We pick up this semifinal game in the 2nd quarter with Clemson leading 10-7 thanks to dominating the time of possession in the first quarter (read the recap of how the first quarter went).
After Clemson’s touchdown at the end of the first quarter, LSU started the 2nd with the ball on their own 20. On the first play from scrimmage, Joe Burrow hit Ja’Marr Chase for 44 yards to put LSU in Clemson territory. A 12 yard run by Clyde Edwards-Helaire had the stadium assuming that another touchdown was coming very soon but the drive stalled after Edwards-Helaire got caught in the backfield on the next play and a short pass was followed by an incompletion. LSU was forced to settle for a 41-yard field goal to tie the game at 10.
Clemson got their next drive off to a good start with Trevor Lawrence finding Joe Ngata for a 14 yard gain and Travis Etienne picking up 7 yards on the ground. However Lawrence’s next two passes fell incomplete and Clemson was forced to punt.
After a 5-yard run by Edwards-Helaire, the rest of LSU’s subsequent drive was the Joe Burrow show as he completed 6 passes to 5 different receivers and picked up a few yards on the ground himself as LSU worked their way down the field. The drive was capped off as Burrow hit Justin Jefferson in the back of the endzone to put LSU back on top 17-10.
Travis Etienne must have been inspired by Burrow’s performance as he put on a show of his own on Clemson’s next drive, piling up 45 yards on the ground before catching a 10-yard touchdown pass to tie the game again.
With time running down, LSU had a chance to go into halftime with the lead but Joe Burrow forced a pass across the middle which was intercepted by Isaiah Simmons. Now Clemson had the ball at midfield with a chance to score. Two quick passes by Lawrence gave Clemson the ball on the 25 yard line with 3 seconds remaining. B.T. Potter lined up for his second field goal of the half but it sailed wide left, leaving the game tied at 17 as both teams headed to the locker room.
