University of Louisville
4-3 , 2-2
CLEMSON
7-0 , 5-0
Lawrence Leads No. 3 Clemson to 45-10 Win Over Louisville
October 19, 2019 | Football
Javian Hawkins rushed for 129 yards in the loss.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Trevor Lawrence overcame two early interceptions to throw three touchdown passes, Travis Etienne rushed for 192 yards and a score and No. 3 Clemson routed Louisville 45-10 on Saturday for its 22nd consecutive victory.
Darien Rencher and Chez Mellusi added rushing TDs for the Tigers (7-0, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who missed first-quarter chances to build a big lead when Lawrence was picked off twice near the goal line. The sophomore quarterback settled down to hit Joseph Ngata and Justyn Ross with second-quarter TDs for a 17-3 halftime lead.
''They really played us tough,'' Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. ''We knew this was a game we were going to have to eventually knock them out because they were not going to give up.''
Lawrence's 10-yard TD to Cornell Powell made it 31-3, and he finished 20 of 29 for 233 yards.
The Tigers also posted six sacks and kept Louisville (4-3, 2-2) out of the end zone until Javian Hawkins' 3-yard TD late in the game. Clemson outgained Louisville 551-263 and improved to 6-0 all-time against the Cardinals.
Hawkins had 129 yards on 26 carries, but Louisville never got closer than 10-3 after winning its previous two games.
''We just didn't make enough plays,'' first-year Louisville coach Scott Satterfield said. ''The bottom line is they out-executed us and we didn't we didn't execute when we needed to. We were not able to get any kind of momentum in that game.''
EJECTION
Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct late in the third quarter after punching Louisville's Trennell Troutman as he lay on the ground. The players tussled as Troutman ran downfield to cover a Louisville punt before Booth threw him to the turf around the Clemson 20. The scuffle continued and Booth threw a punch with his right hand as he straddled Troutman. Players from both teams swarmed them, and there was more pushing and shoving.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Clemson will retain its top-five spot with a decisive win after a slow start.
THE TAKEAWAY
Clemson: After initially looking like they'd have to work to get past Louisville, the Tigers dialed in on both sides of the ball for another blowout since their one-point escape at North Carolina. They rushed for 298 yards and held the Cardinals to just 107 yards passing., The Tigers have scored over 40 points in two straight games.
Louisville: The Cardinals' hopes of following up their win over Wake Forest with a huge upset never materialized despite hanging in with defense early on. They couldn't take advantage of those initial interceptions and eventually faded against the ACC's top defense and one of its best offenses.
UP NEXT
Clemson hosts Boston College on Oct. 26.
Louisville hosts Virginia on Oct. 26.
Â
Team Stats
CU 3, UL 0
CU - POTTER 51 yd field goal 5 plays, 46 yards, TOP 2:08
CU 10, UL 0
CU - NGATA 6 yd pass from LAWRENCE (SAWICKI kick) 6 plays, 81 yards, TOP 3:04
CU 10, UL 3
UL - Creque, B. 28 yd field goal 11 plays, 52 yards, TOP 5:44
CU 17, UL 3
CU - ROSS 25 yd pass from LAWRENCE (SAWICKI kick) 5 plays, 77 yards, TOP 1:00
CU 24, UL 3
CU - ETIENNE 49 yd run (POTTER kick), 2 plays, 58 yards, TOP 0:34
CU 31, UL 3
CU - POWELL 10 yd pass from LAWRENCE (POTTER kick) 7 plays, 63 yards, TOP 2:10
CU 38, UL 3
CU - RENCHER 8 yd run (POTTER kick), 5 plays, 25 yards, TOP 1:57
CU 38, UL 10
UL - Hawkins, J. 3 yd run (Creque, B. kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 5:04
CU 45, UL 10
CU - MELLUSI 16 yd run (POTTER kick), 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:10
