Boy wonder

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CLEMSON -- Go ahead, admit it.

When Kelly Bryant, Hunter Johnson or Chase Brice took the field you were hoping their respective possessions ended as quickly as possible.

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Preferably with a quick score. But not even a three-and-out or a turnover would've bothered you too much.

Because the sooner Trevor Lawrence took the field, the better.

The long-haired boy wonder they call Sunshine arrived at Clemson with the highest of acclaim, and he only added to the excitement during spring practice.

So it was only natural that fans wanted to see No. 16 as often as possible in Saturday's spring game at Death Valley.

If Lawrence goes on to become the best player in school history, maybe 10 years from now 550,000 fans will say they were there when he trotted onto the field for the first time at the 12:30 mark of the first quarter (in reality it was somewhere around 55,000).

They'll say they saw him fake a toss right to Tavien Feaster to draw the safeties in. They'll say they saw Lawrence see that his first read was covered over the middle. And they'll say they saw Lawrence effortlessly uncork a 50-yard laser that hit Tee Higgins in stride for a touchdown.

They'll also say they were there when a sack by Christian Wilkins was booed for the first time ever. That ruling from Dabo Swinney in the third quarter negated another deep ball from Lawrence to Higgins. A long throw to Braden Galloway late was also negated by a questionable sack ruling.

The early whistles might have kept down his stats, but they're not going to dampen the anticipation about this kid over the next few months. He's just a different dude, and everyone saw that Saturday -- including an ESPN crew that gushed over him for most of the national broadcast.

Lawrence completed 11 of 16 passes for 122 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. Johnson was 8-of-14 for 85 yards, a touchdown and a tipped-ball interception. Brice threw for 231 yards on a 12-of-19 clip, including a late 50-yard catch-and-run by Diondre Overton. Brice did throw three interceptions, including one Trayvon Mullen took back 84 yards for a touchdown.

It was not a fun day for Bryant, who led this team to a 12-2 record and a third consecutive trip to the College Football Playoff last season. He completed 8 of 15 passes for 35 yards and produced one first down on seven possessions.

There's still plenty left to unfold in this quarterback race before the Tigers open their season against Furman. Spring practice is a small sample size compared to the every-day grind of August camp, the stage where Bryant ran away with the starting job last year.

But dating back to Lawrence's signing in December, Clemson's coaches have done very little to dissuade the hype and expectations surrounding him. They've maintained this is Bryant's job until someone else unseats him. But their words and their mannerisms have indicated that Lawrence as a starter in 2018 is a realistic notion.

Everyone was able to see why in the spring game. What happens in these affairs is often overblown, but if you paid attention you could see Lawrence performing well beyond his years.

The velocity jumps out at you, as he squeezes in a bullet throw to his slot receiver on third down -- to the precise area vacated by the defense's blitz.

His mobility also stands out, and that's something the coaches raved about the last two months. He's plenty willing to squirt free from the pocket and make plays on the move.

Lawrence's awareness and comprehension are just next-level stuff, exceeding even Deshaun Watson's grasp of things at this same early point of his career.

On any other day, Higgins would have been the big story. Only the unofficial debut from Lawrence could overshadow this sophomore quickly blossoming into a monster presence outside that the Tigers lacked last season. Higgins had four catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns, including an 18-yard score on a back-shoulder throw from Johnson with A.J. Terrell covering.

Trevion Thompson had four catches for 76 yards as the receivers came down with a lot of the 50/50 balls they missed on last season.

But this day was about Lawrence going in, and the same going out.

Had Swinney decided to play another quarter, plenty of fans would've stayed.

Because they can't get enough of No. 16.

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