No. 11 Clemson outlasts Louisville 20-17 in ACC opener

The Cards have lost three games by a touchdown or less, by a combined 13 points. Clemson punted, and Louisville quickly moved into Tiger territory on a 23-yard pass from Bolin to Micky Crum, but Bolin was intercepted by Jadar Johnson with no time remaining to seal the Clemson victory. The Cardinals hung around in the fourth quarter after a 100-yard kickoff TD return by Traveon Samuel, and Clemson survived after a missed field goal and game-ending interception.

The second started off with everything going right for Louisville. Samuel also had a team-high four catches for 41 yards at the time of his score. The offensive line leaves a lot to be desired and there’s been no sign of the musical chairs at quarterback ending, especially if junior Will Gardner (ribs) gets into the mix when healthy. When the National Football League had a chance to look over U of L’s merchandise last spring, a year after Strong skipped town for the University of Texas, no fewer than 10 Cardinals were deemed worthy of being drafted.

The running game stalled again. That seemed to stabilize the Louisville attack. The Cardinals were held to a woeful 19 yards rushing.

This one was closer than the one against the Cougars.

Quarterback Kyle Bolin, a more polished passer than Reggie Bonnafon or Lamar Jackson, is also much less mobile.

There was no trickery. He was sacked five times during the game, including on the game’s penultimate play, when a completed pass might have afforded Wallace a chance at redemption. Louisville couldn’t bring him down on first contact.

After easy wins against Wofford and Appalachian State, Deshaun Watson and the Tigers were tested on Thursday night by a good Louisville defense.

WHAT WE LEARNED: Two things. It isn’t.

Louisville converted just 2 of 14 third-down attempts. This was Watson’s first meaningful game since he underwent ACL surgery last December. Louisville drove down the field with ease and scored on a one-yard run by Jeremy Smith to take a 10-7 lead.

It went down to the wire after a wild second half that began when Watson threw his second interception of the game on the first drive of the third quarter. The Tigers defeated the Cardinals by a score of 20-17 in the ACC opener. Before that play, Louisville had managed just 56 yards of offense.

NOW WHAT?: The Cardinals play their third straight home game, against Samford, at 6 p.m. on Sept. 26. The Football Championship Subdivision Bulldogs have the No. 2-ranked passing offense in FCS, at 399.5 yards per game.