LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Adam Randall ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns, and Clemson overcame Louisville’s goal-line stand and a botched punt snap to sneak out with a 20-19 victory over the No. 19 Cardinals on Friday night.
The Tigers (5-5, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) went ahead on Randall’s 1-yard touchdown run with 7:16 left. It was the second fourth-and-goal play at the 1-yard line for the Tigers in the final period, with the Cardinals (7-3, 4-3) stuffing them four minutes earlier.
Cooper Ranvier, who missed an extra point in the second quarter, went wide left on a 50-yard field goal on Louisville’s next drive, but a low snap to Clemson punter Jack Smith gave the Cardinals the ball at the Tigers 23-yard line with 2:29 left.
However, a false start and an unsportsmanlike conduct flag pushed Louisville back, and Nick Keller missed a 46-yarder with 1:33 remaining.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said his “heart breaks” for Louisville because the Cardinals could have pulled out the win. Besides the snap snafu, a 31-yard punt in the second quarter gave Louisville the ball at the Tigers 38. Miller Moss scored on a 1-yard sneak to make it 9-3 with 8:47 left in the first half.
“We made enough mistakes to lose the game, and they made, obviously, mistakes, too,” Swinney said. “But we just made just a couple more critical plays than they did.”
Louisville coach Jeff Brohm felt similarly, noting his team had “plenty of chances” to pull out the victory.
The Cardinals committed 10 penalties for 98 yards. Three of those were for unsportsmanlike conduct.
“We just did not play smart football at the end, overall, and we were not focused and locked in,” Brohm said.
The Tigers won despite converting just one of 13 third-down plays and giving up 385 yards to the Cardinals. Cade Klubnik was 22-of-34 passing for 187 yards.
Keyjuan Brown ran for 135 yards on 15 carries for Louisville and Moss completed 19 of 27 passes for 212 yards. Receiver Caullin Lacy caught four passes for 60 yards and threw for a touchdown pass.
Besides the missed kicks and penalties, a turnover also loomed large for the Cardinals. Running back Duke Watson lost the ball at the Louisville 25 in the second quarter, and Randall scored on the very next play on a draw to make it 10-9 with 3:13 before halftime.
The Cardinals entered Friday allowing just 21.7 points per game, good for 41st in FBS. However, including Friday, the offense has committed 15 turnovers. Louisville was tied for 96th nationally in that category before the game.
Opponents are cashing in on the extra chances. Including Friday, they have scored 70 points off the Louisville giveaways.
Clemson avenged a 33-21 home loss to Louisville from last season. It’s been more than a decade since a team has beaten the Tigers in consecutive years, with Florida State winning three straight from 2012-14.
Clemson: The Tigers tried to give the game away, but the win gives them a chance to be bowl eligible with a victory in one of their two final games to extend their 20-year streak.
Louisville: Self-inflicted wounds finally killed any chance the Cardinals had for a spot in the ACC title game or the playoffs. It’s been a common theme for Louisville this season and is a key reason why they’re 7-3, with all three losses coming by a combined seven points.
Clemson returns home to face Furman on Nov. 22.
Louisville heads to Dallas on Nov. 22 to face SMU.
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