Box score

CLEMSON -- Clemson might have an ultra-slim shot at playing for all the marbles, but the Tigers showed Saturday that they haven't lost their marbles.

The fallout from the Notre Dame debacle created some seriously foreboding vibes entering a matchup against a Louisville team that was thought capable of exploiting Clemson's deficiencies.

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It's not as though all was right with the world again. But after a night in which everything went wrong in South Bend, a 31-16 victory to make it 9-1 and 39 in a row at home sure beat the alternative.

The scariest threat posed to Clemson, Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham, never materialized. The dynamic dual-threat weapon entered the game with a bum non-throwing hand that significantly constricted the Cardinals' playbook.

And he was done after injuring his other hand while scrambling on the final play of the first half, which was intended to be a Hail Mary to the end zone.

Last year in Louisville, the Tigers breathed a sigh of relief after chasing Cunningham around all night and coming up with a goal-line stand to preserve a 30-24 victory.

Cunningham's injured state most certainly helped, but so did Clemson deciding to use DJ Uiagalelei's legs. After that part of the game was virtually non-existent against Notre Dame, the path to the offense rediscovering its rhythm was in getting DJU going with the run early and often.

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Uiagalelei threw for 185 yards and a touchdown on a 19-of-27 clip and ran for 32 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. The Tigers had 248 yards on the ground including 106 on 10 carries from Phil Mafah and 97 on 19 attempts by Will Shipley.

Neither side was perfect or anything close to it: The offense continued its turnover woes with three giveaways, and the defense showed many flashes but couldn't apply the kill shot.

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Louisville totaled 400 yards and reached paydirt on the final play of the game, a 31-yard strike from Brock Domann to Braden Smith that left Dabo Swinney shaking his head as he stood a few feet away from defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin.

The Tigers and Cardinals combined for seven fumbles and were 7-of-27 on third down.

Clemson had 255 yards in the first half despite some sloppiness that included a lost fumble by Uiagalelei.

A 10-play, 80-yard drive touchdown near the end of the first half was followed by an eight-play, 85-yard touchdown march on Clemson's first possession of the third quarter.

Ship happened when the sophomore back looked like a man possessed on his 25-yard touchdown run, completely hurdling one defender and then running right through two others on the way to the end zone to make it 24-7.

The Tigers were rolling. But then, as is the custom this season, they couldn't keep it going. The next time they reached the end zone was with 2:13 left in the game on a 39-yard run by Mafah. Two lost fumbles (one by Antonio Williams, another by Shipley) and three punts derailed a chance for the Tigers to shift into overdrive.

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Plenty to correct on both sides, including a defense that gave up big yardage on third-and-long.

But given the vibe around these parts going in, a 15-point victory will be taken. And quickly.

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