Snap judgments: Banged up Tigers gut out win at Louisville

LOUISVILLE — In a season that hasn’t gone as anyone expected, Clemson continues to find a way to win and keep its ACC title hopes alive.

The Tigers gutted out a 30-24 victory over Louisville Saturday night at Cardinal Stadium, getting a goal-line stop in the final seconds to finish off the victory in what was a wild back-and-forth game.

Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham was stopped short on fourth-and-2 in the final seconds as Clemson improved to 6-3 (5-2). The loss drops Louisville to 4-5 (2-4).

“When they had four downs from the 2, they couldn’t get it in. And man, that’s what it’s all about,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Just really proud of our guys. Good momentum into November.”

The Tigers trailed 23-17 entering the fourth quarter before outscoring Louisville 13-0 in the final period. DJ Uiagalelei, who played through a sprained PCL, scored on a 6-yard run with 4:12 remaining to give Clemson the lead.

BT Potter added his third field goal of the game moments later to push the lead to 30-24, setting up the goal-line stop on Louisville’s final drive. Here are some early takeaways from the win:

Clemson has its slot receiver

The Tigers have been searching for a consistent option in the slot all season. It appears as though they have found one. Freshman Beaux Collins caught six passes for 104 yards and a touchdown and had by far the best game of his young career.

Collins hauled in a 46-yard touchdown on the opening drive and made plays consistently all night. After going with Justyn Ross at slot early in the season and EJ Williams at times as well, Collins appears ready to be the guy.

“I think he’s finding a home,” offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said.

DJ Uiagalelei played his heart out

The sophomore passed for 220 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 12 yards and a score. He still left plenty of plays on the field, but to play that well while banged up has to be a big confidence boost for him heading down the stretch.

Uiagalelei has responded well since being benched at Pitt a couple of weeks back.

“He’s had a challenging year, but that’s just part of growing up. That’s part of being a young quarterback and learning how to handle disappointment and things like that,” Swinney said. “I think he’s gotten through the storm that he was going through, and man, I’m proud of him. He made some big time plays tonight, and that’s what we expect from him. He’s just going to keep getting better.”

Clemson defense made adjustments

Louisville went right down the field on its opening drive and scored a touchdown before managing only 17 points the rest of the way. Brent Venables’ unit had too many missed tackles, but Andrew Mukuba and James Skalski in particular stepped up late. Trenton Simpson also had a huge game with 10 tackles and a pair of sacks.

“When it’s fourth quarter these guys don’t flinch and they just believe. As we say, the tougher it is, the better we get,” Swinney said. “And it doesn’t get any tougher than first-and-goal from the 2 and it’s four downs to get in there against a group like that. Just an incredible job by Brent and his staff.”

Tigers offense needs a third-quarter fix

Clemson hasn’t scored a touchdown in the third quarter in five games after getting shut out in the third quarter on Saturday. The Tigers have managed to go 4-1 during that stretch but something has to change to improve that portion of the game.

Clemson has only scored six points in the third quarter during that five-game stretch. The Tigers did have an opportunity for a touchdown on Saturday, but Phil Mafah was stuffed on fourth-and-goal from the 1.