Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson, one of the top pass-rushing draft prospects in college football, traded poise for passion in the hours leading up to Thursday's College Football Playoff semifinal against Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.
First, he reportedly boarded the Oklahoma bus and taunted the Sooners, then he had to be separated from an OU player on the field during warm-ups. Lawson, a junior, has indicated he intends to apply for early NFL draft eligibility.
"There was a team luncheon between Clemson and Oklahoma (on Wednesday), and the buses arrived at the same time, and I guess they didn't have security," Oklahoma radio analyst Dusty Dvoracek told The Morning Animals radio show. "... Shaq Lawson got on OU's bus, running his mouth, putting his arms up. To say they were inches away from an all-out melee is keeping it nice. The energy, the intensity for this game, it is palpable."
Then Thursday, video surfaced of Lawson preparing to engage in another confrontation prior to the game:
Unfortunately for Lawson, all his sound and fury, to borrow from Macbeth, signified nothing ... or, almost nothing. He played well early in the first half, but on a sack of Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, Lawson injured his knee and was later ruled out for the rest of the game.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter@ChaseGoodbread.
