Freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw four touchdowns as No. 3 Clemson cruised past Georgia Tech 49-21 Saturday afternoon at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Lawrence, who's from nearby Cartersville, Ga., completed 13 of 18 passes for 176 yards, adding an interception, in his collegiate debut in his home state.

Clemson improved to 4-0 for a fourth consecutive season and for the fifth time in six years. The Tigers are 1-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Georgia Tech slipped to 1-3 overall and 0-2 in the ACC, its worst start ever under 10th-year coach Paul Johnson.

Lawrence replaced starter Kelly Bryant early in the second quarter and promptly produced touchdown passes of 17 yards to Hunter Renfrow, 53 yards to Justyn Ross and 3 yards to Travis Etienne before the half to awaken a sluggish Clemson offense and give the Tigers a 28-7 halftime lead.

Clemson's advantage swelled to 42-7 late in the third quarter.

Etienne rushed for 122 yards on 11 carries, surpassing the 100-yard mark for a second straight game and pushing his season average per carry to 8.5 yards. Etienne also ran for a 3-yard touchdown, his team-leading fifth on the ground this season.

Georgia Tech entered the game leading the nation in rushing at 392.7 yards per game, but was held in check by Clemson's defense. The Yellow Jackets managed only 146 yards on the ground on 56 carries (2.6 average).

The Tigers recorded 10 tackles for loss, matching their season high, including four sacks. Georgia Tech completed only 3 of 8 pass attempts for 57 yards.

Clemson got on the scoreboard first thanks to its defense when linebacker Tre Lamar forced a fumble and defensive end Clelin Ferrell jumped on the loose ball in the end zone for a touchdown with 3:42 left in the first quarter.

After Bryant was unproductive on Clemson's first two possessions, he was replaced by Lawrence, who immediately jump-started the Tigers' offense. He guided the team on its next five possessions, which resulted in four touchdowns.

Junior running back Tavien Feaster pushed Clemson's lead to 35-7 with a 27-yard scoring run early in the third quarter, and then Etienne added his short touchdown for a 42-7 lead.

Nathan Cottrell scored on a 2-yard run late in the third quarter for Georgia Tech, and Clinton Lynch added a 5-yard touchdown reception from backup quarterback Tobias Oliver as the Yellow Jackets cut their deficit to 42-21, but Lawrence came back out in the fourth quarter to toss a 30-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Tee Higgins.

--Field Level Media