GLENDALE, Ariz. — Trevor Lawrence has always made football look easy.
Bigger than other quarterbacks at 6-foot-6, with a stronger arm and an unflappable mind, he breezed through youth football and became the No. 1 recruit in the country. As a college freshman at Clemson he won every game, precociously tearing apart Notre Dame and Alabama in the College Football Playoff last season. As a sophomore he led the Tigers to 13 more wins without a loss, 12 of them blowouts. It all seemed so effortless.
Finally, Saturday night in a fierce Fiesta Bowl, here came the hard stuff.