed the entire season with a Lisfranc injury he suffered in last year’s preseason.

Both Etienne and Lawrence made their 2022 season debuts against Cleveland in the preseason last week. Lawrence went 6/12 for 195 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Etienne rushed nine times for 23 yards and had one catch for 10 more. While the Jaguars came up short, Etienne told Gene Frenette of the Florida Times-Union that it felt like their good old days.

“It felt good to be back there, period,” said Etienne. “I felt like we were just back in the old days.”

Lawrence and Etienne combined to be one of the best QB-RB duos in the NCAA during their time in Death Valley. They won a national title in 2018 and made the College Football Playoff in each of their season’s together. The end goal for Jacksonville was to hopefully have their college success translate to the pros.

While it was good to see him make his return, though, Doug Pederson saw Etienne’s debut as a mixed bag as he thinks he was anxious about being back on the field.

“He stayed disciplined in his path, in his track. I thought maybe sometimes he got a little antsy and tried to make some moves that probably weren’t there. But that just comes with time, as you know, and he hasn’t had the time,” said Pederson. “These are valuable reps for him. He’s going to get better.”

Assuming all goes as planned, Travis Etienne and Trevor Lawrence should be back together in the backfield again in 2022. While the NFL is a whole new ball game, their former connection should make it easier to adjust to their new careers in the pros.