CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Louisville had hoped to accomplish several firsts this season. Despite the adversity of the past month that took the Cardinals out of ACC title contention, they happily celebrated on Saturday night with their first win over No. 11 Clemson.
Isaac Brown ran for a career-high 151 yards and a clinching, fourth-quarter touchdown and quarterback Tyler Shough somersaulted into the end zone to put the Cardinals ahead to stay in their 33-21 victory to snap an 0-8 career mark against the Tigers.
“I think its special,” said defensive lineman Ashton Gillotte, a senior who had lost twice to the Tigers. “I think the guys had been waiting for this. I think it feels good to have that stamp, to make our mark on history.”
And the way the Cardinals (6-3, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) played, the outcome really wasn’t that close.
Brown and Shough took care of the offense, while Louisville stopped the Tigers on downs deep in their own territory, blocked a pair of field goals and recovered both onside kicks after Clemson’s desperate rally in the fourth quarter.
“Our players and coaches fought all week,” Louisville coach Jeff Brohm said. “It hasn’t been perfect, it hasn’t been easy, but we continued to grind. We have guys that continue to step up and play hard.”
Those were qualities Brohm hoped might lead Louisville back to the ACC title game, where it lost last year to Florida State, and maybe even the College Football Playoff.
After a 3-0 start, the Cardinals dropped three of their next five games to fall from contention. They showed in this one they’ve still got plenty to play for.
“To come on the road in this environment against a really good team that was hot” in Clemson, Brohm said. “We made plays, we played tempo, we got stops, we were sound in our defensive play, just a lot of things.”
One of those was Brown, a freshman who had his fourth game with 100 or more rushing yards. He’s got 847 yards this season, within striking distance of Heisman Trophy winner and two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson’s school record for freshmen of 960 yards set in 2015.
When the Tigers closed to 26-14 midway through the final period, Brown ended any hope of a rally with a 45-yard touchdown run.
Shough, the Cardinals quarterback, put them ahead for good in the second quarter with a 4-yard burst, finishing with a somersault into the end zone for a 10-7 lead.
Brock Travelstead tied his career high with four field goals as Louisville qualified for a bowl game.
The Cardinals also seriously dented Clemson’s hopes of playing for an ACC title and reaching the College Football Playoff. The Tigers (6-2, 5-1) were among four undefeated ACC teams when the week began and now must get outside help with the season in its final month.
“We don’t control our destiny anymore, which is really sad,” Clemson safety R.J. Mickens said. “But we’re craftsmen, this is our job, this is what we do. I feel like guys are going to show up and be their best no matter what our record is.”
Travelstead, who was 9 of 15 on field goals this season, made kicks of 21, 42, 40 and 49 yards to match his career high accomplished twice last season.
Clemson tailback Phil Mafah had 171 yards and two fourth-quarter TDs.
“We did not play our best game tonight, and we did not deserve to win,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “We looked like a very poorly coached team tonight. That’s on me.”
The takeaway
Louisville: The Cardinals’ defense has been the weak point during their 2-3 slide after a 3-0 start, allowing almost 33 points a contest in their past five games. But Louisville had more than enough to stuff the Tigers, including on a fourth-and-1 in the third quarter when Clemson was desperate to keep a drive alive.
Clemson: The Tigers had dug themselves out of hole after their loss to Georgia in the season opener before falling back in against Louisville. Even winning their final four games does not guarantee they’ll play for a league title.
Perry’s status
Linebacker Ben Perry was lying on the field for some time in the first half before he was helped to the sidelines on his own. But he was soon put on a stretcher with his neck stabilized and carted off to an ambulance for tests.
Brohm had no update on his condition, but Perry was celebrating Louisville’s victory on social media.
Shough’s flip
Louisville’s Shough didn’t expect to go airborne for his score, but when he saw defenders closing in, he thought, “Either I truck him or I jump. I’m just going to jump here,” he said. “It ended up working out. It was fun, though. I still got it in me.”
Up next
Louisville is off before going to Stanford on Nov. 16.
Clemson plays at Virginia Tech next Saturday.
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