The Tigers were dancing with a limp and some heart palpitations late Saturday night in Louisville, but they were still dancing after a 30-24 victory.
So much about this season is unrecognizable compared to the previous six. A heart-stopping ending against the Cardinals is all too familiar though, and so is the close-game mojo that Clemson seems to possess even if it isn't carrying a ticket to the playoff.
Become a subscriber at Tigerillustrated.com!
Dabo Swinney told everyone in recent weeks that this team still has plenty of fight, and the Tigers surely showed that once again with Louisville 2 yards away from the end zone and everything seemingly falling apart.
The Cardinals had four downs to get 2 measly yards, to end this agonizing six-game losing streak to Clemson, including that one with Lamar back in 2016 and the one in 2014 that ended with a goal-line stand in front of the hill at Death Valley.
ALSO SEE: Saturday Andre Greene Jr. Update | Weekend Recruiting Insider | See Tigerillustrated.com subscribers' reaction to Clemson's 30-24 win over Louisville | Additional Nuggets From Louisville | Clemson's verbal commitments
They ended up losing 2 yards on those four downs, as the Tigers buckled down and ended up celebrating after Malik Cunningham fell to the turf on Clemson's 4-yard line.
Excellent coverage by Andrew Mukuba and Mario Goodrich on switch routes left Cunningham nowhere to throw, and excellent pursuit of Cunningham by everyone else left him with nowhere to run.
Join Tigerillustrated.com subscribers on The West Zone message board!
"As we say, the tougher it is the better we get," Swinney said. "And it doesn't get any tougher than first-and-goal from the 2."
Clemson improved to 6-3, and with a 5-2 ACC record is still alive in its bid to advance to its seventh consecutive ACC title game. This was Clemson's fourth victory by six points or less, and last week's 10-point win over Florida State essentially fits into that category because of a flukey touchdown on the final play.
The defense's late lapse -- allowing Louisville to scoot from its 25 to the Tigers' 2 in a flash -- reinforced the truism that this team simply is not going to make anything easy.
But there was plenty to build on as DJ Uiagalelei and the offense once again came through with the go-ahead score late.
When Uiagalelei limped off the field in the first half after injuring his right knee, it looked like he might not be back. But he returned and, while far from flawless, gutted through pain and continued to show progress in his rocky year as the triggerman for Clemson's offense.
On the go-ahead touchdown drive, Uiagalelei found Justyn Ross on a sideline throw to convert a third-and-9. And on third-and-2 from the Louisville 13, Uiagalelei ran for 3 on a quarterback power to move the chains again.
Two plays later, Uiagalelei found wide-open turf for an 8-yard touchdown run as a block by Will Shipley allowed him to limp across the goal line to make it 27-24 with 4:12 on the clock.
Uiagalelei was 18-of-30 passing for 220 yards with two touchdown throws and no interceptions. He helped navigate an offense that was dealing with other injuries to Shipley, Kobe Pace, Phil Mafah, Will Putnam, Joseph Ngata and probably others on a list that's grown too long and also included the defense when Andrew Booth left early.
One of the game's key developments was Cunningham aggravating an ankle injury with 4:59 left in the third quarter.
To that point, Louisville was showing signs of running away with it and was trying to make it a two-touchdown game. Things changed immediately when backup Evan Conley entered the game, as Clemson's defense held and Louisville missed a 52-yard field goal.
When Clemson kicked a field goal to make it 30-24 with 2:19 left in the game, Louisville had zero yards in the fourth quarter.
But then that quickly changed on first down when Cunningham dropped back and heaved it down the right sideline for Tyler Harrell, who made a nice adjustment on the ball and outfought Goodrich for a 45-yard gain.
Clemson seemed to have made a stop after that, but on fourth-and-1 Cunningham rolled to his right and, falling out of bounds, made a throw that Justin Marshall somehow snared with one hand.
The refs initially ruled it incomplete because that's what it looked like in real time. But replays showed that Marshall made a remarkable play, one that put Clemson 2 yards away from an incomprehensibly difficult defeat.
They overturned the call, but not Clemson's defense.
And in the locker room, the team stood and danced.
With a limp.
**** ATTENTION SUBSCRIBERS: You can now read the premium message boards at Gamecockcentral.com, Warchant.com, UGASports.com and other sites in the Rivals.com network. Click HERE to get access to their premium message boards!
