Clemson wins backyard brawl vs. Louisville
Cards come way back, then fall shy
CLEMSON, S.C. — Thirdranked Louisville was stopped a yard short of a first down on what was looking like a gamewinning drive, and Deshaun Watson threw for five touchdowns — including two in the final seven minutes — as No. 5 Clemson rallied for a 42-36 victory over the Cardinals on Saturday night. The Tigers lost an 18-point halftime lead to Lamar Jackson and the highflying Cardinals before their own late rally.
Clemson (5-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) looked like it had this one wrapped up, scoring four TDs in the second quarter to lead 28-10 at the break. Then “Action” 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.
Jackson had one last surge, leading Louisville to Clemson’s 9. But on fourth down, James Quick was knocked out of bounds by safety Van Smith a yard short of the first down with 33 seconds left to seal the win.
Louisville: The Cardinals have climbed in the Top 25 and may wind up running the table in the regular season. The loss, however, may have cost Louisville an ACC title and possible national championship shot.
Clemson: Can anyone stop the Tigers from claiming 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. Clemson is 19-4 against its remaining ACC opponents the past five years, with three of the defeats coming to Florida State.