Could Sam Howell beat out Trevor Lawrence for All-ACC quarterback?
Yes, the Clemson star is the face of ACC football and, considering the Tigers could win another national championship behind Lawrence, he may also be the face of the game itself. But the long-haired junior has already missed two starts due to COVID, and his statistics are no gaudier than the Tar Heel gunslinger.
Lawrence leads the ACC in passing accuracy, hitting 70.7 percent of his attempts with only two interceptions. But Howell is second in the conference with a 67.7 percentage and leads the ACC in touchdown passes, 23, and yards per game, 329. He does have six interceptions.
Meanwhile, Lawrence is one of three ACC QBs with 17 TD tosses and has thrown for 306 yards per contest.
Howell also leads the ACC in total offense with 338 yards per game throwing and running. He broke the UNC record against Wake Forest Saturday with six touchdown passes and one on the ground, the go-ahead score on a 20-yard quarterback draw right up the gut. Lawrence has thrown and rushed for 317 yards per game. His highest game in run-pass yardage this season is 327. Howell had 571 against Wake Forest.
In passing efficiency, Lawrence is also second in the ACC to Howell, with a 179-rating compared to 183 for the Carolina star. Both schools have produced great quarterbacks for decades, but their current QBs have to be the best who have ever played in Chapel Hill and Death Valley.
If the intangibles decide the honor, Lawrence will win. First of all, he was the pre-season All-ACC quarterback and preseason Player of the Year. Howell was a distant third in the POY voting behind Clemson’s Travis Etienne, but he will definitely be in the conversation.
Lawrence played for the top-ranked team until the Tigers were upset at Notre Dame, one of the two games he missed. And he will likely get a chance to lead them in the rematch against the Irish in the ACC championship game.
So head to head, it’s pretty close. Another factor: This is likely Lawrence’s last year in college, while Howell has at least one more season.
Featured image via ACC Media
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