Louisville-Clemson Postgame Notes

Postgame Notes
No. 11/9 Clemson 20, Louisville 17
Sept. 17, 2015
Papa John's Cardinal Stadium

SERIES

With the victory, Clemson owns a 2-0 record against Louisville. The programs first met in Louisville's inaugural season in the ACC, with the Tigers registering a 23-17 victory in Death Valley on Oct. 11.

TEAM

Louisville captains for Thursday's ACC opener were seniors James Burgess, Aaron Epps, Brandon Radcliff, Sheldon Rankins and junior Keith Kelsey.
The Cardinals won the pregame coin toss and chose to receive the opening kickoff.
Thursday's announced attendance was 55,396, the third-largest crowd in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium history.

OFFENSE

Kyle Bolin went 19-for-34 as the starting quarterback, tossing for 238 yards. It's the third time in his career he's surpassed 200 passing yards, with the previous two times coming last season (Kentucky, 381; Georgia, 300).
Jaylen Smith recorded a season-high 77 yards receiving on three catches, giving him 171 for the year. All three of his catches went for more than 10 yards each, and he has a total of eight catches of 10 more yards.
Jeremy Smith gave the Cardinals a 10-7 lead in the third quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run, his second rushing score this season.
Lukayus McNeil made his first collegiate appearance during the game.

DEFENSE

The Cardinals' defense held the Tigers scoreless in the first quarter, the first time in six games Clemson has been without a point in the opening quarter. The last time it happened was Nov. 6, 2014, against Wake Forest.
Keith Kelsey finished the game with 10 tackles, marking the second-consecutive contest with double-digit stops. He had 15 the week prior against Houston.
Sheldon Rankins matched a season high with eight tackles, including his first sack of the season. For his career, Rankins has 13 sacks.
Shaq Wiggins registered his third career pick, first at Louisville, in the third quarter and had a 16-yard return. He had five tackles in the contest.
James Burgess made his seventh career interception, picking off a pass in the first quarter. He also had eight stops in the game.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Traveon Samuel returned a kickoff in the fourth quarter 100 yards for a touchdown, becoming the eighth player in school history to achieve the feat and first since JaJuan Spillman in 2006. The last player to return a kickoff for a touchdown was Corvin Lamb, who went 97 yards against Miami in 2014.
Samuel is only the third freshman in program history to return a kickoff 100 yards. The other freshmen were Tom Lucia, George Cain, Broderick Clark, and Spillman.
John Wallace connected on a 26-yard field goal in the second quarter. He also made two extra points in the game, boosting his career total to 309.

University of Louisville Athletics