College football:
Late stop against Louisville keeps Playoff hope alive
Poll, predicted scores, Pages 48-55.
CLEMSON, S.C. A sense of urgency snapped through the air inside Clemson Memorial Stadium on Saturday night. It fused into a concoction of cautious optimism and anxious apprehension.
Clemson fans knew what was at stake.
It was more than fourth-and-7. It was more than a conference game. It was more than primetime television.
It was the fleeting opportunity for a return trip to the College Football Playoff. It was the promise of prominence. It was the dream of a national championship.
Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson was one more dazzling play away from turning the rest of Clemson’s season into a series of exhibition games.
Clemson fans channeled their urgency, optimism and apprehension through a defiant roar that no quarterback’s cadence could counter.
They understood it was more than fourth-and-7. They helped turn it into fourth-and-12.
With 40 seconds remaining, the ball resting at the Clemson 9-yard line and the crowd singing a deafening sonata, Louisville committed its fifth false start of the game. On the ensuing play, after backing up 5 yards, Jackson completed a pass to James Quick. He sped toward the end zone, but Clemson defensive back Marcus Edmond forced him out of bounds at the 3-yard line.
One yard short of the firstdown marker.
Death Valley erupted with unbridled relief. Just like Jackson repeatedly slipped the grasp of its defenders, Clemson slipped the clutch of impending disappointment.
A loss would not have ended the season, but Clemson fans appeared to recognize the opportunity at hand.
They recognize the reasonable presumption that junior quarter- back Deshaun Watson will proceed to the NFL after this season. They recognize he will take many of his offensive weapons to the draft with him. They recognize the heart of the defense, linebacker Ben Boulware, will graduate. They recognize the random reach of the coaching carousel that is already spinning.
They recognize the fortune of the future is curbed by uncertainty. They recognize the promise of the present.
Clemson has fortified the foundation of a perennial contender, such as Alabama and Ohio State, that can lose first-round draft picks but not miss a beat. But there is no time like right now.
Clemson enjoyed the taste of glory in the Playoff last year. It fell short in the national championship game, but the work to return started before the team loaded the buses in Arizona after losing to Alabama.
Clemson has elevated to the echelon of expectation. The stakes are higher. The goal is singular.
It is Playoff or punt. That is the reward for progress, but it is coupled with immense pressure.
Clemson acknowledged it as it struggled but survived the first four weeks of this season. This victory is a pivot point.
Clemson seized control of the Atlantic Coast Conference Atlantic Division while overcoming the toughest challenge remaining on its schedule. Regardless of how far they advance this season, the Tigers will not face a better quar- terback. There are not many defenses as tough.
Not in Boston College. Not in Pittsburgh. Not in Wake Forest. And not even in Florida State.
Louisville deserved its top-five ranking. After conquering the Cardinals, Clemson proved it deserves a top-four ranking.
It was not a perfect performance. Clemson has played five games but has not played a perfect one. It most likely will not produce one this season.
But Clemson has won each of its five games, and a perfect record is more important than a perfect performance.
Now, the urgency, optimism and apprehension must be channeled into the effort to maintain that unblemished record.
The sluggish start that induced doubt through the previous four weeks will be forgiven. No one will remember the five turnovers the Tigers committed Saturday. No one will count Watson’s interceptions. No one will recall the missed tackles.
Those who witnessed — and perhaps contributed to — Clemson’s victory will not forget the thrill of that fourth-down stop. They will not forget the elation of that eruption. They will not forget the roar that will echo to Boston, Winston-Salem, Tallahassee and even Orlando.
They will not forget what is at stake.