LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Deshaun Watson threw two touchdown passes, Wayne Gallman ran for 139 yards and No. 11 Clemson held off Louisville 20-17 on Thursday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both schools.
Despite ragged stretches including two interceptions by Watson, Clemson (3-0, 1-0 followed up routs of Wofford and Appalachian State with a solid conference win. The sophomore was spot on when needed, finding Hunter Renfrow and Jordan Leggett wide open down the middle for TD passes of 32 and 25 yards, respectively.
Louisville (0-3, 0-1) started its third quarterback in three games with Kyle Bolin, and used freshman Lamar Jackson and sophomore Reggie Bonnafon behind center in a search for offensive consistency. The combination kept the Cardinals within reach of Clemson long enough to have a last shot at a win, but Bolin's desperation pass was intercepted by Jadar Johnson in the final seconds.
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