Disaster in Death Valley: No. 11 Clemson drops first ACC game of season to Louisville

So much for using the off week to get better.

The Clemson football team put up a clunker in a 33-21 home loss to unranked Louisville on Saturday night, and the Tigers’ path to the College Football Playoff just got a lot tougher because of it.

Coach Dabo Swinney’s team, which is now 1-3 in its last four games following off weeks, came out flat from the start and allowed the Cardinals to gash them defensively while tripping over their own feet on offense, over and over and over.

Trailing by 19 points in the fourth quarter, the Tigers scored a touchdown to get within 26-13 and then, without hesitation, chose to kick an extra point to make it 26-14 to cut their deficit to 12 points with 6 minutes remaining.

That was an interesting decision, as going for two would’ve put Clemson down 11 points (26-15) and given the Tigers a chance to even the game in the off chance they got another touchdown and conversion plus a field goal (instead of two TDs).

It didn’t matter, as Louisville recovered the ensuing onside kick. It looked like a Clemson player may have recovered it, too, but refs upheld the UL recovery after a review, prompting fans to throw bottles onto the field.

After refs confirmed it was Louisville’s ball, the Cardinals immediately scored a 45-yard touchdown to go back up three scores (33-14). Clemson scored again (33-21), failed to recover the onside kick, got a stop and then turned it over on downs.

The end result: Clemson snapped a six-game winning streak and fell to 6-2 and 5-1 in the ACC with two conference games remaining at Virginia Tech and at Pitt.

The Tigers are now 1-3 in their last four games directly following an off week and have lost three in a row after their late season off week: At Notre Dame in 2022, at Miami in 2023 and now against Louisville at home.

All three teams were unranked.

Louisville (6-3, 4-2 ACC) won its first ever game against Clemson in nine tries and also snapped the Tigers’ 22-game winning streak in home night games.

College football fortunes can change at any moment, but Clemson’s second loss puts the Tigers in a position where they have to get to the ACC championship game — and win it — to feel truly confident in their chances of making the 12-team field.

Making the league title game is still a possibility as Clemson has just one conference loss, but with the way the Tigers played on Saturday night their path to Charlotte looks quite daunting, with road meetings with VT and Pitt looming.

Game recap

For the first time since the season opener against Georgia, something felt truly off for Clemson. And not just on offense or defense – the struggles came across the board.

Through the team’s first two offensive drives, quarterback Cade Klubnik was 3-5 for … 0 yards. Clemson’s defense allowed a third and 13 conversion on its first drive and a 47-yard run – on a wide receiver reverse – on its second drive.

Somehow, Clemson still got out of the first quarter with a 7-3 lead courtesy of a 12-yard Klubnik pass to Antonio Williams right before the end of the period.

But that wasn’t indicative of the on-field vibes, which saw Louisville march into Memorial Stadium unfazed, move the ball with ease on Clemson and get an early field goal and hold its own against a dynamic Tigers offense.

After an early touchdown, Clemson couldn’t get out of its own way. Klubnik put a pass on the money to wide receiver T.J. Moore in the second quarter, and he dropped it. Klubnik had another pass batted down on third down with an open receiver.

Louisville went up 10-7 in the second quarter on an impressive somersaulting touchdown run by veteran quarterback Tyler Shough and kept Clemson off the board – again – by blocking kicker Nolan Hauser’s 49-yard field goal attempt with about two minutes until halftime.

Louisville then cruised down the field for another touchdown and took a 17-7 lead into the break after Clemson – true to form – had a promising before-halftime drive fizzle out when tight end Jake Briningstool couldn’t hang onto a catchable pass.

Things only got worse in the third quarter, as Louisville put together three more scoring drives – all Travelstead field goals. The last of those came after UL stopped the Tigers on a 4th and 1 from their own 34-yard line (RB Phil Mafah got stuffed) in what felt like a do-or-die moment.

While Travelstead sank field goals of 42, 40 and 49 yards, Clemson’s offense – which came in averaging 42 points and 490.4 yards per game – looked lost and played its worst game since the season-opening loss to Georgia by a mile.

Trailing by 19 points and three possessions late in the third quarter, Clemson’s offense lacked urgency getting down the field. Then, on 4th and 7 from Louisville’s 7, the Tigers opted to take a short field goal ... and Hauser’s attempt was blocked again.

The freshman kicker has now had five kicks blocked this season (four field goals and an extra point), and Clemson walking away with zero points on that possession spelled doom in a game where they struggled to get points all night.

The Tigers’ late touchdown got them to within 26-14, but Louisville’s offense gashed the Tigers defense again to take another three-possession lead.

Running back Mafah’s second touchdown of the fourth quarter cut it to 33-21 (12 points) again, but Louisville recovered a second onside kick afterward to eventually close things out and give Clemson at least one home loss for a third straight season.

Next Clemson game

Who: Clemson (6-2, 5-1 ACC) at Virginia Tech (5-4, 3-2 ACC)

When: TBA next Saturday, Oct. 9

Where: Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia

TV: TBA