By Dalton Ray–

Louisville walked into Clemson, South Carolina and came up a yard, literally, short of the victory. After a slow first half, Louisville kicked it up a notch in the second half. The final in Death Valley read 42-36 Clemson.

The Tigers dominated U of L in the first half, holding the Cards to 10 points and just a touch over 200 yards. Louisville’s defense showed up in the second half, and the offense soon followed. The Cards scored 26 unanswered points to take the lead 36-28 in the fourth quarter.

A big kick return sparked Clemson’s fourth quarter scoring. The Tigers scored the final 14 points. Lamar Jackson found James Quick on the final offensive play for U of L. Quick was pushed out just a yard short as Tigers fans rejoiced.

In a match-up labeled as Game of the Year material, the game certainly lived up to it. A battle between two Heisman-hopefuls, Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson went back and forth in the final quarter of play. The two quarterbacks total for 854 total yards and eight touchdowns.

Louisville shows they’re ready for the next step

Despite the loss, U of L walked into one of the national’s most hostile environments and showed they can hang. After taking time in the first half to adjust, Louisville came out in the second half like the Louisville team the nation has seen all year.

Battling to the last second with a national power in their house shows poise. With a team that has been questioned on whether or not they can show up on the big stage, Louisville answered that question tonight.

Lamar Jackson is a legend

After a first half in which nothing went U of L’s way, Jackson and the Cardinals came showed up in the final two quarters. Starting a finding a wide-open James Quick in the end zone, Louisville scored 26 unanswered points.

La-marvelous willed the Cardinals back into the game. Bouncing around defenders and zipping passes into receivers, Jackson seemed unphased by the pressure of leading a team to a game winning drive in Death Valley. Jackson showed as a young quarterback, he has the heart to lead a team.

The sophomore quieted Clemson fans on multiple occasions by avoiding pressure, fighting off tacklers and finding receivers in crunch-time. Jackson cemented himself tonight as one of the best players in the nation.

Chucky Williams and Jaire Alexander make names for themselves

Heading into the year, Williams and Alexander didn’t hear their names mentioned too much when talking about the U of L defense. Through the first four games, both players did what they could to change that. On the biggest stage yet, both players shined.

Williams recorded seven tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception that started the U of L comeback. Alexander hauled in two picks on one of the nation’s best quarterbacks. Alexander’s first interception came in the end zone.

Photos by Dalton Ray / The Louisville Cardinal