Clemson rallies past Louisville
Quarterbacks Watson and Jackson put on a show but Tigers grab late lead and hang on.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson threw for five touchdowns in a 42-36 victory Saturday.
Deshaun Watson threw for five touchdowns, including two in the final seven minutes, as No. 5 Clemson rallied for a 42-36 victory over No. 3 Louisville after the Tigers lost an 18-point lead to Lamar Jackson and the Cardinals on Saturday night.
The Tigers (5-0, 2-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) looked like they had the game wrapped up before halftime, scoring four touchdowns in the second quarter to lead 28-10 at the break. Then “Jackson got moving and the Cardinals (4-1, 2-1) scored on five consecutive possessions to take a 36-28 lead with 7:50 left.
Artavis Scott began Clemson’s comeback with a 77-yard kickoff return and Watson found Mike Williams for a 20-yard scoring pass two plays later. Clemson forced Louisville to punt for the only time in the second half and Watson guided the game-winning drive, ending on a 31-yard TD catch by Jordan Leggett with 3:14 to play.
Jackson had one last surge, leading Louisville to Clemson’s 9. But James Quick was knocked out of bounds at the Tigers’ 3-yard line by safety Van Smith on fourth down, one yard short of a first down with 33 seconds left to seal the win.
Jackson threw for 295 yards and one touchdown and ran for 162 yards and two touchdowns to lead Louisville. Watson had 306 yards passing to go along with his five touchdowns and was intercepted three times.
Louisville will regret its slow first half in this one, which may have cost it an ACC title and possible national championship shot.
With the win, the Tigers have a stranglegold on the ACC Atlantic’s spot in the league title game. Florida State’s loss to North Carolina means the Tigers would have to lose at least twice for the Cardinals, Seminoles or anyone else in the Atlantic to have a chance.