Clemson football: Louisville win might’ve been ugly, but showed a lot of positives

The 2021 Clemson football team has find an identity in ACC play in finding a way to grit out a victory and much of the same happened Saturday night in Louisville.

The Tigers quickly trailed 7-0 after Louisville, led by QB Malik Cunningham, moved the ball with ease on the first drive of the game, but Clemson’s offense answered on its first drive when DJ Uiagalelei found his former high school teammate Beaux Collins for a 46-yard touchdown strike.

From there, Louisville would score 10 unanswered points and take a 17-7 with 10:32 remaining in the second quarter following a 32-yard run by Malik Cunningham.

Andrew Booth Jr. and Kobe Pace never returned to the game following injuries and both DJ Uiagalelei (knee) and Will Shipley were injured, but found a way to grit-it-out and return. The Tigers scored 10 points of their own to close out the second quarter, capped off by a 1:46 drive led by DJ Uiagalelei to score a touchdown right before halftime.

Louisville scored a touchdown to take a 24-17 lead in the third quarter, but the Tigers would ink out three scores– one DJ Uiagalelei touchdown from inside the 10-yard line and two BT Potter field goals — to take a 30-24 lead with 2:19 left.

But, it didn’t end there.

Louisville came up with a couple of huge plays in the passing game and drove the ball inside the Clemson five-yard line. With three attempts to get into the end zone, the Cardinals came up shy and the Tigers held, forcing a turnover on downs and sealing the victory.

This gritty win might’ve been ugly, but it showed a ton of positives for Clemson football

It’s easy to look at this one and be frustrated, but you’ve got to look at the development of this team and how far they’ve come.

• The defense adjusted and showed major grit at the end of the game to come up with the stop.
• DJ Uiagalelei (with a hurt knee) played his best game of the season, throwing for 220 yards, 2 touchdowns, and rushing for a touchdown. He was more accurate– for the most part– and he looked a lot more comfortable going through his reads and making the right decision.
• Clemson finally has its answer in the slot in Beaux Collins, who led the team in receiving (6 receptions, 104 yards, 1 TD).
• Though he was banged up, Will Shipley played through it and gritted out some tough carries.
• Freshman S Andrew Mukuba looks like an absolute monster at safety and he– alongside Mario Goodrich– provided the coverage needed on that very last play to set up the stop.
• The only way Myles Murphy can be stopped is if he’s held.

It wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but you have to admire the grit and determination by this team to ink out a victory on the road in a game where a lot of teams of this caliber might’ve already quit or given up on the season.