Louisville wide receiver James Quick was one yard short of picking up a critical first down with 33 seconds left in the game as Louisville was driving in the red zone for the go-ahead score.
In a game that could have Heisman Trophy implications, Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson outperformed his Clemson counterpart Deshaun Watson but came out on the losing end.
Jackson finished 27-of-44 for 295 yards passing, one touchdown and an interception. He also rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries.
Houston Rockets star James Harden appears sold on Jackson as the Heisman front-runner.
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In terms of numbers, Watson couldn't match Jackson, but he engineered the game-winning drive with 3:14 remaining. His 31-yard touchdown pass to tight end tight end Jordan Leggett was the decisive.
Entering the game, Jackson was widely considered the most explosive player in the country. Through Louisville's first four games, the sophomore had 1,330 passing yards and 13 touchdowns, in addition to 526 rushing yards and 12 TDs.
With a mix of blitzes and an athletic front seven, Clemson constantly harassed Jackson in the first half. SB Nation's Spencer Hall had a unique way to describe how the Tigers were attacking the Cardinals QB in the pocket
Clemson's offense—Watson in particular—had a similarly sluggish start but found its footing in the second quarter.
Cardinals running back Jeremy Smith had the first touchdown of the game with 14:18 remaining until halftime. Clemson then outscored Louisville 28-3 over the remainder of the first half. Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde noted how disastrous the second quarter was for Bobby Petrino's team.
The Cardinals have another big test when they face the No. 6 Houston Cougars on the road on Nov. 17. Winning out may be enough for Louisville to convince the CFP selection committee.
Losing to Clemson in Death Valley by six points isn't a result that drops the Cardinals' stock all that far.
Meanwhile, the Tigers answered any lingering doubts following their somewhat underwhelming performances to the season.
Despite losing Shaq Lawson, D.J. Reader and Mackensie Alexander to the NFL, Clemson's defense remains suffocating. The Florida State Seminoles will be even more desperate when they meet the Tigers on Oct. 29, but, based on Saturday night, Clemson will be able to limit running back Dalvin Cook enough to prevent the upset.
As long as the Tigers can get past Florida State, it should be smooth sailing until the ACC championship in Atlanta.
Read more on site http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2667045-louisville-vs-clemson-score-and-twitter-reaction#