Louisville vs Clemson: Highlights, score and recap

Clemson survived a furious Louisville comeback in the second half to remain perfect and win the best college football game of 2016 to date

Saying that a college football game was a tale of two halves is one of the most tired cliches. However, the instant-classic between the Clemson Tigers and Louisville Cardinals can’t aptly be described any other way. Clemson looked early on like they would be defending Death Valley with ease, derailing the Lamar Jackson/Louisville hype train.

Deshaun Watson looked more like the Heisman Trophy finalist version of himself than in any other part of 2016 in the first half. He was finding Deon Cain with ease, moving the ball with his legs, and generally torching the Louisville defense. Clemson scored a quartet of touchdowns in the second quarter to go up 28-10 at halftime. What’s more, Jackson and Louisville were visibly frustrated. They were yelling at officials, each other, and much more from the players to Bobby Petrino.

Who knows what Petrino said at halftime to his team, but it indubitably worked wonders. Jackson and the offense came out firing on all cylinders. He started to find his receivers in space early. As his passing started to open up the field, he began to make more plays with his feet in space. In what felt like the blink of an eye, the Cardinals scored 19 unanswered points to take the lead.

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After that, though, it was a back-and-forth affair. Jackson found the end zone again, but Watson ultimately answered. Clemson’s defense then came up huge on defense to force a short drive and then punch one into the end zone. They got the two-point conversion to go ahead by six points.

Jackson wasn’t done trying to spoil it for the home team, though. He drove the ball downfield quickly and had his team in the red zone. Unfortunately, it came down to a fourth down passing play. He completed the throw, but the receiver failed to get to the line-to-gain before getting forced out of bounds. The home Tigers took a knee to run out the clock and pick up the humungous ACC win.

Three Stars

Lamar Jackson, Louisville – Despite early struggles, the Heisman favorite hit his stride. He finished the thriller with 295 yards passing, one passing touchdown, only one interception, 162 rushing yards, and two trips to the end zone with his feet.

Deshaun Watson, Clemson – Watson looked fantastic for the first half, but struggled in the second. He finished with three picks on the night. However, it’s hard to argue with 306 yards passing, five passing touchdowns, and 91 rushing yards making him a star of the game.

Wayne Gallman, Clemson – The Clemson running back’s ability to move the ball on the ground was pivotal for the Tigers. He completed his night with 110 yards rushing on only 16 carries and a score for his troubles as well.

Highlights

Next Game

Louisville will now head back home after a week off for a Friday night matchup with Duke. Clemson meanwhile will get no week off, going on the road for another ACC matchup to take on Boston College.